Fleeing Fatah men return to Gaza

By Peter Gill: Israel began returning Fatah members who had fled deadly clashes in the Gaza Strip to the territory on Sunday following a request by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, Israeli security officials said.

Abbas had asked Israel to allow some 180 people to leave Gaza after nine people were killed in clashes on Saturday with Hamas-run security forces in the deadliest internal fighting since the Islamists seized power in June 2007.

"Yesterday evening Abu Mazen (Abbas) and (Palestinian prime minister Salam) Fayyad made a request for Israel to allow them to cross into Israel and then to hospitals and the West Bank," a senior Israeli official told AFP.

"Shortly afterwards (Israeli Defence Minister Ehud) Barak was contacted again by Abbas who asked him to allow all of them to return to Gaza," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Another security official said the decision was taken by Abbas following "assurances given from a foreign party" -- a reference to Egypt which has brokered indirect negotiations between the rival Palestinian factions.