Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the Gaza strip today over the 'blasphemous' Muhammad cartoons, as new political leaders Hamas attempted to dismiss calls for violence.

Some demonstrators in Gaza City set fire to European flags, as others waved the banners of Hamas and the Fatah movement, or raised the Koran in the air and shouted "there is no God but Allah, Muhammad is his prophet."

Hamas speakers at the demonstration urged calm, rejecting calls to attack churches and the European Union headquarters. Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas spokesman and member of parliament, said: "We will not return an abuse with another abuse."

But Mr al Masri added: "The election of Hamas was an earthquake and now the attack on the prophet Muhammad is another earthquake. The rule of God is coming again and God is preparing the climate."

He rejected freedom of speech arguments, and added that "we will deal with these people with the tolerance of the Prophet Muhammad's message."

Earlier, Charles de Gaulle Street had been the focus of protest against the cartoons in Gaza, where a dozen masked Islamic Jihad and Fatah gunmen arrived outside the headquarters of the European Union shortly before noon yesterday. Spraying giant black X’s on the gate and demanding its closure their threats were menacing, but vague.

The Danish, French and Norwegians were given 48 hours to apologise, although no mention was made of other nations which have reprinted the cartoons. Meanwhile the EU office was closed until further notice.

Armed Palestinian police, standing nearby, did nothing. "They themselves are Muslims. This touches our dignity, the Europeans are laughing at us and our prophet," explained one eyewitness.

Sounding an ominous note the gunmen gave warning that the "infidels" had misread Islamic patience thus far. "Our holy warrior Muslim nation your peaceful reaction has been considered as a sign of weakness by the West and they have republished the pictures in France as if there are not Muslims in the world who are tough and ready to become a martyr for their religion," read a leaflet.

"The European provocation brings the EU headquarters and their churches in Gaza into our line of fire," it continued, with the further threat to "bombard" the buildings.

The threat was repeated by two Islamic Jihad gunmen who turned up outside Gaza’s media headquarters later. Wearing combat fatigues and Jihad headbands they warned of a "suitable reaction that will not be predictable".

There is no doubting the strength of feeling - nearly 100 per cent of Gaza’s Palestinians are appalled at the cartoons, and of scores spoken to by The Times none accept the right of the media to touch upon the Prophet Muhammad or the Koran.

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