Security forces of the Islamist Hamas movement in Gaza dispersed a peaceful protest of Palestinian youths demanding political freedoms and end to the current West Bank-Gaza rift, dpa reported.
Several dozens young Palestinians gathered at the Unknown Soldier's Monument in Gaza City, holding banners and chanting slogans.
"The people want to end the split. No to repression of freedoms and political detentions," said one of the banners.
Witnesses said that members of Hamas' security forces stormed the rally, claiming the protesters had no permit, yelling and threatening to arrest them unless they evacuated the place.
They scuffled with and detained one protester after he argued with them.
No Hamas interior ministry official was available to comment. Over the past few weeks, calls to end the split between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' secular Fatah party have risen, largely coordinated via Facebook.
Hamas seized sole control of Gaza in June 2007, the culmination of a power struggle with Abbas and his Fatah that resulted from elections held 18 months earlier and in which the Islamists scored a surprise victory.
Abbas' Ramallah-based administration was left with control over the West Bank only.
Since then, all Palestinian and Arab efforts, mainly by Egypt, to reconcile the two rival Palestinian groups have failed.