At least seven Palestinians, including one child, killed during commemorative rally

Monday November 12, 2007 14:00 by John Smith - IMEMC

At least seven Palestinians, including one child, were on Monday killed during a mass rally commemorating the death of Yasser Arafat in Gaza city, media sources have indicated.

Earlier Fatah rally in Gaza city

Initial eyewitness reports suggest that the Gaza police force attacked the rally after an armed man, reported by Hamas sources to be a Fatah gunman, opened fire from nearby rooftops, but the precise circumstances of the outbreak of violence remain unclear.

IMEMC's correspondent in Gaza city, who attended the demonstration, reported that Hamas forces attacked and assaulted demonstrators, leaving at least 60 Palestinians injured.

Of those killed, six have been identified as Kamil Ziyara, 19, Tariq Najjar, 29, Ahmad Qdaih, 17, Ibrahim Ahmad, 14, Husam al-Awadi, 26, and Muhammad al-Masri, 67.

The situation remains tense, with police forces deployed across the city.

Later in the day, the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed the killings as a "heinous crime." 

Elsewhere, Fatah officials in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip condemned the attack, with former Fatah strongman Mohammad Dahlan arguing that Fatah would soon re-establish itself in the coastal region.

"Victory over those killers will be very soon [achieved] through such rallies and gatherings as what we have seen today," the former head of the Preventative Security force told Palestine TV. 

Other Fatah representatives claimed that, despite asserted efforts by the Hamas-affiliated police force, the movement remained strong in Gaza, with Fatah spokesperson Walid Awad proclaiming  "Fatah is in Gaza, it never left and [it] will prevail." 

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also condemned the attack, with Palestinian Legislative Council member Khalida Jarrar demanding that the perpetrators be punished to the harshest letter of the law.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday evening declared Tuesday an official day of mourning for those killed in the violence.  

Later in the evening, six Palestinians were injured during a funeral for one of those killed in earlier clashes. Local sources reported that the six were injured in the Deir al-Balah area of the Gaza Strip after mourners clashed with police forces of the de facto government. 

Earlier reports suggested that hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents attended the rally, carrying Fatah banners, Arafat posters, and chanting slogans commemorating the late president.

Palestinian media sources indicated that the rally was attended by people from across the region, with some traveling to Gaza city, on foot, from towns as far away as Beit Hanoun and Rafah.

The Fatah movement had earlier accused the ruling Hamas government of attempting to disrupt the rally, with reports suggesting that Hamas-affiliated police forces had established checkpoints around Gaza city, in addition to seizing pro-Fatah banners, posters and t-shirts from the movement's supporters.

Reports circulated on Sunday indicated that the Executive force had attacked a number of impromptu rallies in the al-Bureij and Nusayrat refugee camps. The Spokesman for the de facto Interior Ministry in Gaza, Hani al-Dani, denied the accusations.

gaza strip | internal unrest | news report johnsmithimemc at gmail dot com