Hamas: At least 5 Hamas men hurt in factional fighting in Gaza

Rival Palestinian factions fought gun battles in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and at least five Hamas militants were wounded, Hamas officials said.

On Monday, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah issued a decree ordering the disbanding of the Executive Force, a Hamas-affiliated militia that answers to Interior Minister Sayeed Sayam in the Gaza Strip.

Several days ago, Abbas declared the Executive Force to be an illegal organization.

In recent days, senior Hamas officials have threatened to respond to attempts to target Executive Force members.

Late Monday, five Hamas militants were kidnapped by loyalists of the rival Fatah Party who stopped their car at gunpoint in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya, militants from Hamas and other factions said.

Three were released after about an hour following mediation by three other militant groups, said one of the mediators, Mohammed Madhoun of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Hamas said two others continued to be held.

There was no comment from Fatah on the latest incident of violence between the two groups.

The Hamas militants were driving near the house of a Fatah leader when gunmen stopped their car, seized them and then torched the vehicle, Hamas said.

Iyad Buzem, a Hamas spokesman in Beit Lahiya, urged a quick end to the affair.

"We are patient, but our patience is limited," Buzem warned. "We want to maintain calm - but not at the expense of the safety of our people."

A Hamas lawmaker from Beit Lahiya, Mushir al-Masri, cautioned that the renewal of violence would only increase tensions between the two groups, who have been engaged in deadly confrontations in recent weeks.