Gaza City, Gaza Strip ? Hundreds of Hamas fighters firing rockets and mortar shells captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces Tuesday in northern Gaza, scoring a key victory in the bloody battle for control of the seaside strip.

Palestinian militants from Hamas patrol a street in Gaza City, Gaza Strip. Hamas gunmen captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza as the struggle between the two factions continued to escalate Tuesday.

Both sides said Gaza had descended into civil war, as the death toll from two days of Palestinian fighting reached 37.

Tuesday’s battles marked a turning point, with Hamas moving systematically to seize Fatah positions in what some in the Islamic militant group said would be a decisive phase in the yearlong power struggle. The confrontations became increasingly brutal in recent days, with some killed execution-style in the streets, and others in hospital shootouts or thrown off rooftops.

The conflict escalated further when the Fatah central committee decided to suspend the activities of its ministers in the government it shares with Hamas. In an emergency meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Fatah decided on a full withdrawal if the fighting doesn’t stop, said government spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh.

President Mahmoud Abbas accused the Islamic militants of Hamas of trying to stage a coup.

In a sign of the heightened hostilities, both sides threatened to kill each other’s leaders. A rocket-propelled grenade damaged the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and four mortar shells slammed into Abbas’ Gaza City office. Neither attack caused any injuries.

Desperately trying to boost morale, disorganized Fatah forces attacked Hamas’ main TV station but were repelled after a heavy battle. The station later showed a group of captured men it said were among the attackers.

Many Gazans, pinned down in their homes, were furious with the combatants. “Both Fatah and Hamas are leading us to death and destruction,” said Ayya Khalil, 29, whose husband serves as an intelligence officer. “They don’t care about us.”