Thousands of angry supporters of the Palestinian Fatah party burned cars and fired weapons into the air in the Gaza Strip Friday, to protest Fatah's shocking election loss to the militant Hamas movement.
Demonstrators marched on the parliament building and then to the Gaza home of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, where they demanded his resignation.
Mr. Abbas remained in the West Bank, where he said earlier Friday that Hamas would be asked to form a new government. Hamas, which routed Fatah in parliamentary polls Wednesday, has claimed dozens of suicide attacks against Israel in recent years and has vowed to destroy the Jewish state. Israel, Europe and the United States consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
The U.S. State Department said a Hamas presence in the Palestinian Authority will prompt a review of all aspects of U.S. aid to the Palestinian government.