CBNNews.com - GAZA STRIP - While rockets pounded southern Israel Tuesday, the Hamas terror organization's military wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam, split into two camps after a failed attempt to depose its commander.

Palestinian sources said former Iz al-Din head Mohammed Deif was behind the attempt to replace al-Jabari with Imad Akal, a move that split the group into two factions -- one led by al-Jabari and the other by Akal.

According to a report in the Israeli daily Haaretz, a fire fight broke out when Hamas security forces attempted to arrest certain members of the group for "criminal activities."

Hamas police chief Taufik Jabar reportedly asked senior official Said Siam to convince al-Jabari to turn over the men, which al-Jabari refused to do.

In the end, Siam asked Deif, one of the terror group's most respected commanders, who decided that Akal should replace al-Jabari, but he refused to turn over his command.

According to Haaretz, there has been an increase in internal fighting and targeted killings among Iz al-Din members recently.

Source: Haaretz