Palestinian police storm parliament

DOZENS of disgruntled Palestinian police officers stormed the parliament building yesterday, complaining they don’t have enough firepower to confront Hamas, and MPs upset over the growing chaos demanded Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas reshuffle the cabinet and fire his security chief.

The protest and parliament’s rebuke of Abbas came a day after the worst fighting between Hamas and police in nearly a decade. Three people were killed, including the deputy police chief in the Shati refugee camp who was shot in the head after he and his men ran out of bullets during a Hamas assault on their station.

The violence underscored the difficulties Abbas and his ill-equipped security forces face in taking t control of unruly Gaza. Since Israel’s pullout from the territory last month, the Islamic militant group Hamas has become increasingly brazen in challenging Abbas.