GAZA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of Hamas and Fatah factions have postponed their meeting which was due to be held in Gaza on Tuesday for security reasons.

    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived in Gaza in the afternoon, and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya of Hamas, were scheduled to attend the meeting.

    "The meeting has postponed for security reasons as Hamas leaders can not move under the Israeli continues shelling," Ayman Taha, a spokesman for Hamas, told reporters.

    Earlier, Abdel Hakim Awad, a spokesman for Abbas' Fatah movement, said that Hamas and Fatah would hold a meeting at Abbas' office in Gaza, adding that president and his Prime Minister would attend the meeting.

    The series of meetings are meant to discuss the ongoing Israeli military escalation and the bloody wave of fighting between Hamas and Fatah. The internal violence stopped last Saturday due to a Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

    Abbas has postponed his visit to Gaza twice, owing to the Israeli operations and the infighting that was fierce around his residence and offices in southwest Gaza city.

    During the infighting, Hamas has suddenly resumed rocket attacks into southern Israel and increased the number of rockets it fires despite the Israeli reactions.

    In addition, the Israeli aerial offensive has killed at least 35 Palestinians, including children and women, but most of the dead were members of Hamas' military wing.

    Israel Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh has threatened Tuesday that no one from Hamas leaders would be immune from targeting.

    Mushier al-Masri, a lawmaker from Hamas, said that most of Hamas leaders were elected and enjoying parliamentary immunity, warning the Jewish state against targeting any of them.

    "The Israeli threats to target Hamas leaders, especially Haneya, will open the door wide before us to use any mean to defend ourselves and our leaders," al-Masri said.