Gaza Clashes Kill 5 Palestinian Soldiers

Battles with militant Hamas members in Gaza Friday morning left five Fatah-affiliated security officers dead.

Among the dead was Fatah’s intelligence commander in the northern Gaza Strip, YNetNews reported Friday.

Also reported dead from the Friday clashes were the wife of a Palestinian security officer and an 11-year-old child.

Previously, six Palestinians were killed by fighting at Islamic University, where YNet reported five Iranian agents believed to have been assisting Hamas were arrested.

The Jerusalem Post reported the number of Iranians arrested was seven.

YNet said Palestinian hospitals were calling on the public Friday to donate blood for the dozens of people injured by the fighting since Thursday night. The hospitals said many patients were not getting necessary care because of the blood shortage.

Representatives from Hamas and the Fatah-affiliated security forces were scheduled to meet Friday morning with Egyptian mediators, but some Palestinian sources said the meeting may be called off due to the high number of casualties from the fighting.