Israel to return Gazans who fled internal fighting

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-03 19:14

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Most of the 180 Fatah supporters who fled into Israel from a deadly Hamas crackdown over the weekend will be sent back into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

Hamas security forces seen through an armored car window patrol the area during a crackdown on the Fatah-linked Hilles clan, alleging that suspects in last week's bombing had found refuge in a Hilles-controlled area in the Shijaiyeh neighborhood in Gaza City, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008. [Agencies]

The men, members of a Gaza clan linked to Fatah, escaped to Israel under fire on Saturday after a Hamas raid on their family's stronghold left nine people dead and nearly 90 wounded. The violence, some of the worst infighting Gaza has seen since Hamas seized control in the territory a year ago, forced the Palestinians to seek refuge in Israel - their longtime enemy.

A group of around 30 was sent back to Gaza on Sunday morning, and Israeli defense officials said the rest would also be returned to Gaza rather than be allowed to relocate to the Fatah-controlled West Bank. The officials said this was in keeping with a request from the moderate Palestinian president, Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas, to send the men back.

The wounded would be allowed to remain in Israeli hospitals, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information had not been officially made public.

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