19 June 2007 - On 11 June, Hamas initiated a chain of events that would lead to the total collapse of the Fatah security forces in the Gaza Strip. Intense factional fighting was reported throughout the Strip and at least 100 people were killed in the clashes that followed. While internecine clashes have been regularly reported since Hamas' rise to power in January 2006, the routing of the Fatah security forces came as a shock to many observers and to Fatah itself, which thought its position relatively secure. By 14 June Hamas had overrun most Fatah positions and taken the strategically important Preventive Security headquarters in Gaza City. Currently an uneasy calm has settled over the Gaza Strip and the new Fatah government based in the West Bank is making moves to reestablish contact with Israel and reopen aid channels to its impoverished state coffers.In reaction to Hamas' attacks, Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority president and Fatah leader, declared a state of emergency in the Gaza Strip, dismissed Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh, a senior member of Hamas, and dissolved the Palestinian government.
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-Andre Colling
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