70 hurt in West Bank clashes

GAZA STRIP (AFP) - Seventy people were wounded yesterday in clashes between militants of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinians, hospital sources said.

The fighting broke out in the afternoon in Khan Yunis, where 200 Hamas supporters gathered outside a house and threw petrol bombs to force the Palestinian family out, witnesses said.

The family, custodians of a nearby mosque who are opposed to Hamas, had received an ultimatum to evacuate the house before the end of September.

Khan Yunis residents rushed to help the besieged family. Clashes ensued, and Hamas militants opened fire, wounding six people. Others suffered knife wounds and concussions.