Hamas vows to prevent civil war after 3 killed

The clashes, the worst since Hamas trounced the former ruling Fatah in January's election, broke out near the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis following a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings, police and witnesses told AFP.

Two followers of Fatah and one Hamas activist, all in their 20s, were killed in the violence in the village of Abasan, according to hospital officials.

A local security official was injured and in a serious condition in hospital. The sources said at least one anti-tank rocket was fired.

Relations between the two groups have been strained for weeks, with about 30 people already injured in inter-faction clashes last month.

Despite ending Fatah's longstanding grip on power, Hamas does not control the security services, which are the responsibility of Palestinian Authority president and de facto Fatah leader Mahmud Abbas.

The overall leader of Hamas, the Damascus-based Khaled Meshaal, last month accused Abbas and Fatah of plotting against the movement, which is under massive pressure after the West cut aid payments to the Palestinian Authority.