Security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction rounded up dozens of Hamas activists, including university lecturers, in the occupied West Bank today, according to Hamas sources.
Tensions between the factions rose sharply after a bombing in the Gaza Strip killed five Hamas militants and a girl on Friday.
A Hamas delegation will travel to Egypt tomorrow to discuss the conflict with Fatah and the group's Gaza ceasefire with Israel, officials familiar with the plan said.
The delegation will include Moussa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas leader based in Syria, as well as Hamas leaders from Gaza. Israel wants to see progress towards freeing soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Gaza militants two years ago.
Hamas responded to Friday's bombing with its biggest crackdown on Fatah in Gaza since ousting Abbas's forces from the coastal territory a year ago. Fatah hit back with arrests in the West Bank, where it still holds sway.
Reuters