The armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas group claimed it had kidnapped an Israeli soldier last night, prompting celebrations in the streets of Gaza City.

Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an Israeli car in the West Bank today and killed four passengers on the eve of a new round of Middle East peace talks in Washington.

Israel has mobilised police and the military to keep a Hamas demonstration today against its Gaza blockade from turning into a mass border breakout.

A MASKED Hamas fighter sat down at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s desk yesterday and declared an end to the Western-backed authority in the Gaza Strip — in an imaginary telephone call to the United States.

The armed wing of the Islamic Hamas will not join Palestinian security forces, a spokesman for the militant group was quoted as saying today, commenting on possible changes as the Islamic group works toward setting up a new government.