GAZA CITY, Jan 7: Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters packed Gaza's main soccer stadium on Sunday in a massive show of strength to boost the movement in its increasingly violent struggle against the Islamic militant group Hamas.

Fatah's strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, was given a hero's welcome as he entered the stadium. As he began speaking he shooed away the security guards protecting him. “Let Hamas shoot me,” he said as the crowd erupted in applause. Fatah gunmen fired in the air during his speech.

The demonstration came as masked Fatah gunmen released a video of a kidnapped Hamas official, threatening to expand attacks against Hamas if it rejects calls to disband its militia in the Gaza Strip. The video, reminiscent of scenes in Iraq, marked a new tactic in the latest spate of Palestinian factional violence.

Braving cold, rainy weather, the stadium demonstration marked the 42nd anniversary of the founding of Fatah by the late Yasser Arafat, but was meant to send a clear message to Hamas, which has defiantly rejected Fatah's calls to outlaw the Gaza militia. A sea of yellow Fatah flags fluttered in the wind, and dozens of gunmen were among the crowd.

Fatah and Hamas have been locked in a bloody struggle for control of the Palestinian government since the Islamic group won parliamentary elections last year. The victory ended four decades of Fatah political domination, though the group still controls the powerful Palestinian presidency.

Tensions heightened on Saturday after President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah outlawed Hamas' Executive Force, its main military unit in Gaza. Hamas responded by saying it would double the size of the force to 12,000 fighters and resist any attempts to disarm it.

In the video, Mahdi al-Khamdali, the deputy mayor of Nablus and a Hamas official, standing in a jacket and tie, was surrounded by masked militants in army jackets.

One of the men read a statement from a folded white sheet of paper, identifying the gunmen as Fatah members. He threatens new attacks against Hamas, but stops short of threatening to kill the politician.

The captors mentioned the Hamas force, threatening attacks on Hamas targets in the West Bank if the Islamic group doesn't back down. Hamas' power base is in Gaza, while Fatah is much stronger in the West Bank.

“From this date we announce loudly that we are not going to keep silent in the West Bank about the crimes of this criminal force,” one of the militants said in the video. “If any crime takes place against one of our people in Gaza, there will be an operation in the West Bank and we will not exclude anybody from this decision.”

In Gaza City, six pro-Hamas militant groups voiced their support for the Executive Force. “We are not going to allow anyone to assault or attack or harm any member of the Executive unit,” Abu Abir, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, told a news conference. “We are going to deal with them in the same manner that we deal with the occupation and its collaborators.”

Nablus, meanwhile, was also the scene of a large Israeli operation on Sunday. Troops entered the city before dawn, surrounded a building and detained six people, the army said. The sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard across the city for several hours, residents said.

The army said the operation had thwarted a suicide bombing planned in the coming days, and that two of those arrested were masterminds of the planned attack.—AP