YNet News describes how Gaza’s civil war crossed another red line:
Gunbattles raged in Gaza Wednesday afternoon as Fatah and Hamas gunmen tried to take over several buildings in Gaza City. One of the buildings serves as the headquarters for the international press corps in the Strip, resulting in dozens of journalists trapped inside, with Fatah operatives on the roof of the building and Hamas operatives trying to break down the doors.
Journalists in the building, which houses several television stations, are worried that they will come to harm. The telephone system collapsed and one of the journalists said that he and his colleagues were preparing for a prolonged stay in the building.
An Al Jazeera photo showed some of the trapped reporters. Western journalists learned from Alan Johnston and already left Gaza, so the only reporters there would be Palestinian stringers and other Arab journalists. If you think they’ll get any sympathy from the gunmen, think again.
UPDATE: Ibrahim Barzak of AP isn’t much safer at home:
With gunbattles raging outside my building and my windows blown out by bullets, I sat in the dark hallway outside my apartment with my wife and baby. It’s dangerous inside and out.
On Wednesday, I saw several people shot in front of my building, I heard the screams of terrified women and children in a burning building, and I argued with gunmen who tried to take over my home.
I have seen a lot in my years as a journalist in Gaza, but this is the worst it’s been.
