Palestinians have marked Israel's creation 60 years ago - what they call al-Naqba, or "the Catastrophe" - with separate protests by rival factions Thursday.

Palestinian protestors carry boy who was wounded by Israeli military gunfire during a "Nakba" rally at the Erez crossing with Israeli in the northern Gaza Strip, 15 May 2008

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli troops opened fire to disperse dozens of supporters of the Islamist militant group Hamas, who marched on a sealed Israeli border crossing. Israeli troops opened fire to disperse dozens of protesters who got too close.

Israel has restricted movement into and out of Gaza since Hamas came to power last June.

A rival group, Islamic Jihad, organized a march of hundreds of school children dressed in military-style uniforms, carrying models of rockets and rifles.

In the West Bank, sirens wailed and activists released thousands of black balloons, one for each day since Israel was created, to darken the skies over Jerusalem. 

In a televised speech, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for peace talks with Israel to continue, but said it is time for the Israeli occupation to end.

Mr. Abbas said there are two peoples living on what he called "this beloved land" - one that celebrates independence and one that commemorates a catastrophe.

Tensions also flared between the rival Palestinian groups. 

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas security forces prevented supporters of President Abbas's Fatah movement from holding rallies, while Hamas supporters avoided Fatah rallies in the West Bank.

The rallies commemorate the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians who fled what is now Israel during fighting that followed Israel's creation in 1948.

The right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes has been a key demand by Palestinians during peace talks with Israel.

Israel observed the 60th anniversary of its creation last week, in accordance with the Hebrew calendar. 
 
 

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, and Reuters.