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Palestinian interior minister Hani al-Qawasmi speaks during a news conference after announcing his resignation. Photograph: Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Hani al-Qawasmi: I cannot accept being a minister without authority. Photograph: Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Hani al-Qawasmi: I cannot accept being a minister without authority. Photograph: Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Minister quits as fresh violence shatters Gaza ceasefire

This article is more than 16 years old

The Palestinian coalition government was today in danger of unravelling after only two months, as its interior minister resigned amid renewed violence.

Two Palestinian gunmen and two civilians caught in crossfire were killed in Gaza in fresh clashes between Hamas and Fatah, despite an Egyptian-brokered truce announced yesterday.

In all, nine people have died since the latest upsurge of factional strife began on Friday.

As interior minister, Hani al-Qawasmi was supposed to be in charge of the Palestinian security services but powerful Fatah rivals challenged the former academic for control.

In announcing his resignation, he told a news conference: "I told all parties I cannot accept being a minister without authority."

The Palestinian information minister, Mustafa al-Barghouthi, said the cabinet had decided to deploy security forces in Gaza to try to end the chaos.

The forces would answer to prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, who would temporarily take charge of the interior ministry.

"We urge all factions to withdraw gunmen from (Gaza) streets," Mr Barghouthi said.

Mr Qawasmi's resignation cast new doubt on whether the power-sharing partnership between Islamist Hamas and secular Fatah announced earlier this year could hold.

In the latest bout of fighting, dozens of Hamas gunmen exchanged fire with Fatah security officers and the bodyguards of the Fatah spokesman Maher Meqdad in Gaza city.

Hospital officials said two of the security officers were killed and 10 people wounded. They also said a civilian died after being shot in factional fighting yesterday, bringing to seven the number of people killed since the start of a new round of clashes over the weekend. At least 40 people have been injured.

Hamas claims that the death toll included two employees of a Hamas-affiliated newspaper who were shot after being pulled out of a taxi at a Fatah roadblock yesterday.

Under the terms of the truce, both sides were to have pulled gunmen off the streets and swapped about 20 hostages.

Hamas and Fatah set up a coalition government in February with the goal of ending months of fighting, but a new round of violence followed last week's deployment of 3,000 police in Gaza from forces loyal to the president, Mahmoud Abbas, amid objections by Hamas.

The renewed fighting has raised fears among Palestinians that the unity government, announced with great fanfare after an Arab regional meeting in Saudi Arabia in February, could collapse within days.

Meanwhile, Israel's security cabinet has decided against undertaking a major military operation in Gaza. The decision followed a meeting in which ministers considered how to respond to intensifying rocket fire from Gaza and the army's warnings that Hamas is stockpiling weapons.

However, the defence minister, Amir Peretz, said the army was given permission to step up targeted attacks against those firing the rockets.

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