Thousands defy Hamas in mass Gaza prayer

More than 10,000 Palestinians defied Hamas on Friday to pray outside in the biggest protest in the Gaza Strip since the radical Islamist movement captured control of the territory two months ago.Eleven protesters were lightly injured at demonstrations in Gaza City and Rafah,as was a French journalist working for the Arte television channel.Watched over by hundreds of Hamas paramilitaries, thousands of protesters holding up Palestinian flags gathered in a Gaza City public square for the main weekly Muslim prayers,an AFP reporter said.Dozens of young people shouted "Shiites, Shiites" in a well-known insult against Hamas, which is seen as close to Iran, a majority Shiite country.They also called for Palestinian national unity.The Fatah party chaired by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas led calls for the outside prayers on the main Muslim day of rest, accusing Hamas of "exploiting mosques to inflame tensions and provocations between factions."Other movements within the Palestine Liberation Organisation-to which Hamas does not belong-issued the same call."Shedding Palestinian blood should be forbidden! No to the breaking of ranks in the face of occupation," said Imam Ashraf Zayyan in his sermon.Immediately after the prayers, which lasted for around an hour and attracted thousands of people, hundreds denounced Hamas and the movement's sacked prime minister Ismail Haniya, and marched through the streets."Oh Haniya, oh wretched one! Go away!" shouted demonstrators."Shiites, murderers!"A stun grenade thrown into the crowd lightly wounded the French journalist, witnesses and a medic said.In Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, nearly 5,000 people also attended outdoor prayers.Protesters threw stones and the Executive Force paramilitary fired into the air and 10 people were lightly wounded, a medic and witnesses there said.Friday's public protests were the largest since Hamas siezed power in the Gaza Strip on June 15, overrunning security forces loyal to Abbas after a week of street clashes that killed more than 100 people.Dozens of Palestinians in Gaza earlier received text messages warning them not to attend outdoor prayers with Fatah loyalists."Attending prayers with Fatah will cause you a lot of problems and we advise you to pray elsewhere. You don't deserve to be hit, arrested or killed for a corrupt gang that you know well," said the SMS message.Last week, the Executive Force fired into the air to disperse thousands of Fatah supporters in Gaza City during a demonstration at which an AFP photographer and three cameramen were briefly detained.Several human rights organisations have denounced attacks on civil liberties in Gaza since Hamas seized power in June.
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