Abbas Declares 3 Days Of Mourning For Gaza Dead

Abbas Declares 3 Days of Mourning for Gaza Dead

Three days of mourning have been declared for seven people killed in the Gaza Strip, Monday. VOA's Jim Teeple reports more than 80 people were wounded in the incident.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the moderate Fatah faction, declared three days of mourning in the Palestinian territories, following the worst violence between Fatah and Hamas since June, when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip.

Monday, Hamas gunmen are reported to have opened fire at a mass demonstration called to commemorate the third anniversary of the death of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. In the ensuing violence, Hamas and Fatah gunmen exchanged fire, causing chaos in downtown Gaza City.

Fatah officials say Hamas has seized several Fatah leaders since Monday's incident.

Most businesses remain closed in Gaza City, today. Mohammed Dahlan - the senior Fatah leader in Gaza until he was forced to leave the territory in June - has called for more rallies to protest Hamas rule in Gaza, saying ordinary Palestinians have had enough of Hamas rule.

ENDS

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