GAZA, March 23 (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen shot dead an officer from a security force loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza on Friday, security sources said.

Members of the Fatah-dominated Preventive Security force had earlier accused Hamas gunmen of abducting the officer during a third straight day of factional violence since the formation of a unity government.

Hamas declined immediate comment on the incident, but said the security officer had been responsible for the killing of a senior commander from the armed wing of Hamas last week.

Residents said gunmen from the Preventative Security have been deployed throughout the streets of Gaza.

At least three Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas agreed to form a unity government last Saturday.

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