Praise and scorn for Nablus raids

Mr Qurei said Israel was continuing its targeted assassination policy

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has strongly condemned the killing of seven Palestinian militants by Israeli troops in Nablus on Saturday.

"This brutal crime... shows that Israel is going ahead with the plan of murder and assassination," Mr Qurei said.

Among the dead were the West Bank leader of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade and top figures in Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the raid was an "impressive achievement" in the war on terrorism.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said the killings "run contrary to Israel's expressed desire to bring about peace" in the Middle East.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of mourners attended funerals of the dead, vowing to avenge the killings.

The crowd chanted "God is great", as Palestinian militants pledged to unleash an "earthquake" of vengeance on Israel.

Israeli troops have now withdrawn from Nablus - four days after they began a search operation in the city.

'Most wanted'

Nayef Abu Sharkh, the leader of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Israel's most wanted fugitive in the West Bank, was killed, Palestinian hospital sources confirmed.

Palestinian mourners vowed to avenge Israel

The West Bank commander of the Islamic Jihad militant group, Sheik Ibrahim, and the local leader of Hamas were also killed, Palestinian medics said.

The Israeli army said it killed six men with gunfire and grenades as they hid in a secret compartment in a wall.

Israeli troops on Saturday also shot a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in the city.

In recent years, the militant groups have killed hundreds of Israelis in scores of attacks; more than 3,000 Palestinians have also been killed in the conflict.