Dozens of masked Palestinian gunmen took over election offices in the Gaza Strip, exchanging fire with police and demanding spaces for the ruling Fatah Party's military wing on a list for Jan. 25 parliamentary elections.
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In another blow to efforts by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to restore order to the chaotic territory after Israel's summer pullout, three British citizens were kidnapped at the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza on Wednesday. Palestinian security spokesman Adnan Barbach said the three were British citizens. It was not known who abducted them.###
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Such activity by gunmen has become increasingly common in the West Bank and Gaza in recent months, underscoring growing lawlessness in the Palestinian territories. Wednesday's violence highlighted the rising chaos within Fatah itself, adding the demands for participation of the Fatah-affiliated armed group, Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, to an already volatile mix of competing interests.
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Israel's recent withdrawal from Gaza has enabled militants to reach launching grounds closer to Israel, bringing southern towns within rocket range.
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