Palestinian security forces have arrested five militants on charges of firing mortar bombs against Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
A spokesman for the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a coalition of militants, said Palestinian police arrested two members in Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip and three leaders in Gaza City.
A Palestinian security official confirmed the arrests saying the Palestinian Authority was committed to punishing violators of a cease-fire accepted by the leadership of the three most important Palestinian militant groups.
Israel and the United States have urged the Palestinian Authority to dismantle Palestinian militant groups including those who called for a truce.
Reinforcing the need for militant groups to observe the cease-fire to which they agreed, White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer said: "It is important for the Palestinian Authority to have a 'no-nonsense' approach to security."
The PRC spokesman said the group was an independent body whose members had left other factions which accepted the cease-fire last Sunday. "Their connection to these groups (Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah) ended when they joined the Popular Resistance Committees," he said.
Dozens of PRC members marched in Gaza City at nightfall, some firing rifles in the air, demanding the release of the five arrested men.
A statement issued by Fatah last night called on its members to stand by the truce.