Demonstrations Gaza Strip Israel

In a growing challenge to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, thousands of Islamic militants rioted outside the central jail here Monday, demanding freedom for arrested fundamentalists. "No to the police state! No to prison!" shouted protesters who gathered in pouring rain, some shooting bullets into the air. Mahmoud Zahar, a leader of the fundamentalist Hamas movement, threatened bloodshed unless all 210 activists detained last week after the kidnaping of an Israeli soldier are released.

In a growing challenge to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, thousands of Islamic militants rioted outside the central jail here Monday, demanding freedom for arrested fundamentalists. "No to the police state! No to prison!" shouted protesters who gathered in pouring rain, some shooting bullets into the air. Mahmoud Zahar, a leader of the fundamentalist Hamas movement, threatened bloodshed unless all 210 activists detained last week after the kidnaping of an Israeli soldier are released.