GAZA, Jan. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Leaders of the mainstream Fatah movement in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah announced their resignations en masse on Sunday, well-informed Palestinian sources said.

    The sources said that the leaders also urged for elections inside the party as soon as possible to elect new leaders. The sources also said that the leaders in Rafah called for the resignations of Fatah Central Committee and Revolutionary Council members.

    They also urged Fatah members who were elected legislators in the parliamentary elections not to participate in the future government that is to be formed by the Islamic Resistance Movement(Hamas), according to the sources.

    The resignations of Fatah leaders in Rafah came after the long dominate group was defeated by Hamas in last week's legislative elections.

    On Saturday, Fatah members marched on the streets in the West Bank city of Ramallah and the Gaza Strip towns in protest against the group's defeat in the ballot. The demonstrators also demanded the resignations of party leaders. Enditem