Palestinians mourn rally dead
Tuesday, 13 Nov 2007 12:23
Three days of mourning declared after seven die at Yasser Arafat commemoration rally in Gaza
Three days of mourning have been declared by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas after at least seven people died at a rally in Gaza.
Hundreds of people are thought to have been wounded when shots were fired at a rally marking the three-year anniversary of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death.
Mr Abbas' Fatah party, created by Yasser Arafat, has blamed Hamas for the deaths, a stance mirrored by the Islamist group, which occupies the
Gaza Strip.
A statement from the Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said: "Senior officials in Hamas ordered these crimes which were carried out by the Hamas militia in order to terrify the people.
"Now their punishment is a national duty."
Mr Abbas added to the condemnation by denouncing Hamas as a "band of rebels".
Fatah said from the
West Bank, where flags are today flying at half-mast, that hundreds of its supporters had been rounded up in Gaza following the rally, while Hamas says it has detained only 50.
During yesterday's deadly rally, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of people, Fatah supporters had chanted "Shia, Shia"; accusing Hamas of colluding with
Iran and Syria.