Hamas orders 'day of wrath' over Israel blitz

Thousands of Palestinians protest, call for strike on Tel Aviv

GAZA (AlArabiya.net, Agencies)

Israeli warplanes continued to pound the Gaza Strip on Friday as Hamas called on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and occupied Jerusalem to mark a "day of wrath" by demonstrating against the seven-day Israeli assault that has killed at least 420 people and wounded 2,180.

The Islamist movement called on its website for "massive marches" following the Jummaa (Friday) prayers, starting off from the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem and from "all the mosques in the West Bank."

Hamas

"Let Friday be a day of solidarity with our people in Gaza and a day of wrath against the Zionist occupation and its settlers," said Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since ousting forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in June last year.

Protests in solidarity

The death toll hits 420 in day 7 of Israeli assault

After prayers thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in the West Bank city of Ramallah and in east Jerusalem.

Protestors stood in solidarity with their fellow Palestinians in Gaza and chanted: "We will sacrifice our soul and our blood for Gaza," chanted the demonstrators, shouting out pro-Hamas slogans and calling on the Islamists to "hit Tel-Aviv."

Israeli police said they had deployed reinforcements.

"We have mobilized thousands of forces to patrol east Jerusalem and neighboring villages to maintain calm," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.

The Israeli military bombarded the densely populated territory for a seventh day, carrying out some 20 strikes overnight. Among the targets was a mosque in the northern town of Jabaliya that the Israeli military claimed was a "terror hub," used to stockpile weapons and as a Hamas operations centre.

Warning from Hamas chief

Khaled Meshaal

Hamas supremo Khaled Meshaal on Friday warned Israel that a "black destiny" awaits the Jewish state if it launches a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip.

"If you commit the stupidity of launching a ground offensive then a black destiny awaits you," Meshaal said in a pre-taped speech aired TV stations.

"You will soon find out that Gaza is the wrath of the God," said Meshaal, whose Islamist Hamas movement controls the Gaza Strip which has been the target of a deadly week-long Israeli bombardment campaign.

He told the Israeli government: "You thought that the way to win the coming elections (on February 10) is via the invasion of Gaza but I tell you it is a mistake."

"I ask all the sons of the (Hamas) movement to mobilize... until the aggression is over and the blockade is lifted."

Meshaal also said that Hamas was "ready for challenges... We are confident we will win" and he insisted that the "battle was imposed on us and we will face up to it."

Hamas has "lost very little" of its military forces in the week-long confrontation with Israel, Meshaal added.

Foreigners to leave

With tanks and troops massed for a threatened ground offensive around Gaza and no ceasefire in sight, the army allowed foreigners to leave the battered enclave.

Meanwhile, Israel allowed only 443 foreigners living in Gaza to leave on Friday.

Many of the resident foreigners are spouses of Gaza Palestinians and their children, and by enabling their departure through its border Israel could be signaling preparations for an escalation in the fighting.

Peter Lerner, an Israeli military liaison, said the foreigners include U.S., Russian, Moldovan, Ukrainian, Turkish and Norwegian passport-holders.

Erez border crossing would be open to them on Friday morning, Lerner said, adding, "From experience we know that not all foreigners leave in such situations."

Almost 500 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli blitz on Gaza that started on Saturday.

US gives Israel free rein

Condoleezza Rice

The United States gave Israel free rein Friday on whether to send troops into the Gaza Strip, insisting that the key to a ceasefire is an Israeli demand for Hamas to permanently halt rocket fire.

But the White House said it has asked Israel to try hard to avoid civilian casualties as reserves were called up for an expected ground incursion on top of a week of air strikes that has killed more than 400 Palestinians.

"We've been in regular contact with the Israelis," White House deputy press secretary Gordon Johndroe told reporters when asked if U.S. officials were trying to prevent a possible ground offensive.

U.S. officials have urged the Israelis "to be mindful that any of the actions that they're taking in Gaza avoid unnecessary civilian casualties and also to help continue with the flow of humanitarian goods," he said.

"Israel has a right to defend itself from these rocket attacks, and so we'll see," Johndroe said when asked about progress toward a ceasefire.

After briefing Bush about events in Gaza, just 18 days before he hands the White House to his successor Barack Obama, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington was pursuing diplomacy with its partners in the Middle East.

"We are working toward a ceasefire that would not allow a re-establishment of the status quo ante where Hamas can continue to launch rockets out of Gaza," Rice told reporters outside the White House.