Hamas deploys militants on the streets of Gaza sparking fresh violence between Fatah loyalists and their Islamist counterparts, reports Erica Silverman Ezzeddin Al-Qassam, Hamas's military wing, removed their masks for the first time last week after Minister of Interior Said Syiam, of Hamas, boldly sent a 3,000 strong Hamas security command to patrol the streets of Gaza. "We have direct orders from the minister to keep law and order in the Palestinian streets, in light of the complete paralysis of the Palestinian Authority security forces. We are posted on the main roads, intersections, and downtown areas of every city and neighbourhood," stated Rami, a 29-year-old commander of a Hamas unit who has served nine years in Al-Qassam. President Mahmoud Abbas immediately deployed Palestinian Authority (PA) police forces to patrol alongside them, leading Palestinians to ask why the PA police have not been used over the past year to stop the violence in Gaza. Minister Syiam claims that it is within his legal mandate to create a force to restore law and order in Gaza, although clashes between Al-Qassam and PA security forces, comprised mostly of Fatah loyalists, began almost immediately. A week of intense violence culminated when a driver from the Jordanian Consulate in Gaza City was accidentally shot to death in a diplomatic vehicle as gunfire was exchanged between Fatah and Hamas. It is unclear who fired the shot. At least 11 others were wounded in the clashes. As of Tuesday, eight Palestinians have died in internal clashes between Fatah and Hamas, and dozens have been wounded. So far there has been no statement made by either Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh or President Abbas on these incidents. "We do not intend to make one step backwards. The force will stay and will be integrated into the police force. Their task is to protect internal security and if there will be a need to increase its number, we will do it," said Prime Minister Haniyeh after Friday prayer in Gaza City. Abbas told the Hamas-led government it must immediately remove its security force from the streets of Gaza. Minister Syiam insists that during a meeting with Abbas, prior to deployment, he was given a go-ahead; an assertion Abbas's aides deny. The Egyptian delegation long posted to Gaza is meeting continuously with Fatah and Hamas leaderships to try and resolve the crisis. "Abu Mazen approved integrating the militants during the meeting at the end of March, but Al-Qassam did not go through the necessary legal procedures ... they just protested on the streets," stated an Egyptian official. The political delegation, led by General Mohamed Ibrahim, continues to work with the Hamas government, although the delegation is still convinced that Fatah is the most responsible entity to manage a Palestinian state. "The only way to stop the violence in Gaza is to collect all the weapons off the streets, from the families and the militants," asserted the official. This violent power-struggle has evoked predictions of civil war, yet it is unclear that the necessary social divisions for such a bloody conflict are present in Palestinian society, though loyalties are blurred. The day after the Hamas force was deployed, about 2,000 members of the PA security forces marched through Gaza City, many bare-chested, chanting "Jerusalem, the president, the homeland!" as they passed Hamas forces. The same day PA security forces demonstrated in support of the Hamas-led government in front of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The security crisis has devastated Gaza, with most of the violence emanating from large families acting above the law and Al-Aqsa militants loyal to Fatah. Two Hamas members were killed in a drive-by shooting, one was kidnapped, and three from Al-Aqsa were shot dead in clashes the week before the Hamas deployment. Also, angry militants stormed the headquarters of Jawal, the Palestinian cellular network provider. Minister Syiam claims his pleas to Rashid Abu Shabak, senior commander of PA security, to use force against the militants went unanswered. Now Al-Qassam members are openly manning the streets in black t-shirts and caps, although the main force is still in reserve. "It is the first time for all of us to go on duty without masks, because our mission is different now; we are dealing with Palestinian internal problems. In the past, the Israelis wanted us and when they invaded our territories and we resisted them. Now we are a legal part of the Ministry of Interior," explained Rami. Can an underground resistance force become a local police? Many Gazans are wary of the new force, claiming its purpose is only to protect Hamas. "The Hamas security force is not a solution. PA security forces should take the lead. We need a dialogue, not a deployment of more militants," said Ali, a 26-year-old greengrocer in Gaza City. And what happens to whomever they apprehend, given that the force is not integrated into the PA judicial system? "The arrested criminals are turned over to the PA police to prosecute them," stated Rami, though suspects have reported undergoing initial Hamas interrogation. Meanwhile, calculated operations have been executed against PA security in Gaza. Intelligence Chief General Tareq Abu Rajab sustained serious injuries to his lower body from an explosion that ripped through the headquarters of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service in Gaza City on Saturday. A switch linked to internal telephone lines triggered explosives planted under an elevator, killing one of Abu Rajab's bodyguards -- his nephew -- and injuring nine, according to a senior intelligence official. The official believes the attack could not have been carried out without assistance from within the intelligence service, and that, "they [the Hamas force want to finish the role of the real security forces." Tawfiq Tirawi, deputy to Tareq Abu Rajab, suggested that Hamas could be responsible for the attack. Hamas denied responsibility. Abu Rajab, head of the intelligence service in Gaza since the beginning of 2005, was an opponent of Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees. On Sunday, an unknown group linking itself to Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack against Abu Rajab, according to a statement posted on a website. Neither the statement's authenticity nor the presence of Al-Qaeda in the Palestinian territories has been verified. Meanwhile, a 70-kilogramme bomb was found and defused outside the home of Rashid Abu Shabak. Again, Fatah officials accused Hamas of planting the bomb. The existence of parallel security forces in conflict -- one operating without presidential consent -- is creating much anxiety amongst Gazans. All hope Haniyeh and Abbas will strike an accord in a "national unity conference" scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Ramallah. The conference will also have to find solutions to the crisis of Palestinian finances. With the PA continuing to face a policy of economic and political isolation, Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zhouri tried to enter Gaza last Friday through Rafah's border crossing with 639,000 euros strapped around his waist. The money was confiscated and turned over to the attorney-general in Gaza City.
