Thousands of Palestinian protesters in streets of Gaza Strip

Thousands of Palestinian protesters marched down the main streets of Gaza Strip on August 11 demanding Israel free their imprisoned sons and end the closure imposed after a bombing last month in Jerusalem.

The demonstration included the wife of the imprisoned Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. About 3,500 Palestinians are jailed in Israel.

In Ramallah about 50 Palestinian youths burned tires and threw stones at Israeli soldiers following a protest against the closure.

Palestinian police entered Israeli-controlled territory to disperse the demonstrators.

Israel closed its borders to thousands of Palestinian laborers after the July 30 bombing. It also restricted travel between West Bank cities, villages and towns.

Unemployment in Arab areas has since jumped to 70 percent, with workers barred from reaching jobs in Israel and local industries firing employees because of a lack of supplies.