Hamas gunmen open fire on Fatah protest

Hamas gunmen opened fire on demonstrators from the rival Fatah movement in the southern Gaza Strip today, wounding four people in the first factional violence following the deaths of three children in a drive-by shooting, officials said.

The demonstration was organised to protest the deaths of the children, whose car was riddled with bullets as they drove to school yesterday morning.

Fatah officials have accused Hamas of being behind the shooting.

The children’s father is an intelligence officer who is considered an enemy of Hamas.

Saleh Hammad, a local Fatah leader, said the demonstration was peaceful, though he acknowledged that some children had provoked the Hamas militiamen by throwing rocks at them.

“Even if one or a few children lost their temper and stoned the members of the unity, this is not a reason to be fired at,” he said. Hospital officials confirmed four people were wounded.

Their conditions weren’t immediately available.