Six die in Hamas, Fatah shootout

JERUSALEM, May 31 (UPI) -- Six people died Sunday in a clash between Hamas militants and Fatah security forces in the West Bank city of Qalqily, witnesses said.

The security officers had surrounded a house where militants were hiding, CNN reported.

Three Fatah security officers, two Hamas militants and the owner of the house died in the shootout, said Zahran Maaroof, the city's former mayor.

The wife of the homeowner was injured, Maaroof told CNN.

Hamas and Fatah are rival Palestinian sects, with Hamas primarily controlling Gaza and the West Bank being overseen by Fatah.