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Hamas cements control of Gaza after rout of Fatah

Hamas cemented its control over Gaza yesterday, seizing weapons from the routed security services of their Fatah rivals, as the home of iconic leader Yasser Arafat became the latest target of looting in the territory.

For a second day in a row, Hamas fighters raided the homes of security personnel across the territory, confiscating weapons as they consolidated their victory after a week of bloody street battles, witnesses said.

"Members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades took my weapons under threat," Osama, an officer in the pro-Fatah police force, said, referring to Hamas' armed wing.

Witnesses said looters ransacked Arafat's Gaza home, making off with the late president's personal belongings.

"I saw armed people entering inside, stealing Arafat's things and burning one of the bedrooms," said one witness who lives across the street but didn't want his name used for fear of reprisals by the Islamists.

Yesterday, masked members of Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, stood guard on the roof of the house, a press photographer witnessed.

Gaza witnessed a looting spree on Friday, after Hamas fighters in the territory overran the mainstream security forces loyal to Arafat's successor, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

After a week of fighting that killed more than 110 people and sent terrified residents indoors, life gradually assumed its normal routine in the impoverished territory.

Food stalls reopened and cars returned to the streets as residents ventured out to take stock of the new reality on the ground.

No police could be seen in their headquarters in Gaza City, with only members of Hamas' paramilitary force milling around the building.

The West Bank-based chief of police -- a Fatah loyalist -- banned officers in Gaza from cooperating with Hamas, saying those who did so would be treated as mutineers.
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