Palestinian refugees stage protests

Chanting "revenge, revenge," Palestinian refugees in Lebanon's largest refugee camp set fire to the Zionist regime and American flags on Monday in protest at Zionists blockade of the Gaza Strip.

About 350 people marched in the streets of the Ein al-Helweh camp in southern Lebanon on a day of mass protest planned in camps across the country against the regime's action in Gaza.

Women demonstrators wailed and pulled at their hair as the crowd chanted "revenge revenge" and "Haniya, destroy Tel Aviv," referring to the Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.

"Oh Arabs, where is your compassion, they are slaughtering our people in Gaza," the demonstrators cried, carrying banners calling for Arab states and international rights groups to intervene.

Gaza had virtually ground to a halt on Monday on the fourth day of the Zionist regime's blockade, which has triggered warnings of a humanitarian crisis.

Palestinians in Ein al-Helweh, the largest of 12 camps that house about half of the estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, are planning a mass demonstration later in the day and a candelit vigil.

Similar rallies are being planned in other camps across the country, where schools and other public institutions including offices of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, have been closed for the day.

In the Beddawi camp in northern Lebanon, black banners and Palestinian flags were raised over the schools while patriotic songs blared from loudspeakers.