Palestinians Fret as Violence Builds in Gaza

By Eric Westervelt

Published May 23, 2006 at 4:00 PM EDT

Escalating violence in Gaza has many Palestinians fearful of all-out civil war. The violent power struggle between the rival Fatah and Hamas parties has killed several people and wounded dozens more in the Gaza Strip in the last five days.

While Gaza residents are no strangers to violence, daily Arab-on-Arab bloodshed is something of a rarity. The recent clashes have left many residents scared and bewildered.

The factions are set to hold what are being called "national unity" meetings Thursday. Both sides have already begun talking up ending the feud. Tuesday, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said, "'Civil war' is a term that does not exist in the Palestinian dictionary."

Eric Westervelt

Eric Westervelt is a San Francisco-based correspondent for NPR's National Desk. He has reported on major events for the network from wars and revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa to historic wildfires and terrorist attacks in the U.S.

See stories by Eric Westervelt

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