One Palestinian presidential guard was killed early Sunday morning after scores of masked militants attacked an outpost, west of Gaza City, belonging to the Palestinian President’s 17 force, as armed clashes erupted in Gaza City.
Media reports said that one presidential guard was killed and few others injured and a military outpost was totally devastated in an attack by militants.
The attack was believed to be carried out by Alqassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, however, a Qassam spokesman denied responsibility.
In the meantime, the Presidential guards took position today morning on rooftops of two Palestinian ministry buildings just close to the Palestinian President’s house in Gaza.
Following deployment of the presidential guards, armed clashes between the Palestinian interior ministry’s executive force and the presidential guards broke out in the vicinity of the ministries and in other Gaza streets.
Abu Ahmad, a senior officer of the Presidential guards, , was quoted by Aljazeera.net as saying” the deployment of the 17 force members intended at securing the area close to the President’s house”.
The Palestinian Hamas-led government accused the presidential guards of forcing out employees of the agriculture and transportation ministries out and taking control of the two buildings.
Meanwhile, bursts of bullets fire were heard in different parts of the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, Khan Younis and Alboraij.
On Saturday night, thousdands of Fatah (supporting) and Hamas (opposing) supporters took out to streets to show up reactions to a president Abbas’s call for early elections. At least 10 people were reportedly wounded during clashed.
Such developments in Gaza came after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called yesterday for early presidential and legislative elections, ending a 9-month old failed national unity government dialogue and attempting to put an end to an internationally-imposed economic embargo.
In January, 2006, the occupied Palestinian people opted for Hamas in internationally-recognized democratic legislative elections. Two months later, an internationally-imposed economic embargo was enforced unless that democratically-elected government recognizes Israel’s right to exist, accepts past signed peace agreements and renounces violence.
