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| Thousands mourn Beit Hanoun dead | Thousands mourn Beit Hanoun dead |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The bodies of 18 Palestinians killed by Israeli tank fire have been buried amid emotional scenes in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. | The bodies of 18 Palestinians killed by Israeli tank fire have been buried amid emotional scenes in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. |
| Thousands of mourners streamed through the streets from a mosque where prayers were said for the dead. | Thousands of mourners streamed through the streets from a mosque where prayers were said for the dead. |
| The bodies, most of them draped in the flags of militant and political groups, were carried through the crowds. | The bodies, most of them draped in the flags of militant and political groups, were carried through the crowds. |
| Israeli PM Ehud Olmert said the strike, which hit a civilian area, was the result of a "technical failure". | |
| Israel's military has halted artillery strikes into Gaza while it investigates the deaths, blamed on a volley of tank shells landing in the built-up district. | |
| Public Security Minister Avi Dichter told Israeli radio that the deaths were the result of an "operational mishap". | |
| But he insisted that Israel's military activities in Gaza were justified against a backdrop of continuing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants against Israeli towns. | |
| Israel launched its current operation in and around Beit Hanoun last month in an effort to root out militants firing rockets. | |
| Calls for revenge | Calls for revenge |
| In Beit Hanoun on Thursday one man carried the bodies of two babies, wrapped in traditional burial shrouds. | |
| Many of the dead were from the same extended family, and were buried at a newly-opened cemetery on the edge of town. | Many of the dead were from the same extended family, and were buried at a newly-opened cemetery on the edge of town. |
| This town has known many black days and this is just one more, perhaps the blackest of them all Tayseer al-MasryBeit Hanoun resident Press anger over Gaza deaths Mourners cried out and chanted anti-Israeli and anti-US slogans as the procession moved through the streets. | This town has known many black days and this is just one more, perhaps the blackest of them all Tayseer al-MasryBeit Hanoun resident Press anger over Gaza deaths Mourners cried out and chanted anti-Israeli and anti-US slogans as the procession moved through the streets. |
| There were calls for revenge against Israel and cries of sorrow for the latest deaths in Beit Hanoun, a regular flashpoint in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants. | There were calls for revenge against Israel and cries of sorrow for the latest deaths in Beit Hanoun, a regular flashpoint in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants. |
| "This town has known many black days and this is just one more, perhaps the blackest of them all," pharmacist Tayseer al-Masry, 36, told the AFP news agency. | "This town has known many black days and this is just one more, perhaps the blackest of them all," pharmacist Tayseer al-Masry, 36, told the AFP news agency. |
| The militants of Hamas and Islamic Jihad draw their support from the Palestinian sense of injustice and loathing for the Israeli army, says the BBC's Alan Johnston, who watched the procession. | The militants of Hamas and Islamic Jihad draw their support from the Palestinian sense of injustice and loathing for the Israeli army, says the BBC's Alan Johnston, who watched the procession. |
| Right now, he adds, the town is awash with those feelings. | Right now, he adds, the town is awash with those feelings. |
| Anger abroad | Anger abroad |
| Outside of Gaza there was widespread criticism of the Israeli strike. | Outside of Gaza there was widespread criticism of the Israeli strike. |
| France and Russia warned against an escalation of hostilities, while the UK foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, said it was "hard to justify" the Israeli action. | France and Russia warned against an escalation of hostilities, while the UK foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, said it was "hard to justify" the Israeli action. |
| GAZA DEAD SINCE END OF JUNE Total: 247 fatalities155 civilian deaths57 deaths of children996 wounded, including 337 children (34%) Source: Physicians for Human Rights (28 June to 27 Oct) In quotes: World reaction In the US, the White House and the state department called for restraint from Palestinians, and President George W Bush expressed his sadness at the deaths. | GAZA DEAD SINCE END OF JUNE Total: 247 fatalities155 civilian deaths57 deaths of children996 wounded, including 337 children (34%) Source: Physicians for Human Rights (28 June to 27 Oct) In quotes: World reaction In the US, the White House and the state department called for restraint from Palestinians, and President George W Bush expressed his sadness at the deaths. |
| The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, has already described the killings as a massacre, and demanded intervention by the United Nations. | The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, has already described the killings as a massacre, and demanded intervention by the United Nations. |
| He held a telephone conversation on Thursday with the exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, in an effort to restart talks on a Palestinian government of national unity. | |
| The UN Security Council is to discuss the current violence in Gaza later on Thursday. |