Gaza gunmen attack U.N. convoy

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen attacked a U.N. relief convoy in a botched kidnapping attempt and, in a separate incident, killed a Palestinian intelligence officer loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, officials said.

The surge of violence in the Gaza Strip came a day after the governing Palestinian faction Hamas and Abbas's rival Fatah agreed on the make-up of a coalition government they hope will end infighting and lift a crippling Western aid embargo.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on a car in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah in which Hussein Asserhi of Fatah was killed and a passenger wounded.

Near Gaza City, unidentified gunmen in a car blocked a convoy carrying United Nations Relief and Works Agency operations chief John Ging and attempted to force him out of his armoured vehicle, UNRWA spokeswoman Gina Benevento said.

"When it became clear that the vehicle doors were locked, they opened fire directly on the car, resulting in 11 bullet holes in the vehicle's side," Benevento said. "It was definitely a kidnapping attempt, but it was not successful."

No one was hurt in the incident, which came days after a BBC correspondent in Gaza, Alan Johnston, was seized while driving his car in what Palestinian police said was a kidnapping.

Spokesmen for Hamas and Fatah condemned the attack on the UNRWA convoy. Abbas's office said in a statement that he had ordered the police "to uncover the criminals who opened fire on the convoy of Mr John Ging and to bring them to justice".

COALITION GOVERNMENT IN THE MAKING  Continued...