Palestinian inter-factional clashes continued in the Gaza Strip yesterday, despite a ceasefire agreement that Fateh and Hamas reached earlier this week. Ayman Al Jarjawi, 35, was killed by unknown assailants in the middle of Gaza city; he was an innocent bystander caught in the middle of the clashes. Fighting was also extended to the area of the presidential quarters in Gaza city, and the home of Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al Zahhar. No injuries were reported in either incident.

Earlier this morning, a senior member of the Palestinian Preventative Security apparatus was critically wounded in a drive-by shooting in Rafah. His bodyguard and another innocent by-stander, a young girl, were injured in the incident. Their injuries were reported as moderate.

Violence also spread to the West Bank; Nablus was the site of the latest clashes. Mo’een Hamoudeh, 32, was wounded as he watched the clashes from his home balcony. City officials called for calm, but their appeals went unheeded and another eight civilians were injured. One person’s injuries were described as critical. Fateh and Hamas leaders in Nablus agreed to a truce later in the evening, which put an end to a spate of kidnappings perpetrated by both factions against the other earlier in the day.

Despite the continuing strife on Palestinian streets, both Fateh and Hamas representatives have called for a return to national unity talks, as a way out of the current crisis.