Three Palestinians, including a police officer, were killed and 45 others wounded during a day of fierce clashes between the Hamas-led interior ministry auxiliary force and security forces in Gaza Strip, medics said.

Medics at Shiffa Hospital said that two civilians, one of them a 15-year-old teen, were among the three killed in the armed clashes that spread to several parts in the Gaza Strip. Clashes erupted between the two sides following a mounting tension and a war of words and statements between the two big rival movements, ruling Hamas and opposition Fatah in the Gaza Strip.

"Tension between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza increased after the two big parties failed to agree on forming a national coalition government to end the political and economical crisis in the territories," said Ashraf el-Ajrami, an analyst from Gaza.

Eyewitnesses said that intensive gunfire had been heard in the streets of Gaza City and southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, adding that ambulances were seen taking casualties to hospitals.

"What we saw in the streets today was a real scene of a civil war between Hamas and Fatah. Wise leaders of both movements should immediately do their best to stop this war," said Khalid Safi, a25-year-old eyewitness.

In a written statement sent to reporters, The al-Damir Institute for Human Rights based in Gaza warned of the current situation and of the ongoing security chaos in the Palestinian territories.

"If such security chaos goes on and gets escalated in the Palestinian territories, a severe crisis is expected," said the al-Damir statement, adding "the way the security forces were protesting against the government was illegal."

On Thursday and Saturday, hundreds of unpaid police and security officers took to the streets, burned tyres, blocked roads and fire in the air, calling on the Hamas-led government and President Mahmoud Abbas to pay them their dues.

On Saturday night, spokesman of the interior ministry Khaled Abu Hilal announced in a news conference that interior minister Said Siam gave clear instructions to the auxiliary force to end protests by police and security forces.

On Sunday morning, hundreds of the Hamas-led interior ministry forces redeployed in Gaza Strip towns and villages, including densely populated Gaza City, a scene that had provoked other protesting security and police forces.

"It is our legal and democratic right to demonstrate and express our anger for not being able to feed our children for seven months. It happens in every part of the world, but it never happens that Hamas opens fire at starving people," a striking police officer said.

Eyewitnesses said that dozes of Palestinian teens threw stones at masked officers of the Hamas auxiliary force in Gaza City. They were seen opening fire at stones throwers.

Tension between Fatah party and the ruling Islamic Hamas movement had mounted after both President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya failed to form a Palestinian national coalition government.

Meanwhile, the forces, controlled by Interior Minister Said Siam of Hamas, set fire to the house of a prominent security officer working for the Preventive Security Forces. Enditem
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2006)