Gaza/Tel Aviv: Hamas declared Friday a "day of rage" to mark one week of the Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip and vowed to avenge the killing of its leader Nizar Rayan, as Israeli warplanes continued to bomb Hamas targets on the seventh day.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians demonstrated after Friday prayers throughout the West Bank in solidarity with Gaza, with at least 3,000 marching in the central city of Ramallah.

Some clashes erupted there between Hamas supporters carrying the green flags of their movement and yellow-flag-waving supporters of the Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israel meanwhile continued to focus on, and keep up, its air raids on the seventh day of its offensive, with ground troops waiting along the border for orders to enter.

Hamas, too, kept up its rocket attacks, launching a volley of seven imported Grads at the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon in the morning. The town of Sderot, just northeast of Gaza, was hit as well.

The Palestinian toll after one week of Israel's Operation "Cast Lead" - aimed at curbing rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian militants at its southern regions - reached 422 dead and 2,200 injured, more then 300 of whom were in serious condition, according to Gaza emergency services chief Mo'aweya Hassanein.

Four Israelis have been killed and several dozen injured by Palestinian rockets.

Over the past week, more than 700 targets in Gaza have been hit, an army spokeswoman said, while several hundred rockets hit Israel.

After one week in which the Israel Air Force already bombed and rocketed many of the targets more than once, its "pool of targets are close to exhaustion", a senior Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Ma'ariv daily.

"After this stage, the ground stage is planned," he said.

 

Source : IANS