A Palestinian woman reacts after senior Fatah leader Jamal Abu al-Jedian was killed during fighting between Hamas and Fatah militants in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday. Jedian, a co-founder of Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, was killed in a Hamas assault on his house. - REUTERS

JERUSALEM (Reuters):

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said yesterday the deployment of an international force along the Gaza-Egypt border should be seriously considered to counter Hamas's influence in the coastal strip.

"If the Gaza Strip ultimately falls into the hands of Hamas, it will have regional significance," Olmert told the visiting Dutch foreign minister according to a statement issued by the prime minister's office.

Olmert said Western nations should act soon to change the situation in the Gaza Strip and that "serious consideration" should be given to deploying an international force in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt.

Israel has long resisted Palestinian calls for peacekeepers in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, saying their deployment would interfere with Israeli security measures.