Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, also leader of Fatah movement, Tuesday called on fighting Hamas and Fatah militants in the Gaza Strip to implement an immediate ceasefire, after at least 17 Palestinians have been killed since Monday.

"I call on the fighting rivals to end fighting immediately, pull gunmen from the streets and activate the joint operation room of the factions to reinforce the ceasefire," Abbas told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Earlier, Abbas' office issued a statement and accused Hamas of plotting a coup and pushing the Palestinian territories to the brink of a civil war.

"All information and facts indicate that some political and military leaders of Hamas are plotting a coup against legitimate institutions... in a belief that they can control the Gaza Strip through force," Abbas' office said in the statement.

Hamas' actions were "pushing the (Palestinian) territories towards the edge of a civil war," it said, adding that Abbas called all parties to implement an immediate ceasefire and hold serious dialogues.

About 17 Palestinians have been killed since Monday during clashes between Fatah and Hamas, including a senior Fatah movement leader in northern Gaza and an old woman and two of her grandchildren, medics in Gaza said.

The latest killing occurred on Tuesday morning in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, when Fatah militants abducted and killed a nephew of late Hamas leader Abdel Azia al-Rantissi, who was assassinated by Israel in the spring of 2004.

Meanwhile, Hamas armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, issued a statement in which it declared the northern Gaza Strip a "closed military zone" controlled by it.

The statement also issued an ultimatum, urging all members of Abbas' Fatah-dominated security forces to leave their headquarters "within two hours from now."

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah military wing, for its part threatened to spread the infighting to the West Bank, if Hamas attacks on Fatah targets did not stop by 11:00 a.m. local time ( 0800 GMT).

Source: Xinhua