Fatah gunmen shoot, seriously wound senior Palestinian official

The gunmen, who appear to be militant members of the Fatah movement, shot Bassam Azam next to an apartment complex in the northern Gaza Strip near Beit Lahiya after attemping to kidnap him.

Azam was a close associate of former military intelligence commander, Moussa Arafat, who Fatah gunmen kidnapped and murdered in early August.

The militants who killed Arafat said their intent was to eliminate corruption in Gaza.

Chaos has erupted in the Gaza Strip since the Israel Defense Forces' withdrawal from the region as militants continue to struggle for control of the region.

Last week Fatah gunmen stormed the Palestinian Authority's government building in Gaza City as their fellow militants blocked the coastal road to all traffic. In a separate incident, gunmen opened fire on the office of the spokesperson for the PA's Interior Ministry, then fled the scene.

In another incident, two foreign journalists, one Italian and one French, were kidnapped and released by militants who said they wanted to pressure the PA to address residents' different needs in the Strip, mostly the lack of available work.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/632471.html