Following the death of two demonstrators during Thursday’s march from Ramallah to Qalandiyah, Fatah and the other Palestinian factions have declared a “day of rage in support of bleeding, besieged Gaza” and called for continuing popular protests throughout the West Bank.

Processions are expected to depart from numerous mosques at the end of Friday prayer services, with the principal demonstrations slated for Ramallah, Qalandiyah and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Hamas spokesmen both in the Gaza Strip and outside it urged Palestinians to turn out en masse and launch a new intifada against Israel. Fawzi Barhoum, the organization’s spokesman in Gaza, and Izzat Risheq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, both termed this an opportunity for the Palestinian people “to set the territory on fire and come out against the occupation, in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently in Amman, hasn’t voiced an opinion about continuing the protests in the West Bank, but did urge Palestinians to turn out en masse to donate blood to help the wounded in both Gaza and the West Bank. He also said he was “following developments in every arena.”

Thursday night’s march marked a significant escalation in popular protests against the war in Gaza, which until now had barely been felt in the West Bank. The march, which left from Ramallah, was led by senior officials from Abbas’ Fatah party, including members of the organization’s central committee such as Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh, who was also a member of the Palestinian team that negotiated with Israel, and Mohammed al-Aloul, who is considered close to Abbas.

Spurred by reports of the dead and wounded during the initial march, other marches began later that night from the vicinity of Hebron, Tul Karm and Bethlehem. Clashes with Israel Defense Forces troops took places during these marches as well. Palestinians said at least six people were injured during these marches, some of them by live fire.

Two people were killed during the clashes with Israeli forces that erupted when the thousands of demonstrators marching from Ramallah reached the Qalandiyah checkpoint, at the entrance to Jerusalem, Thursday night. Palestinian sources said more than 200 people were wounded by both live fire and rubber bullets. Dozens of others suffered from tear gas inhalation.

The Israel Police said shots were fired at Israeli forces from the vicinity of the demonstration. Palestinian sources said that Fatah’s military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, claimed responsibility for this shooting. Sources in the IDF central Command said these were the most violent demonstrations in a long time.

The Palestinian news agency Ma’an identified the two people killed as Mohammad al-Araj, 19, and Majd Sufyan, 27. Palestinian medical officials said that more than 10 of the wounded demonstrators hospitalized for treatment were in critical condition. About 60 demonstrators were wounded by live fire, they said, while the rest were apparently hit by rubber-coated bullets.