Gaza blasts stoke Hamas-Fatah tensions

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A wave of bombings against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip has stoked intra-Palestinian tensions.

Bombs left at various Gaza City locations linked to Hamas killed seven Palestinians Friday, among them five gunmen from the Islamist group and a young bystander.

Hamas blamed Fatah for the attack, arresting some 200 of the rival faction’s activists in Gaza over the weekend.

In the West Bank, where Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah still holds sway, dozens of Hamas members were detained in what appeared to be a punitive round-up.

Hamas routed Fatah in a Gazan civil war last year, taking control of the territory. Tensions between the factions have simmered since but major bloodshed has been rare.

Abbas on Sunday denied involvement in the Gaza bombings and asked Egypt to host reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas.

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