Gaza-rulers call for revenge

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

As angry protests against the bombings swept the capitals of Muslim nations on Hamas' "day of wrath", Israel opened a border crossing with Gaza to allow nearly 300 Palestinians to flee the fighting. The evacuees all held foreign passports.

In airstrike after airstrike early Friday, Israeli warplanes hit some 20 houses believed to belong to Hamas militants and members of other armed groups, Palestinians said. At least 422 Palestinians have now been killed in Israel's blitz, with at least 25 percent of them civilians, according to a U.N. count.

In what appeared to be a new Israeli tactic against Palestine, the military called at least some of the houses ahead of time to warn inhabitants of an impending attack. In some cases, aircraft also fired sound bombs and dropped leaflets to warn away civilians before flattening homes with powerful missiles, officials told The Associated Press. Israel used similar tactics during its 2006 war in Lebanon.

Angry protests
The Israeli offensive has sparked angry protests in the Muslim world. In the latest protests, thousands of protesters burned Israeli flags in Istanbul, tens of thousands took to the streets of Jakarta, thousands demonstrated in Kabul, more than 4,000 Muslims demonstrated in Sydney and also in Indian-administered Kashmir. Similar protests have been held in Iran, Pakistan, Morocco, Jordan, Indonesia Syria, Sudan and Egypt, and they were larger Ğ mainly because Friday prayers are a traditional opportunity for Muslims to assemble in great numbers.