Palestinian truce starts to take hold amid Israeli airstrikes

Gunmen armed with rifles, grenades and explosives climbed down from rooftop positions Saturday, and residents began venturing out of bullet-scarred homes after their leaders agreed to end a week of Palestinian factional bloodshed in the Gaza Strip.

The truce began to take hold as Israel launched a fifth day of airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza in reprisal for the Islamic militant group’s rocket attacks on Israeli border towns. Other recent cease-fires between the two main Palestinian factions have been short-lived, but Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said he expected this one to stick because of Israel’s military action.

“No one would accept to fight one another while the Israelis are shelling Gaza,” he said.

The clashes between Hamas and Fatah gunmen loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have brought the two groups that nominally share power to the brink of civil war. At least 50 Palestinians have been killed in a week of infighting.

Israel’s attacks on Hamas rocket operations have killed 23 other Palestinians in the last week.

On Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz pledged to keep targeting Hamas militants who fire rockets at Israel, warning them to be “very afraid.” Still, Peretz said the time was not ripe for a major Israeli ground offensive in Gaza.

An Israeli airstrike killed three people in a car in Gaza early today, Palestinian medics said. Israel said the car was carrying three Hamas radicals and a load of weapons.

On Saturday, four Palestinians were killed in air attacks on Hamas targets, while five rockets from Gaza hit the Israeli border area, causing damage but no injury.

The Israeli air attacks, backed by tank fire, have driven Hamas fighters out of their bases, prompting the militant group to accuse Israel and Fatah of colluding against it.

The Palestinian infighting broke out May 13 after Abbas stationed thousands of security forces on the streets of lawless Gaza City, a move Hamas interpreted as a provocation because it wasn’t consulted.

Saturday’s truce committed the battling factions to pull their fighters off the streets and exchange an unknown number of hostages.