[Reuters] Nidal al-Mughrabi - A "large number" of Hamas fighters tried to infiltrate a key Presidential Guard position near the Karni commercial crossing in Gaza on Tuesday in the most serious flare-up in factional fighting in more than two weeks, an officer of Mahmoud Abbas' Presidential Guard said. The officer and a senior Western security source said the Hamas fighters were pushed back after a three-hour gun battle with the Presidential Guard, a Fatah-dominated force that receives U.S. backing. The senior Western security source, who works closely with the Presidential Guard, said between 50 and 100 Hamas fighters took part in the early morning assault. "They (the Hamas fighters) tried to take over the crossing but were repulsed," he said.
2007-06-06 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive