Iranians have taken to the streets in protest at the Israeli war on Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of at least 425 Palestinians.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Iranian cities used the occasion of Friday prayers to voice support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"A continuation of the deafening silence by the international community and leaders of some Arab states is unacceptable," the demonstrators said in a manifesto at the rally in Tehran.

The protesters also said that an alliance of people throughout the world has been formed in support of Gazans, the fire of which "will engulf the regime that pursues atrocities, as well as its Western and Arab supporters."

The protesters also called for the reopening of the Rafah border crossing to Gaza and world condemnation of Israeli crimes against the besieged strip.

Israel began air operations against the Gaza Strip -- home to 1.5 million Palestinians -- on Saturday. The Israeli attacks have so far lead to the death of some 425 Palestinians and the injury of over 2180 people.

Israel says through its military campaign, it seeks to topple the Hamas movement, which took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after winning the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections in January 2006.

In retaliation to the attacks on Gaza, Hamas has been launching rocket strikes against Israel. Unlike the state-of-the-art weapons and ammunition Israel holds, the homemade Qassam rockets rarely cause casualties.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, at least 25 percent of the Gazans killed in the Israeli onslaught are civilians -- scores of whom are women and children.

The recent conflict is the latest of a series which started when world powers found a 'land without a people and a people without a land' in 1948 and created Israel.

DB/JG/AA