Fresh violence between Hamas and Fatah supporters left one Jordanian citizen dead and nine Palestinians wounded in Gaza City yesterday, casting a shadow over a coming Palestinian national dialogue aimed to tackle thorny internal issues and external pressure.

Fierce clashes between members of a new Hamas-led security force and police loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement erupted on Monday afternoon near the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza City.

A 40-year-old Jordanian citizen, working at the Jordanian diplomatic mission in Gaza City, was killed and nine Palestinians were wounded in the gun battle, peppered with heavy weapons and loud explosions.

Hamas sources said that the Preventive Security Forces, loyal to Fatah, opened fired at the newly-established security force under the control of the Hamas-led government, which were deployed in the Gaza streets last week.

There was no immediate word from the Fatah movement concerning the incident.

It is the latest violent confrontation between Hamas and Fatah loyalists since tensions were raised between the two sides over security control with several people killed and dozens wounded in clashes.

On May 17, Interior Minister and senior Hamas member Siam ordered the deployment of the 3,000-strong security force in the Gaza Strip although Abbas vetoed the formation of the force, terming it illegal.

Abbas' Fatah movement, once dominant on the Palestinian political stage, was defeated by Hamas in the January legislative polls. But most of the security forces are Fatah supporters and Abbas has appointed a close ally to head the security forces.

Monday's incident came after Palestinian security forces said on Sunday that they foiled an assassination attempt on Rashid Abu Shbak, a senior security official and Abbas' confident.

On Saturday, two people were killed and 10 others including intelligence chief Tareq Abu Rajab, another Abbas' ally, were injured in a blast that rocked the Palestinian security headquarters in the Gaza Strip.

Continuous violence has dimmed the prospects of an upcoming Palestinian national dialogue scheduled to kick off on Thursday.

The two-day talks, expected to group together all Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah, are designed to deal with pressing issues including a deepening financial crisis, the West-led political isolation against the Hamas government and internal violence.

Winning the January elections by a landslide, Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, took the reins of the Palestinian government in late March.

The Hamas-led government has been unable to pay over 160,000 government employees since March with an empty coffer and reluctance of banks to transfer aid donated by Arab and Muslim countries.

The United States and the European Union have cut off direct aid to the Palestinians since Hamas refuses to renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist and honor previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements.

Israel has also halted the monthly transfer of about 55 million U.S. dollars of tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians since Hamas' election victory.

The aid cut has led to a grave financial crisis and some Palestinian officials have warned of a looming humanitarian disaster.

Although the EU and the U.S. are considering a new mechanism to give some humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, it is expected that the Hamas government will be bypassed.