Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas agreed early Friday to end factional fighting in Gaza.

Both parties would "withdraw all gunmen from the streets and deploy police forces to keep law and order", Haniyeh told reporters after the meeting with Abbas at the president's office in Gaza city. The meeting is the first between the two sides in two months.

Abbas did not meet the press and made no public comments after the meeting.

Haniyeh said that he and Abbas also agreed to bring a halt to partisan campaigns through the media and to continue talks to resolve political differences and negotiations to form a government of national unity.

He added that he had decided to set up an investigation commission to probe into the recent Palestinian factional fighting.

Six Palestinians, including a Hamas member and four members of Fatah, were killed on Thursday in clashes between the rival groups in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, which also left at least 30 wounded.

On Thursday evening, the prime minister launched an appeal to end the recent upsurge in inter-Palestinian clashes, calling for national unity and negotiations between the two camps.

Sporadic clashes have erupted after Hamas and Fatah came to ceasefire agreements on Dec. 17 and 19.

Violence has surged in Gaza since Abbas challenged Hamas by calling on Dec. 16 for early parliamentary and presidential elections after talks on forming a unity government failed.

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2007)