A tense quiet reigned in Gaza Monday afternoon after Hamas forces fired on a huge rally of Fatah supporters, killing several people and wounding more than 100 others. The death toll has been reported at five and seven by different sources but is expected to rise. Hospitals reported they are overwhelmed by casualties.

Hamas claimed that armed Fatah demonstrators opened fire first, but eyewitness journalists maintained that Hamas initiated the bloodshed. Between 100,000 and 300,000 Fatah members waved yellow flags at a memorial ceremony for Yasser Arafat. Gunshots rang out when the crowd started chanting against "Shi'ite," referring to the Iranian-Syrian-Hamas axis.

Former Fatah leader in Gaza, Mohamed Dahlan, told the French news agency AFP, "What happened today makes clear the difference between the two movements" of Fatah and Hamas. "Hamas proved today that it is not in conflict with the Palestinian Authority, but with the entire Palestinian people."