Hamas has agreed to a Fatah demand to pull its police forces off the streets, following negotiations between the two factions despite Israel's objections. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert previously has said he would end discussions with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) if it tries to heal the rift with Hamas.

However, Fatah has talked with Hamas and convinced the Gaza rulers to pull their police officers off the street, according to the Kuwait Times. "We reached an agreement at dawn with our brothers of Fatah that calls for the withdrawal of the (Fatah-linked) national security forces from the streets of Gaza where they were deployed on Thursday,” Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha told Kuwait news agencies.

The move came after an escalation of violence on Friday, when 10 people were wounded in clashes following deployment of security forces. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has been conferring with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on deployment of security forces, the report stated.