Egypt and five Palestinian factions are currently exerting intensive efforts to defuse mounting tension between rival Fatah and Islamic Hamas movements that left nine people killed in a last week violence in the West Bank city of Qalqilya, officials in Gaza said on Saturday.

Egypt and the factions' move came as soon as the fate of the Egyptian-sponsored inter-dialogue was threatened when Hamas movement's leaders said they are studying the possibility of suspending their participation in the dialogue due to be resumed next week.

Sheikh Nafez Azzam, a senior Islamic Jihad (Holy War) movement's leader said in a press statement that his movement is holding contacts with Fatah leadership to defuse the tension with Hamas movement in the West Bank and to contain the internal crisis.

"Both Fatah and Hamas should immediately stop mutual arrests in both Gaza and the West Bank in order to create a proper atmosphere to resume the national dialogue," said Azzam, adding "the issue of arrests, mainly in the West Bank would have destructive impact on the national reconciliation."

Tension between the two rival movements escalated after nine people killed, including four Hamas militants and four security officers of President Mahmoud Abbas, were killed in two separate violent clashes erupted on Sunday and Thursday in the city of Qalqilya.

Following the tension, the two movements traded on Saturday accusations of mutual harassment against each other in both Gaza, which has been under Hamas control since June 2007, and the West Bank that is ruled by President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah movement.

Secular Fatah movement said in a press release sent to reporters that Hamas security forces stormed dozens of Fatah members and leaders' houses all over the Gaza Strip.

"Hamas militias arrested eight Fatah members in the Gaza Strip during the last two days in response to the clashes in the West Bank between Hamas militants and Palestinian security forces," said Fatah in the press release.

In equivalence, the Islamic movement accused Abbas security forces for launching, what it described as "brutal campaign in coordination with the occupation to uproot the Palestinian armed resistance in the West Bank.

The group said in a leaflet sent to reporters that Abbas security forces arrested at least six Hamas members in the West Bank cities of Qalqilya, Nablus, Hebron and Bethlehem.

Five Palestinian factions, including the Islamic Jihad and the left-wing Democratic and Popular Fronts (DFLP) and the Popular Front to Liberate Palestine (PFLP), called on both Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank to end tension and get back to the table of dialogue as soon as possible.

"The recent clashes were regrettable, where all our people is against shedding the Palestinian blood, which is not in our traditions. Resistance against the occupation in the West Bank is legal, and everyone is demanded to respect the arms of resistance," said a joint statement signed by the five factions.

Meanwhile, a senior well-informed Palestinian source told Xinhua that Egypt will invite all Palestinian factions to join a wide session of national dialogue starting in Cairo in early July, adding that "The invitations would be send to the factions in mid-June."

In the last fifth round of dialogue held in Cairo in early May, Egypt and the conferees agreed to hold a last round of dialogue on July 5 to hammer out a draft of a reconciliation agreement that might be signed in Cairo on July 7.

"The leaders of the factions will go to Cairo to put the final touches on the issues and after that a comprehensive agreement would be announced," said the source, a leader of a leftist factions who declined to give his name.

He added that the upcoming round of dialogue would be widened to include all the factions, not only Hamas and Fatah.

Five specialized committees representing the factions will resume their work in Cairo to settle the outstanding issues, the source said. Forming a unity government, reforming security services, preparing for elections and reforming the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) were the most complicated issues.

However, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement that his movement "will never accept resuming the dialogue in Cairo while Hamas members are being killed and detained."

"Cairo dialogue is still obstructed," said Abu Zuhri, adding "What happened in Qalqilya would negatively affect the atmosphere of the dialogue."

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2009)