The battle continued today in Gaza City between Arab militants with 21 people being killed. Yesterday YeshivaWorld reported the deaths of 17 Arabs in the fast-spreading violence. Dozens were wounded as well when Hamas captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza on Tuesday – calling it a victory.

Haaretz reported that an approximate 200 Hamas militants surrounded the compound, where some 500 Fatah fighters were holed up. Hamas fired mortars and rocket-propelled grenades at the building.

Ynet News reported that Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV and radio stations came under fire from Fatah forces Tuesday. The station was surrounded by security forces allied with Fatah and security officials said they received orders to stop the broadcasts of the station. Shortly after the attack, the station started playing pro-Fatah songs, a sign that the security forces had taken control of the broadcast.

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reported that in response to the Hamas assault, Fatah gunmen kidnapped a deputy Cabinet minister from Hamas on Tuesday.

The fate of Deputy Transportation Minister Faidi Shabaneh, 46, was not known. Members of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, a violent Fatah offshoot, said Shabaneh was not harmed, denying claims on Hamas Web sites that he had been killed by his captors.

Also on Tuesday afternoon, Fatah announced that within several hours, the faction would decide whether to stay in the unity government with Hamas, or leave the Palestinian Authority government altogether, Israel Radio reported.