Palestinian tensions in Gaza surged Monday as the ruling Hamas movement issued a warning to a strongman of the rival Fatah faction a day after his vitriolic attack on the Islamists at a huge rally. Hamas accused Mohammad Dahlan, a Fatah MP, of trying to bring down the government "on the orders of his boss [US Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice," according to a statement released in Gaza. "We place the responsibility for each drop of Palestinian blood spilled personally on Dahlan along with his putschist movement," Hamas said. "We firmly warn against any attempts on Hamas leaders, members of its armed wing or its executive force. Those who play with fire will be burned."On Sunday Dahlan launched a bitter tirade against Hamas during a mass rally in a Gaza City stadium attended by tens of thousands of Fatah supporters. He said the death of Mohammad Ghraib, a colonel in a Palestinian security force loyal to Fatah, "marks a turning point in our relations" with Hamas. Ghraib was killed Thursday during an assault by Hamas supporters on his house in Jabaliya in the north of the Gaza Strip.