The body organising next month's Palestinian parliamentary elections has suspended its activities after armed men stormed its offices. Ammar al-Dweik, director of the central elections commission (CEC), said armed men burst into two of its branches in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Nablus, in some cases opening fire, but causing no casualties. "We have told all our employees to close and leave their offices," Dweik said on Tuesday. The CEC said armed men had fired shots at the offices, destroyed equipment and verbally and physically assaulted staff members. It said the suspension would stay in place "until further notice and until it receives assurances that the safety of CEC personnel will be guaranteed". The move means candidates who want to register for the 25 January election will be prevented from doing so until further notice. The registration process was due to expire at midnight on Wednesday.