Gaza boy, 2, dies in clash of Hamas, Fatah forces

GAZA CITY -- A Palestinian child was killed by gunfire in Gaza yesterday, medical officials said, as Fatah and Hamas fighters clashed in a second straight day of factional violence since the formation of a unity government.

Aiming to quell the tensions, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, of Fatah, and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, of Hamas, agreed to step up contacts between both sides, a Haniyeh aide said.

Medical officials said the 2-year-old boy was killed and a female relative was wounded by gunfire as Hamas and Fatah gunmen clashed in northern Gaza. There was no comment from either side on the killing.

A 45-year-old man was killed in a separate shooting episode. It was not clear whether it was factional or clan-related.

Palestinians hoped a unity government formed on Saturday between Hamas Islamists and Abbas's secular Fatah faction would end the fighting. But clashes broke out on Wednesday and spread after a series of abductions.

The most high-profile abductee was a local Hamas leader, Hamdan Assufi, who disappeared Wednesday. Hamas said it would take measures to free the man if Fatah refuses to release him. Fatah has not said whether it is holding him.