Hamas seizes Fatah base as bloody battles push Gaza towards civil war

The fate of the increasingly powerless Palestinian national unity government was hanging by a thread last night after another day of brutal fighting between the two main factions in Gaza brought the two-day death toll to at least 36.

Hamas said it had seized control of the northern Gaza headquarters of the large Fatah-dominated national security force. A protracted and bloody battle was fought between 200 of its gunmen, firing mortars and grenades, and up to 500 security force members holed up inside left. At least 12 were killed and 30 injured. More than two dozen jeeps carrying Fatah reinforcements to the battle failed to get through roadblocks manned by Hamas gunmen.

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As the savage conflict brought Gaza yet again to the brink of civil war, a rocket-propelled grenade damaged the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of Hamas. In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Fatah militants kidnapped a Hamas deputy minister.

Also in Ramallah, Fatah's central committee decided last night to suspend its membership of the coalition government and promised to pull out altogether if the fighting did not stop. Earlier in the day, Hamas gunmen controlling the rooftop of the European Hospital in Khan Yunis exchanged heavy fire with Fatah security forces at a nearby base; 15 children at a kindergarten in the line of fire were rushed into the hospital building to protect them from the shooting.

Yesterday's and Monday's combat appears to have ignored even the minimal previous constraint. Street executions were carried out, at least one militant from each faction was hurled from the upper floors of high buildings, and fighting spilled into hospital precincts.

With many medics unable to get to work because of the gunfire, Dr Wessam Awadallah of Gaza City's main Shifa hospital told AP that masked men had been roaming the premises, occasionally exchanging fire. "We don't know who they are, or who they are fighting," he said. "There will come a moment when we will not be able to treat anyone, and [we will] let them die."

In the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, the hospital shut after three people were shot dead inside on Monday. According to the Red Cross, one was killed in the operating room, which the ICRC called "serious violations of international humanitarian law".

The UN Relief Works Agency (Unrwa) was forced yesterday to close five food distribution centres and seven of its 18 health clinics. John Ging, Gaza's operations director, said Unrwa was "extremely" concerned about the "dreadful humanitarian situation" facing the one million refugees it serves, but added: "We cannot deliver food and medical services in the crossfire."

He added: "This senseless fighting must stop and must make way for dialogue and negotiation. The civilian population of the Gaza Strip demand it and deserve it."

With masked gunmen on rooftops and at street corners, many roads in the strip were deserted as civilians took refuge from the gun battles. At one point, Fatah security forces staged a short-lived seizure of the Hamas run Al-Aqsa TV and radio stations in Gaza.

In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said publicly for the first time that he would consider an international border force to stop weapons-smuggling from Egypt by the militant factions, apparently in a move to curb the military power of Hamas. An Israeli official told Reuters that if the international community could not provide a robust enough force, the offer might pave the way for Israel to do so itself.

While Hamas described the attack on Mr Haniyeh's home as an assassination attempt, a cousin of Abdel Aziz Rantisi, the Hamas leader assassinated by Israel in 2004, was kidnapped and killed by Fatah gunmen.

The home of a Hamas parliamentarian was also burnt down.

Elsewhere, security officials said that three women and a boy aged 14 had been killed in an attack by Hamas gunmen.