Palestinian sources said Hamas has renewed attacks on PG forces in central and northern Gaza Strip. The sources said the attacks were facilitated by a major Gaza clan that has switched alliances in the Fatah-Hamas war.

On Tuesday, Fatah and Hamas fought a gun battle near the Karni border terminal in the eastern Gaza Strip. PA sources said a PG officer and four members of the powerful Dughmoush clan, aligned with Hamas, were injured in the shootout, which lasted nearly three hours.

Hamas-aligned gunmen from the Dughmoush clan also hijacked a PG bus in Gaza City. The sources said seven PG officers were ordered to surrender their identity cards and cellular phones and then disembark.

In the southern Gaza Strip, an officer from the Fatah-aligned General Intelligence was injured by suspected Hamas fire. The officer was identified as Ahmad Hijazi, injured in the foot during a shooting in Rafah.

"Such reports aim to defame Hamas, which stands ahead of the other factions in resisting the occupation," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said. "Our weapons will be aimed only at the Israeli occupation."