A group of masked gunmen claiming affiliation to Fatah's military wing warned on Thursday that they would fight back against the imprisonment of their members by Palestinian security forces.

Parading through Nablus' Balata refugee camp, firing into the air with semi-automatic weapons, the group insisted they were defending Fatah leader President Mahmoud Abbas against a takeover of the West Bank.

As President, Abbas heads the security forces, but the unidentified gunmen said they were acting to defend the president against "the enemies of Fatah and the enemies of the Palestinian people."

At a press conference in Balata a masked representative appealed to Abbas to form a committee of inquiry to examine what he described as an arrest campaign targeting Fatah members across the West Bank.

They called for Palestinian National Security chief Maj. Gen. Nidal Abu Dukhan and other security heads to be held accountable.

"They have two choices, to live in dignity or die with honor," the representative warned.