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Hamas-Police Gunfight Kills 6

By the Associated Press

Posted May 31, 2009 4:44 PM CDT

(AP) – Palestinian forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas stormed a Hamas hideout in the West Bank and set off a fierce gun battle that left six dead today, the worst violence since the factions fought a pitched battle over Gaza 2 years ago. Militants lobbed grenades and fired automatic weapons to push back the raid in a two-story building in Qalqiliya, a West Bank town with a strong Hamas presence.

When it was over, pools of blood, tear gas canisters, and hundreds of spent shell casings littered the floor. Walls were partly burned down during the battle. Qalqiliya, which elected a Hamas mayor in 2005, was tense today. Sporadic gunfire erupted in other areas of town, and police said the shots came from Hamas loyalists targeting officers, though there were no reports of injuries.

A Palestinian security officer shoots in the air during the funeral of two security officers killed during a shootout with members of Hamas  in the West Bank city of Qalqilya, Sunday, May 31, 2009.
A Palestinian security officer shoots in the air during the funeral of two security officers killed during a shootout with members of Hamas in the West Bank city of Qalqilya, Sunday, May 31, 2009.   (NASSER ISHTAYEH)
A Palestinian police officer examines the damage to a house following a shootout between Palestinian policemen and Hamas gunmen in the West Bank town of Qalqilya, Sunday, May 31, 2009.
A Palestinian police officer examines the damage to a house following a shootout between Palestinian policemen and Hamas gunmen in the West Bank town of Qalqilya, Sunday, May 31, 2009.   (MUHAMMED MUHEISEN)
In this photo taken on March 17, 2009, a Palestinian police officer walks next to a portrait of Yasser Arafat at the police station in the West Bank city of Hebron.
In this photo taken on March 17, 2009, a Palestinian police officer walks next to a portrait of Yasser Arafat at the police station in the West Bank city of Hebron.   (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)
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