Palestinian Fatah militants take part in the
funeral of their comrade Rami Sror in the northern Gaza strip March 22,
2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery
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GAZA,
March 22 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of rival Palestinian movements of Fatah and Hamas
agreed on an immediate cease-fire in northern Gaza Strip, a spokesman for
President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement announced on Thursday night.
Abdel Hakim Awad told reporters that "it was agreed
to immediately end armed fighting, pull out all militants from the streets and
exchange persons kidnapped earlier on Thursday."
The decision was made during an urgent meeting
between leaders of the two sides held at new Interior Minister Hani al-Qawasmi's
home in Gaza City, Awad said.
He added that the aim of the meeting was to end the
inter-Palestinian fighting that erupted in northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday and
Thursday.
The deal was reached shortly after a 2-year-old boy
was killed and his grandmother moderately injured on Thursday night as clashes
between rival Fatah and Hamas militants renewed in northern Gaza Strip.
Witnesses said militants of the two movements traded
fire in an area of northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya, near the homes of
two senior Fatah militants but gunshots hit a next-door house in the
neighborhood, killing Hassan Abu Nadda and wounding his 65-year-old grandmother
Um Basel Abu Nadda.
A power-sharing agreement signed by Fatah and Hamas
in Saudi holy city of Mecca last month temporarily ended months of infighting
and a new coalition government was sworn in on March17.
However, clashes resumed earlier this week, killing
four Palestinians and wounding 10 others during clashes between the two rival
movements in northern Gaza Strip in the past three days.
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