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Israel's borders with Gaza are closed, and Israeli officials fear an influx of refugees if the borders reopen. They worry that they'll have to re-enter Gaza if the Iranian influence keeps growing. Weapons smuggling from Egypt presents another problem.

Hamas enjoyed its first full day of control in Gaza after seizing the territory from Fatah fighters, as beleaguered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fought back politically, appointing a new prime minister in the West Bank. But in Gaza, Hamas dismissed Abbas's moves as meaningless.

Hamas fighters are on the verge of over-running the remaining strongholds of Fatah in the Gaza Strip. President Mahmoud Abbas remains in the West Bank, seemingly powerless to stop the warfare.

So far, the Hamas-Fatah battles in the Gaza Strip have not provoked any major fighting in the West Bank. But there are fears that Fatah could launch an offensive there if its forces continue to lose ground in Gaza.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports Israeli troops have been demolishing Palestinian homes and razing fruit and olive groves near Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip in a bid to stop Palestinian attacks on the settlers. There have been loud complaints from human rights activists and others.

In heavy fighting across the Gaza Strip, the latest battles between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have left more than 20 people dead in the past three days, with more than 80 killed in the past month. Fatah leaders now warn that the precarious "unity government" with their Hamas rivals may not last.

Israel's prime minister said his government would begin talks with Lebanon but vowed to continue attacks against the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, despite a fragile Iran ceasefire.

One voter on Wednesday's Palestinian elections will be 31-year-old Abdelhadi "Hadi" Abushahla. We've been following his story since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Nancy Updike reports on how the election campaign looks from Gaza City and what's at stake for Abushahla and his business.

NPR's Anne Garrels in Gaza reports there is widespread skepticism among Palestinians about the latest cease-fire plan. Islamist hard-liners say Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will not be able to stem the violence.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted the head of Taiwan's largest opposition party in Beijing on Friday — the first such meeting in nearly a decade.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Gaza reports the violence of the past two weeks has hardened attitudes among Palestinians, with growing numbers saying they no longer support the peace process.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in the Gaza Strip reports on some of the victims of the past two weeks of clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian protestors. Even in grief, many of the families of the slain Palestinians say the uprising must continue.