A 4-year-old boy caught in the crossfire of a shootout between Fatah and Hamas forces died of his wounds yesterday, while a pro-Fatah security man was abducted and killed, Palestinian security officials said, raising tensions between the sides just days after the formation of their unity government. Hassan Abu Nada, 4, was wounded during a gunfight Thursday in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya. Relatives said the boy died from his wounds early Friday. The boy's father cradled the small body of the boy, wrapped in a green shroud, as he led hundreds of people in a funeral procession. Palestinian security officials said the family had not been targeted by the Hamas gunmen, but lived in the same building as a wanted Fatah militant commander.
Late Friday, the bullet-riddled body of a pro-Fatah security man was found outside the home of a Hamas family, hours after he was kidnapped by unknown assailants, security officials said. The whereabouts of a second man kidnapped with him were unknown, the officials said. Security officials said the dead officer was involved in a shooting last week that killed a Hamas militant. His body was found outside the home of the dead militant's family, the officials said. The family had vowed revenge after last week's shooting, they said. Hamas officials were not immediately available for comment.
| Neither was the Secretary General of the United Nations. |