Fatah leaders ask for help against Hamas

GAZA, June 15 (UPI) -- Fatah members in Gaza have asked Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to help halt Hamas attacks against them, a report said Sunday.

The Jerusalem Post said it obtained a letter written by Fatah representatives in Gaza, ruled by the Hamas party, asking Abbas for aid in fighting what they called "the criminal and terrorist actions of the Hamas militias against the sons of Fatah."

The letter claims Fatah members were under attack by Hamas militants despite efforts to reconcile the two Palestinian factions, the Post reported.

"Do these black (Hamas) militias have the right to do whatever they want to Fatah while you are sitting in the West Bank doing nothing?" the Fatah activists reportedly ask in the letter. "Are you aware of the fact that the Hamas militias have even banned people from sitting in public places and are beating them? Are you waiting until Hamas kills all of us?"

The letter said dozens of Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip had been rounded up for questioning by Hamas security forces in recent weeks, including upper-level officials.