ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
From NPR News, this is All Things Considered. I'm Robert Siegel. In the Gaza Strip, it was a day of more Israeli air strikes, and rockets continued falling in southern Israel. The death toll in Gaza now stands at 430; four Israelis have died in the past week. Israel says the air strikes will continue until Hamas stops firing rockets. In Gaza, members of Hamas buried their most senior member killed in the bombing, and the Palestinians protested in the West Bank. In a moment, we'll talk with two people who were closely involved in the Middle East peace process during the Clinton presidency about what the Obama administration might do. First, though, NPR's Eric Westervelt has the latest.
ERIC WESTERVELT: The ongoing air strikes and the death yesterday of Nizar Rayan, a senior figure in Hamas, appear only to have hardened Hamas against any cease-fire and sparked wider calls for reprisal attacks, including suicide bombings. Ismail Radwan is a Hamas spokesman in Gaza.
Mr. ISMAIL RADWAN (Spokesman, Hamas): (Through translator) After this heinous crime, all options are open for the resistance to curb the aggression, including martyrdom operations and striking Israeli interests in all places.
WESTERVELT: Civilians in Gaza were shaken by more bombings, electricity remained spotty, and few ventured out into the rubble-strewn streets except to wait in long lines for bread. Israel struck more than 40 Hamas targets today, the army says. And Hamas fired off more than 30 rockets. Doctors say nine people were killed in Gaza Friday, including five children. No Israelis were seriously injured, police here say. The White House again blamed Hamas for the crisis, but also called on Israel to avoid killing civilians and to boost aid to the territory's beleaguered citizens. Israel today let several hundred Palestinians with foreign passports leave Gaza. Mark Regev is the Israeli prime minister's spokesman.
Mr. MARK REGEV (Spokesman, Office of the Israeli Prime Minister): This morning, Israel facilitated the exit from Gaza of foreign nationals who want to leave. We are acting very energetically with the international community to facilitate the inflow into Gaza of foods and medicine.
WESTERVELT: At the same time, Israel continued to bar foreign journalists from entering Gaza, despite a ruling this week by the Israeli Supreme Court to allow some reporters to enter every time Israel opens up the crossing. Meantime, protests broke out in several Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank today as Hamas urged supporters to observe a day of rage over the Israeli bombardments.
(Soundbite of riot)
(Soundbite of crowd shouting, chanting in Arabic)
WESTERVELT: In Ramallah, after Friday prayers, several thousand people marched through downtown streets, among them, Omar Barghouti, who said the bombings in Gaza had helped unite Palestinian factions around a common enemy.
Mr. OMAR BARGHOUTI (Hamas Supporter, Gaza): (Through translator) We're pushing for national unity. Without unity, there will be no Hamas and no Fatah. Both factions have the objective of liberating Palestine. Anybody who idealizes one faction over another is mistaken; factionalism will get us nowhere.
WESTERVELT: But while there were chants of unity, unity, Palestinian police worked hard to keep the Fatah and Hamas supporters separated and repeatedly cracked down on pro-Hamas demonstrators. At one point, a Hamas man called a pro-Fatah protester a traitor, sparking a fistfight, and shots were fired into the air.
(Soundbite of gunshots)
WESTERVELT: A few people were injured in scuffles. In an uncharacteristic way, Palestinian riot police and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank were united today in their quest to crack down hard on Palestinians seething over the Israeli bombing of Gaza. After getting roughed up by their own police force in Ramallah, hundreds of Palestinian teens and young adults made their way over to an Israeli checkpoint, where they were greeted with rubber bullets and tear gas. At the entrance to Qalandiya, a massive, walled checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, teenagers threw rocks, burned tires and taunted Israeli soldiers, who responded with round after round of tear gas.
(Soundbite of tear-gas shots)
WESTERVELT: Israel declared a general closure of the West Bank through the weekend. The move, which severely restricts movements of Palestinians, is aimed at reining in protests and violence. Israel also added mobile checkpoints and bolstered security throughout Jerusalem and entrances to the city, fearing more protests and reprisal attacks over its ongoing bombing of Gaza. Eric Westervelt, NPR News, Ramallah.