Fatah slammed on Wednesday Islamic Hamas movement for its earlier protests against Egypt.

Osama al-Qawasmeh, Fatah spokesman in the West Bank, said in a press statement that earlier Hamas protests against Egypt near the borders "are a provocation and bad use of Gaza people's suffering."

Earlier on Wednesday, dozens of Hamas supporters demonstrated on the borderline area between Gaza and Egypt against the Egyptian security forces, who had clashed with members of an international aid convoy in the city of al-Arish on Tuesday.

At the end of the protests, clashes erupted between Hamas demonstrators and the Egyptian border guards.

Egyptian television reported that one Egyptian soldier was shot dead by Palestinian snipers, while Palestinian medics at Rafah hospital said at least 10 Palestinians were injured.

"Inciting Gaza people and pushing them to demonstrate against Egypt and clash with its security forces is a very serious action committed by Hamas movement which harms our people's interests," said al-Qawasmeh.

He said Egypt has never been the enemy of the Palestinian people, adding that "the side that has to be confronted is the Israeli occupation which imposes a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip."

Al-Qawasmeh said Hamas was fully responsible "for the consequences of its actions and the mistakes it keeps committing since it seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007."

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2010)