Fatah loyalists hurry to escape Gaza

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

EREZ CROSSING, Gaza (Reuters) - Umm Mohammad and her children cowered in no man's land on Monday with Israeli troops firing warning shots in front and Hamas gunmen behind.

At least 150 Palestinians whose loyalties are with President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction sat in the concrete passage near Erez Crossing, trying to escape the Gaza Strip after armed Hamas Islamists took over last week.

The refugees want to reach the West Bank, where Western backed Abbas holds sway, but they need to cross Israel first.

"We are prisoners, trapped between two fires," said Umm Mohammad, a mother of three, as gunfire echoed nearby. "Our men are under threat of being killed. We are not safe at home."

Palestinian officials said nearly 2,000 Fatah supporters and leaders had escaped from Gaza to the West Bank with special Israeli permits or had fled by boat to Egypt since Hamas routed Abbas's security forces.

Abbas's emergency cabinet vowed on Monday to exert its control over Gaza, but it was unclear how that might happen. Economic conditions looked set to worsen still further there, with Israel tightening its embargo.

The Fatah refugees, including many families, are wary of appeals from Hamas to return home.

"We understand their worry but the fears are unfounded," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, accusing Fatah leaders in the West Bank of inciting unwarranted panic.

"Even leaders, not only members, who remained in Gaza have been granted an amnesty. We have even ordered guards outside their houses for their own sense of security," he said.

Israel's justice minister said several hundred Palestinians seeking to flee Gaza should be allowed to go to the West Bank.

"There's no reason Israel shouldn't treat them humanely and permit them simply to flee," Daniel Friedman said in televised remarks.

A defense official said 100 Palestinians had crossed to the West Bank, but granting further access was difficult due to security concerns because Israel had nobody to talk to in Gaza.

It has been near impossible for most Palestinians to cross the 45 km (30 miles) between Gaza and the West Bank for years because of Israeli security measures imposed during an uprising.

"There's a Hamas administration now without links to Israel. Those we worked with in the past are not in touch with us any more," said Shlomo Dror, a Defence Ministry liaison officer.

HAMAS DRAGNET