Thousands of Palestinians formed a human chain across the Gaza Strip yesterday in protest against the Israeli siege as Israeli forces along the border went on high alert in case demonstrators tried to storm the frontier wall.

Israeli army commanders feared that Gaza's Hamas rulers could exploit the demonstration and try to repeat last month's surge across a damaged border wall with Egypt, as they clashed with Israeli troops.

A senior Hamas official told The Times that the Islamist movement did have plans to organise a massive thrust of thousands of people at the Israeli border, and that it was ready to sacrifice “hundreds of lives” when the plan was put into effect.

Yesterday's demonstration, organised by the politically independent Popular Committee Against the Siege, was peaceful, however. The organisation had hoped to turn out at least 40,000 people to highlight the plight of Gaza, where basic goods and fuel are in short supply because of the Israeli closure, aimed at forcing Hamas to end all rocket fire from the Strip.

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While thousands of school children braved the drizzle, the numbers fell short of those expected and the organisers failed to complete a chain all the way down the 25-mile road running from Beit Hanoun in the northeast to Rafah on the Egyptian border.

Demonstrators carried placards reading “The Siege of Gaza Will Only Strengthen Us” and “The World Has Condemned Gaza to Death”.

Israel strengthened its border security forces, with an extra 5,000 police drafted in to back up regular armed guards, and local media reports said that snipers and even an artillery battery had been sent to make sure that the crowds did not attempt to scale the high concrete walls and razor wire fences that mark the boundary.

The rally ended peacefully after a few hours, although a small group of youths later set fire to tyres near the Israeli crossing point at Erez in the northeast of the strip, and threw stones at border guards. Israeli troops opened fire, wounding two of the youths and arresting 50.

After the demonstration the daily rocket attacks from Gaza promptly resumed, with three home-made Palestinian missiles hitting the southern Israeli town and seriously wounding a ten-year-old Israeli boy.

A senior Hamas adviser to Ismail Haniyah, the Hamas Prime Minister who was sacked by President Abbas after the Islamist takeover of Gaza last summer, gave warning that in future his organisation did plan to organise a massive, popular surge against the Israeli border walls at Erez.

“We are going to march with our kids, our mothers, our sisters, our elderly people — everybody is going to join us on our march,” said Ahmed Yousef. “I am sure it might be a bloody day, and many Palestinians will be killed.”

David Baker, an Israeli government spokesman, said that Israel would continue its air raids and incursions into Gaza to attack those who fired the rockets. “Those who raise their hands against Israeli children will be pursued by Israel, and we will take all measures necessary to prevent such attacks.” he said.

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