Intensive discussions between Palestinian factions and Egypt are underway to rescue national Palestinian dialogue following a tension escalation between Hamas and Fatah, a Palestinian official said on Monday.

The contacts try to defuse Hamas's anger over Sunday killing of two of its militants in the West Bank by security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, said Rabah Muhana, a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Three policemen were also killed in the clashes in Qalqilya city and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) accused Hamas of starting the troubles.

According to Muhana, the political parties asked Egypt, which sponsors the Palestinian unity and reconciliation dialogue, to "immediately move to prevent further escalation between Hamas and Fatah that could negatively affect the atmospheres of the dialogue."

Meanwhile, sources informed Xinhua that Hamas invited a number of Palestinian factions to a meeting in Gaza city to assess the situation in the wake of the new developments.

The meeting will comprise senior leaders from Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, the PFLP and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the sources added.

Following the West Bank clashes, Hamas said it was considering withdrawing from the dialogue in protest of what it called a crime aimed at uprooting the Islamic movement in the West Bank.

The Cairo negotiations seek to reconcile Hamas and Fatah on a power-sharing pact overcoming the schism that followed Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2009)