Violence flares as assassinated Hamas leader buried

A PALESTINIAN militant with ties to Hamas was killed in a car bomb yesterday, unleashing factional unrest that left three others dead and more than 20 wounded - in the first direct threat to the Islamic group’s new government.

Followers of the militant leader blamed security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement for the assassination, raising the possibility of wider clashes just two days after Hamas assumed power.

The militant, Abu Yousef Abu Quka, was a senior commander of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), an umbrella group of about 200 gunmen - half of whom are allied with Hamas, including Abu Quka, and the other half with Fatah.