Clashes among Palestinian militants spread Friday after gunmen attacked Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's convoy, killing his bodyguard and wounding Haniyeh's son and a close adviser. The prime minister himself was not hurt.

The fighting, which heightened fears of a descent into civil war, escalated after a series of killings mainly in the Gaza Strip.

Gunmen Monday killed the three children of a senior intelligence officer associated with Fatah and his bodyguard, possibly believing he was in the car. On Wednesday, an Islamic judge associated with Hamas' military wing was gunned down and Haniyeh was attacked on Thursday night.

Thursday afternoon, Israel demanded the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt be closed in what it said was an effort to prevent Haniyeh from bringing in some $35 million, part of the money he raised in Iran, Qatar and Sudan.

The international community has been blocking aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian government to force it to recognize Israel, renounce violence and honor agreements the Palestinians signed with it. Banks refuse to transfer money, so Hamas officials have been crossing the border with millions of dollars in suitcases.

The United States reportedly alerted Israel to the money that was on its way, and Israel had the border closed.

That move seemed to also serve Hamas' main rival, the nationalist Fatah movement and its leader President Mahmoud Abbas.

According to the Israeli Haaretz newspaper, Abbas' advisers realize that a violent clash with Hamas is unavoidable. However, before that happens, Abbas wants to strengthen his political base and the armed forces loyal to him. The Saudis promised money that would help him pay salaries and strengthen his troops, the newspaper added.

Letting the Islamic Hamas bring in money -- what seemed to be part of $250 million that Iran reportedly promised -- is not what Fatah needs.

Egypt, which is also concerned over the rising influence of Iran and radicalism, arranged that Haniyeh would cross without the money. The cash would be deposited in a bank.

Meanwhile, the 15 European Union monitors stationed at the crossing left and the border was closed.

Haniyeh's supporters rioted, captured the crossing, and blew open another passage. The crossing remained closed on the Egyptian side until 10:15 p.m. when the EUBAM monitors returned and opened it for Haniyeh.

"He crossed soon thereafter, and when he had done so, the EUBAM team was withdrawn due to shooting which broke out near and indeed in the terminal," EUBAM's spokeswoman Maria Telleria reported.

Some Hamas supporters greeted Haniyeh by throwing sweets at his car. Others fired in the air, an unnamed eyewitness told the Ma'an news agency. "That created a state of chaos. The prime minister's guards began shooting at the shooters," the source said.

Hamas officials blamed legislator Mohammad Dahlan, Abbas' top security adviser and the man behind Force 17, for the attack. They said members of the Presidential Guard had fired at the car.

Fatah officials denied the accusation.

Clashes spread Friday to the West Bank town of Ramallah when Hamas supporters tried to celebrate their movement's 19th anniversary. According to the Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV, security men loyal to Abbas and dressed in riot gear used clubs and rifles to beat back demonstrators.

An eyewitness, Dr. Wael Qadan of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, told United Press International that after Friday's prayers at the Gamal Abdul Nasser Mosque in Ramallah, people went out to demonstrate despite reports that there was no permit for it. Policemen were outside, hand-to-hand fighting deteriorated to stone throwing, and then shots were heard.

At least 10 people were wounded, he said. Two of them were in critical condition.

In this atmosphere, the prospects that Fatah and Hamas would form a national unity government seemed even more remote.

Abbas has said the talks failed and is expected to call for a referendum in March, Ma'an reported. Some analysts believe he has no authority to disband the Legislative Council so the referendum would be a step towards presidential and legislative elections two months later.

In Janaury's Legislative Council elections, Hamas won almost two-thirds of the seats. However, if the election system had been different, Fatah might have emerged first.

Some Israeli analysts suggested Hamas won Thursday's confrontation.

The Rafah crossing is one of the most important assets in Gaza because it is the only passage that Palestinians can use to go abroad. Fatah wants to control it and is training Force 17 men to control all crossings. But Thursday its men gave up.

The United States, the European Union and Israel seemed to work hand-in-glove with Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen; but Haniyeh crossed, and eventually the money will arrive, analysts said.

The fighting proved another thing: There is no real distinction between weapons the Palestinians say they have to fight Israel, and guns used to fight one another, said Israeli intelligence Brig. Gen. in the reserves Shalom Harari. The Palestinians are "an armed society," he told UPI.

In Gaza, there are some 80,000 to 100,000 automatic guns; so with a population of 1.3 million it seems that almost every family has a gun.

With no effective central government, when every party has a militia, when gunmen patrol the streets on Election Day there is no real democracy, he said.

With guns and rocket-propelled grenades under the bed, you don't know who is shooting whom and why, Harari added.