Demonstrations in Israel's main regional ally Turkey led swelling Muslim protests Sunday over the ground offensive in Gaza, as a Palestinian demonstrator was shot dead by Israeli troops in the West Bank.

However, a demonstration in Paris backing Israel attracted several thousand supporters.

In Istanbul, organisers claimed as many as 700,000 people had turned out for their protest. Police in Turkey refused to give numbers, but central Istanbul's sprawling Caglayan square was packed with a sea of protesters.

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"The bastards of the devil, go away from Palestine and the Middle East," said one banner in English.

Predominantly Muslim, non-Arab Turkey signed a military cooperation accord with Israel in 1996, but Ankara also has close ties with the Palestinians, whose cause enjoys widespread support, particularly among Islamist circles.

Thousands of Moroccans rallied in the capital Rabat, accusing Arab leaders of having failed the Palestinian people.

The demonstrators, about 40,000 according to police estimates, chanted expressions of anger over "the silence of Arab regimes."

Protesters also accused Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of having "sold Gaza for (US) dollars".

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