Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Wednesday for massive protests against the Israeli military air and ground offensive on Gaza that ended last Sunday.

Israel had carried out a large-scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip and lasted for 22 days until January 18. Official figures said that around 1,400 Palestinians were killed and 5,500 others wounded.

The Israeli army had also destroyed more than 4,000 houses, and damaged around 20,000 others, in addition to destroying mosques, security and governmental installations and buildings.

Fatah said in a written statement sent to reporters that "the war on the Gaza Strip had not differentiate between one faction and another, but it targeted everyone, including Hamas and Fatah."

Hamas and Fatah movements are the biggest rival groups in the Palestinian territories. Both had been conflicting on power in Gaza Strip, which Hamas has been ruling since mid June 2007, and the West Bank that Abbas and Fatah rule.

Fatah statement called also for appealing to the international courts "in order to sue the Israeli leaders for their inhuman aggression and the crimes they committed against the Palestinian people."

The movement, which lost 35 of its militants during the Israeli offensive on Gaza, said that the Palestinian factions are urged to join popular protests and rallies, calling on Hamas movement not to prevent these protests.