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GAZA CITY - HAMAS called on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem to mark a 'day of wrath' on Friday by demonstrating against the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.
The Islamist movement called on its website for 'massive marches' following the weekly Muslim prayers, starting off from the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem and from 'all the mosques in the West Bank'.
'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 Mahmud Abbas in June last year.
Israeli police deployed reinforcements ahead of the protests.
'We have mobilised thousands of forces to patrol east Jerusalem and neighbouring villages to maintain calm,' police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
The army will also lock down the West Bank on Friday and Saturday, a military spokesman said. Movement in and out of the territory will be prohibited exept for emergencies and special cases, he said.
In another development, the Israeli army arrested nine Palestinians near the West Bank city of Hebron, including a deputy and a former minister who are both Hamas members, a Palestinian security official said.
The army did not immediately confirm or deny the report. -- AFP
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