The Hamas-led police force and the Fatah-dominated Preventive Security force on Tuesday began swapping the prisoners that each side had taken hostage during a surge of Palestinian infighting in recent days, officials said.

A total of 20 Hamas and 18 Fatah hostages had been freed so far, said Samih al-Madhoun, a senior leader of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah. "The freeing of hostages has begun," he said.

A Hamas militant was shot dead in the southern Gaza Strip earlier Tuesday afternoon, hours after a truce went into effect in a bid to halt days of bloody clashes between Hamas and rival Fatah.

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Hamas officials said gunmen from Fatah were responsible for the shooting in the town of Khan Yunis. Witnesses and security sources had earlier reported the presence of gunmen on Gaza's streets despite the cease-fire.

The shooting was the first reported fatality since the truce was implemented at 3 A.M. The cease-fire was declared Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas met a senior aide to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah to stem the fresh round of violence that erupted last Thursday.

Gunfire and explosions had been audible in downtown Gaza City as gunmen from Fatah and Hamas apparently ignored the onset of the cease-fire.

The truce was supposed to end factional fighting that has left more than 60 Palestinians dead over the past two months. Since Thursday alone, at least 30 people have been killed street battles, the fiercest clashes since Islamist Hamas, which rejects peace talks with Israel, trounced the more moderate Fatah in elections last year, prompting a Western aid embargo.

The spiralling violence has derailed unity government talks between Hamas and Fatah and prompted some Gazan families to flee their homes. Many shops and schools have been closed.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, speaking after Haniyeh and Abbas met Monday, said the two sides agreed to hold their fire and remove all their gunmen from the streets of Gaza.

Previous ceasefires, including one last month, have been short-lived.

Gunfire still echoed around Gaza as Zahar made the announcement. He was accompanied by Haniyeh, Abbas aide Rawhi Fattouh and an Egyptian security delegation which attended the talks.

Zahar said the factions agreed to "pull all gunmen from the streets and remove checkpoints... return all security forces to their positions and end all forms of tensions."

They also agreed to hand over those suspected of involvement in the killings to prosecutors for investigation, and prevent the recent bloodshed in Gaza from spilling over to the West Bank.

"The president and the prime minister call on Hamas and Fatah to abide by the above mentioned agreement and to meet immediately to discuss all the remaining issues in preparation to resume the broad national meeting over the formation of a national unity government," Zahar said.

Earlier Monday, Haniyeh urged all Palestinian forces to get their guns off the streets and end the fiercest clashes since Hamas beat Abbas' Fatah faction in elections last year.

"In order to preserve Palestinian blood and stop internal deterioration in the relation of Fatah and Hamas movements, the prime minister sends an urgent call to stop all forms of clashes and end all forms of armed display in the Palestinian community," a statement issued by Haniyeh's office said.

Haniyeh said his appeal, the clearest call yet for an end to the violence, came in response to Saudi and Egyptian efforts to curb the bloodshed in Gaza.

It was issued just minutes before Rawhi Fattouh, Abbas' special representative, arrived for a meeting with Haniyeh.

The Grand Mufti of Palestinian territories, Mohammad Hussein, issued an edict at a news conference in West Bank city of Ramallah banning internal fighting, as Gaza Strip clashes continued into the early hours of Monday, claiming five more Palestinian lives.

"He who receives orders to kill should refrain from doing that," said Hussein. Spilling blood is forbidden."

Meanwhile, the leaders of Hamas and Fatah prepared to send representatives to a truce summit to be held in the Saudi Arabian holy city of Mecca.