GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Islamic radicals from an al-Qaeda-inspired group battled Hamas security in the Gaza Strip on Friday in shootouts that killed at least 13 people.
The fighting began when Hamas forces surrounded a mosque in the southern Gaza town of Rafah where about 100 members of Jund Ansar Allah, or the Soldiers of the Companions of God, were holed up, according to residents.
The confrontation was triggered when the leader of the group defied Gaza’s Hamas rulers by declaring in a Friday prayer sermon that the territory was an Islamic emirate.
The leader of Jund Ansar Allah, Abdel-Latif Moussa, warned Hamas forces against trying to enter the mosque compound. “If Hamas does that, it will be their end,” he said.
Shortly afterward, a gun battle broke out between the militants inside the mosque and Hamas forces surrounding it. Hamas officers then raided the mosque.
