DAMASCUS, June 15 (Reuters) - Hamas had no option but to use force to wrest control of the Gaza strip from the rival Fatah movement in fighting that killed dozens of Palestinians, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said on Friday.

"What happened in Gaza was a necessary step. The people were suffering from chaos and lack of security and this treatment was needed," Meshaal told a news conference in the Syrian capital.

"The lack of security drove the crisis toward explosion," said Meshaal, who lives in Damascus.

He blamed elements in Fatah he did not want to identify for the lack of security in Gaza.

Meshaal said there was still room for dialogue with Fatah, which is headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, with Hamas in favour of "Arab sponsorship of a dialogue in the Palestinian national interest".

Western powers showed support for Abbas on Friday after Hamas routed his forces in the Gaza Strip and began imposing its version of order in the area after days of civil war.

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