Gun battles break out between rival Palestinian groups

Gun battles broke out in three locations in the Gaza Strip today between police loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and rival militiamen of the Hamas-led government. Two bystanders were wounded.

Yesterday, the government deployed all 3,000 Hamas militiamen across Gaza to prevent widening protests against unpaid government salaries. Their deployment heated up friction between the two sides in Gaza, where guns are plentiful and the rivals are engaged in a fierce power struggle.