Hamas commander killed in Gaza despite truce

A spokesman for Hamas's armed wing said he was killed by the Preventive Security Service, most of whose members belong to President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction. The security service denied any connection with his death.

The ceasefire had appeared to be holding, bringing people out of their homes for the first time in five days as shops reopened and traffic again clogged Gaza's narrow streets.

The truce took effect after Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas met an aide to Abbas on Monday in a bid to stem a surge of fighting in which at least 30 Palestinians were killed.