Palestinian sources reported that senior Fatah military wing leader Hassan al-Qasas, member narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after gunmen fired an RPG towards him and another senior group member. Fatah has blamed Hamas for the attack. Ahmad Sarur, a resident of Beit Lahiya, told Ynet on Wednesday that the situation in northern Gaza is "very frightening." Sarur says that masked gunmen are positioned at every junction and along every route. According to Sarur the gunmen interrogate people on the street and search them. "Everywhere you go there are masked Hamas fighters," he described his surroundings, "Fatah is nowhere to be seen in the streets, Hamas has taken control of things here." Sarur said that residents are embittered about the situation and that there seems to be no solution to the crisis. "We elected a government so that it would bring change to the security situation, but its only gotten worse and is deteriorating," he said, "no one goes anywhere in the north (of Gaza), people only want to stay in their homes so as not to be caught in the crossfire between Hamas and Fatah."
The violence started early on Wednesday with the shooting of a Fatah member in Beit Lahiya. His family members, along with other Fatah gunmen, blocked nearby roads and chanted anti-Hamas slogans. In another incident Wednesday a Hamas member was wounded after a bomb he was working on apparently detonated prematurely in Gaza City. The wounded man serves as Interior Minister Sayeed SiyamÂ’s bodyguard. Another Hamas member died Tuesday under similar circumstances.