Once again we see that when you give arms to Fatah they end up in Hamas' hands. Does anybody doubt that they will soon be used against Israelis? Hey Olmert you still want to keep the IAF's hands tied? The Only question now is whether Hamas will go after the West Bank next or launch more attacks against Israel with their new American made toys.
Hamas seizes U.S. armored personnel carriers
Terror group attempting 'coup' in Gaza, defeating American-backed forces
1:16 p.m. Eastern By Aaron Klein (WND)
Mahmoud Abbas
TEL AVIV – Hamas today seized control of large caches of U.S. weapons, including eight American armored personnel carriers provided to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, according to Hamas leaders and Fatah sources.
Stepping up its power struggle with Fatah, Hamas today launched attacks against U.S.-backed installations of Fatah security forces, completely taking a number of Fatah security buildings in Gaza and laying siege to others. According to Palestinian security officials, Hamas now controls most installations of Fatah forces in the northern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis and about 50 percent of Fatah's central Gaza infrastructure.
Fatah officials said Hamas was attempting a total "coup" of Gaza.
Hamas earlier today seized several Fatah positions in Khan Yunis. Elsewhere in the northern Gaza Strip, about 200 Hamas gunmen surrounded a compound where some 500 Fatah fighters were holed up. Hamas fired mortars and rocket-propelled grenades at the building.
"They are attacking from all sides," said one of the officers, Khaled Awad.One Palestinian security official told WND Fatah fighters today were "crying all day into their radios asking to be evacuated."Fatah's television network most of the day broadcast images of Fatah forces being overwhelmed by Hamas.
Hamas leaders told WND they seized stockpiles of U.S. weapons today when they took control of a number of Fatah headquarters. They said they also took possession of eight American armored personnel carriers provided to Abbas' Fatah party the last few years.
The U.S. had the past year given large quantities of weapons to bolster Fatah in clashes against Hamas. Hamas officials repeatedly told WND they would seize any American weaponry provided to Fatah in Gaza.
WND reported last week Abbas in recent days petitioned Israel to allow more weapons and munitions – including assault rifles provided by the U.S. – to reach his fighters in the Gaza Strip to bolster them against Hamas, according to diplomatic sources.
WND has learned the weapons shipments awaiting Fatah include more than 1,000 American assault rifles and 1 million rounds of ammunition provided by the U.S. and coordinated by Keith Dayton, the U.S. security director for the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Last month WND reported Washington sent diplomatic messages to the Palestinians that if aid were requested, the U.S. would bolster the Fatah organization in clashes against Hamas, including providing Fatah's Force 17 with weapons. Force 17 serve as de facto police officers in Gaza and the West Bank.
The last confirmed U.S. weapons transfer to Force 17 took place in May 2006 and consisted of 3,000 assault rifles, but WND reported multiple other transfers later were delivered to Fatah, including a cache of 7,000 rifles in January and about 8,000 assault rifles in February.
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