By DPA
Gaza City : A Palestinian boy was killed Saturday in renewed clashes between Hamas police forces and a Gaza-based clan in eastern Gaza City, paramedics said.
The death of the boy came hours after Mohammed Helles, a member of the family that has been fighting against Hamas since Wednesday, was killed early Saturday in the Sheja’eya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City.
According to witnesses, 13-year-old Mohammed al-Sousi was killed after being caught in crossfire. The firing also wounded Mohammed’s brother.
The fresh wave of violence has raised the total death toll to seven since Wednesday. A fragile ceasefire deal, reached Thursday morning, collapsed Saturday.
Ihab al-Ghussein, spokesman for the interior ministry in the Hamas administration, said a group of the movement’s military wing was coming back from their position near the border with Israel when a member of the Helles family tried to fire an RPG shell at them.
“The shell exploded before being fired and killed the launcher,” al-Ghussein said, adding that three members of the al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas were wounded when other gunmen from the family opened fire at the group.
“What we want is to confiscate the family’s weapons and the wanted gunmen be handed over to the police,” al-Ghussein said.
On Wednesday night, five people, including a Hamas police officer, were killed at the start of the clashes. More than 30 people from both sides were also hurt in the first round of clashes, the fiercest since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip by force in June.
The interior ministry of the Hamas administration said the troubles started when a group from the family, which is affiliated with the rival Fatah movement, refused to hand over weapons and cars belonging to the former security services that controlled the Gaza Strip before June.