Gaza City viewpoint

Youths watch burning vehicle amid factional clashes in Gaza

Hatem is a young Palestinian who lives in the heart of Gaza City. He explains how the recent violence has affected him.

I'm not proud of what's going on in Gaza.

Just an hour ago, there was some shooting close to my house and a man was killed. Local radio said this man sold bread from a cart on the street.

So why kill him? Some side wants to create a sense of insecurity in the Gaza Strip, especially Gaza City.

I work for an international relief agency, but today I didn't dare to go to work.

Both my home and my work are near the presidential headquarters, so whenever there is trouble they close the streets. All the areas around me are affiliated to Fatah.

Masked gunmen

On Sunday, I saw someone being seized by Fatah gunmen as I left work. Every car, every person was being stopped.

I saw masked gunmen take a man off a bus. The bus was headed for southern Gaza; the man they picked on had a beard.

The men took him off the bus. They fired shots into the air to scare him, then they put him into a van and drove off.

A woman wearing a veil, maybe his wife, was running behind the van shouting: "Let him go! Leave him alone!"

I am afraid of the next few days

Local radio says 70 people were arrested but they have all been released.

What is happening is really sad. I think the resignation of the Interior Minister [Hani Qawasmi ] adds fuel to the fire. I personally had faith that this man could do something.

But he says he doesn't have any authority. I am afraid of the next few days.

I still think the unity government could work, but not in this way. It can work if both sides talk to each other behind closed doors, but not if they are using guns as power.

The police are really restricted because they are not affiliated to a specific party and they don't have the authority.

As well as the security guard around the presidential HQ, we are also very close to Gaza's main police station.

So, I am surrounded by security compounds. It should be totally secure, but of course, it isn't.