GAZA CITY, Jan 15: Seven Palestinians were killed and 12 wounded by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, casting a dark cloud over the swearing in of Mahmoud Abbas as new Palestinian leader with a pledge to seek an end to the "vicious circle" of violence.
Five died and seven were injured in an Israeli incursion into the Zeitun neighbourhood of Gaza City, Palestinian medics said. Two more died and five were wounded in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, they added.
The Israeli operations came after six Israelis were killed in a Palestinian militant attack on Thursday night, prompting the government to order the gloves off following a honeymoon in relations since Abbas' election last Sunday.
After more rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, a column of armoured vehicles, tanks and bulldozers entered Zeitun, sparking sustained gun battles with militants.
Israeli sources said two children were wounded in the nearby settlement of Netzarim when a mortar landed in a synagogue on Saturday morning. One of the children lost an arm in the blast.
In his inaugural address on Saturday, the new Palestinian leader condemned the violence, whether from Israel or the militants. "We are seeking a mutual cease fire to end this vicious circle," Mr Abbas told MPs in a speech marking his inauguration in which he also reiterated his condemnation of recent Palestinian and Israeli attacks.
"In the last few days, a number of incidents have taken place. We condemn these actions, whether by the Israeli occupation forces or the reactions of some Palestinian factions."
ELECTION OFFICIALS RESIGN: Dozens of Palestinian election officials resigned on Saturday, complaining of intimidation and irregularities in the vote that President Mahmoud Abbas won in a landslide.
The resignations could dent Mr Abbas's claim to a popular mandate to make peace with Israel, although officials at the Central Elections Commission who resigned said they thought the vote was still free and fair.
They complained Mr Abbas's campaigners and security services had coerced them into extending the voting period by two hours. At least five senior officials and dozens of more junior workers quit.
"Our resignation is a warning to the Palestinian Authority to take measures not to repeat what happened in the presidential elections in the legislative elections," said official Baha Bakri, referring to a parliamentary vote planned for July.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which boycotted the vote, said the resignations cast doubt on the election results and called for an investigation. "We in the Hamas movement see a sign in the resignations of the Palestinian Elections Commission officials of big question marks over the credibility of the results," Hamas said in a statement issued in Beirut.
Mr Abbas was sworn in on Saturday as successor to Yasser Arafat. International observers had not reported problems in last Sunday's election, hailed by commentators as one of the fairest in the Arab world. -Reuters