At the end of "Black Sunday," as the day of clashes between Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip was described in the Palestinian media, Hamas succumbed to public opinion and withdrew its gunmen first, even though they may have scored greater victories against Fatah fighters.

Already on Saturday night, everyone knew that fighting was expected the next day in the Gaza Strip. The announcement made by the Palestinian Authority's Interior Ministry that the Hamas security force would be deployed Sunday to disperse the demonstrating members of the Palestinian security forces (the Fatah fighters), was tantamount to a call for a rumble.

Hamas wanted a confrontation for two reasons. First, it wanted to send a message that the Hamas-controlled government would no longer accept unruliness on the part of the security forces in the Gaza Strip, which undermined its government and created the impression that Hamas has lost its power. Second, it was a way of pressuring Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to resume negotiations for a government of national unity - because if the Hamas government falls, there will be a bloodbath in the Gaza Strip.

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However, the Fatah gunmen were in no rush to clash with Hamas. For their part, the Hamas gunmen solved the problem and carried out a direct assault against the home of one of the Preventive Security officers and targeted a number of policemen identified with Fatah in Khan Yunis. Once that happened, there were no holds barred: automatic gunfire, grenades and RPGs were used, killing nine and injuring more than 110.

A senior Fatah official in the Gaza Strip, Sufiyan Abu Zaydeh, told Haaretz on Friday that if a government of national unity is not set up, the "internal Palestinian clash will be inevitable." He said that this clash would not happen in a single instance, but in a series of violent incidents that will bring about the collapse of authority in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas victory on the tactical battlefield came at a public - but also a military - price, which is in Fatah's favor in the West Bank. A few hours after the outbreak of fighting, the prime minister's offices in Ramallah, as well as Hamas offices throughout the West Bank were set ablaze; Hamas officials were shot at and beaten. Fatah's supremacy in the West Bank proved to be overwhelming.

On the public front, Hamas emerged the greater loser. As Palestinians finished their meals after a day of Ramadan fast, they turned on their televisions and saw scenes that reminded them of 1996 and clashes between armed Palestinian security officers and unarmed protesters. Except this time it was Hamas gunmen attacking unarmed protesters, killing a few bystanders, including a 15-year-old. Recognizing the negative impact of his order to confront the Fatah demonstrators, Interior Minister Saeed Seyam ordered Hamas fighters off the streets.

The overall feeling is that this was merely a dress rehearsal for the real thing. A senior adviser to Abbas said Monday that the chairman is considering his options, including an emergency government and/or a referendum for early elections. These are unlikely options as polls suggest that Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh enjoys greater popularity than Abbas. But the incidents of fighting may force both sides to make concessions on the way to a unity government.