Truce holds despite drive-by shooting

Gunmen in a passing car today shot and wounded a Fatah militant walking in a Gaza street, security officials said, but otherwise a ceasefire between rival Palestinian factions held for a second day.

The officials said unknown gunmen shot the Fatah militant four times, and suggested that Hamas was behind the attack.

But Fatah and Hamas officials reiterated their support for the truce between their groups, and refused to assign blame for the attack. The bloodshed in Gaza has left 60 Palestinians dead since erupting in early December.

Ayman Taha, a Hamas spokesman, declared his group’s “absolute commitment” to the truce, and stressed Hamas “innocence from any act that is in violation of this agreement”.

“Whoever violates this agreement… doesn’t want any good for our people, and doesn’t want the agreement to succeed,” said Fatah spokesman Abdel Hakim Amer.

Previous truce deals between Hamas and Fatah militants in Gaza have quickly collapsed into new waves of fighting, and it appeared unlikely the two sides would comply with all the terms of the current agreement, such as handing over all those involved in killings.

Late Tuesday, the two sides began releasing hostages – fighters kidnapped over the past week – both sides said. By today, both sides said all hostages were free.

Also, police began patrolling in place of security forces, according to the terms of the deal.

But the truce did nothing to resolve the underlying power struggle between Hamas and Fatah that has fuelled the fighting.

The two sides have been at odds since Hamas defeated Fatah in legislative elections a year ago, dividing power in the Palestinian government.