Four people were killed in clashes between Hamas security and a clan affiliated with the rival Fatah party late Wednesday, a Hamas official said. Two Hamas security men and two members of the clan were killed in the fighting that left over twenty people wounded on both sides, Ihab al-Ghusain a spokesman for the Hamas security forces said. Hamas security forces closed off the neighborhood of al-Shojaiyah east of Gaza City to arrest wanted members of the Heles clan, a large Gaza clan, affiliated with Fatah. The violence erupted when members of the Heles clan opened fire at the security forces, al-Ghusain said. The force later arrested a number of "outlaws" that were on their way to send reinforcements to the clan, he said.
A Fatah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the incident, said Hamas security forces were trying to confiscate a car that belonged to a Heles member. Local residents said rocket propelled grenades, mortars and heavy machine guns were used in the clashes.