Hamas and Fatah gunmen battled each other in the streets of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, having sent civilians fleeing from their homes in an increasingly bloody power struggle that left more than two dozen Palestinians dead over the weekend.An explosion early in the morning rocked the Gaza City home of a bodyguard to Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan, but the guard was not in the building and no casualties were reported. At least eight people were wounded in exchanges of fire between the sides overnight, Palestinian security officials said.The latest round of fighting began late on Thursday after a Hamas activist was killed in a bombing. By Saturday night 25 Palestinians—including a 2-year-old and a 12-year-old—had been killed and at least 76 were wounded, bringing to a standstill fitful efforts to unite the two rival factions in a coalition government.A threat by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah to call early elections fuelled the tensions that provoked the violence. Residents of areas where the fighting was fiercest left to take refuge with relatives, and bulletholes pocked many of the buildings there.Major roads in Gaza City were blocked by concrete barriers put up by security personnel loyal to both factions, causing traffic jams as drivers were forced on to alternate roads. Large security details loyal to both groups deployed at major street corners and outside potential targets, like the homes of Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Islamic militant Hamas. Security was also reinforced around Palestinian media outlets, and two Gaza City universities were shuttered.
