Six Palestinians were killed Saturday - including a 6-year-old boy - in clashes between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, bringing the number of fatalities since fighting began Thursday to 24.

Some fifty people were kidnapped throughout the weekend and fifty others wounded.

Talks between representatives of Fatah and Hamas to end the internecine fighting in the Gaza Strip collapsed Saturday night.

	Advertisement

The fighting between the rival Palestinian factions continued throughout the weekend, despite a cease-fire agreement reached on Friday.

The incidents began on Thursday night, following the death of a Hamas militant who was killed in a car bomb in the Jabalya refugee camp.

Hamas blamed Fatah for the blast, but the group affiliated with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas maintained that the explosion was the result of a "work accident," a euphemism for an accidental blast resulting from the preparation of an explosive device.

On Friday, 14 people were killed in the Gaza Strip, including a two-year-old toddler who was killed by Fatah gunfire.

Six Palestinians were killed Saturday, and dozens were injured. At least 50 militants from both groups were abducted and are being held hostage.

The circumstances of three of the deaths were undetermined.

Both Fatah and Hamas announced that they were cancelling talks for the creation of a national unity government in the Palestinian Authority.

Abbas, who is currently in Madrid, reiterated his warning that if the talks for the creation of a unity government failed, he would move ahead with his plans for early elections.

On Friday night, the special committee, comprising two representatives each of Hamas and Fatah, was expected to propose the joint manifesto of a future unity government on the peace process.

However, in view of the ongoing clashes, the possibility of forming a unity government in the coming weeks is slim.

Early Friday morning, a senior Fatah official, Nabil al-Jarjir, was assassinated, after Hamas claimed he was involved in the blast that killed one of their members on Thursday night. The murder resulted in gunbattles throughout the Gaza Strip.

The two-year-old was killed when a Fatah gunman fired against a passing car in Khan Yunis, suspecting it was carrying Hamas militants.

Another Hamas militant was shot dead while driving, as he called out to passersby to attend a Hamas demonstration.

Friday night, Fatah and Hamas representatives met with Interior Minister Saeed Sayam, but the meeting did not result in an effective cease-fire and the clashes continued. A special Fatah force managed to rescue a senior official, Mohammed al-Shlayel, whose home was besieged by Hamas militants. Seven Haman gunmen were killed in the incident and dozens were injured.