Clashes in the Gaza Strip between Hamas security forces and other Islamist radicals have left at least 13 people dead and dozens of others injured, including women and children.

The fighting in the town of Rafah began after Jund Ansar Allah militants who had gathered in a mosque announced the formation of an Islamist emirate. When they refused to leave, they were surrounded by security forces, prompting a fierce gun battle. The Salafist Jund Ansar Allah movement is closely allied with the al-Qaeda terrorist network and wants to introduce strict Islamic sharia law in the Gaza Strip.