NABLUS, West Bank, June 4, 2009 (AFP) - A member of the Palestinian security services was killed on Thursday during a gunbattle with Hamas activists in the northern West Bank, security sources said.

The 24-year-old was killed during an exchange of fire between members of the security services and Islamic militants who were holed up in a house in the city of Qalqilya, the sources said.

The house belongs to a Hamas activist held in detention by the Palestinian Authority. The sources said those holed up in the house included Mohammed Ateyeh of Hamas's armed wing.

On Sunday, three Palestinian policemen, two Hamas members and a passer-by were injured during a similar clash in the city.

Deep-seated rivalries between Hamas and Fatah boiled over in June 2007 when the Islamists violently seized control of the Gaza Strip, causing a split in Palestinian ranks that has become a key stumbling block in efforts to reach Middle East peace.

Security services in the West Bank are dominated by Fatah, the party of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas which was ousted from Gaza in the Hamas takeover.