Palestinians unite to celebrate pullout

Tens of thousands were expected to hear speeches from one of Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas's top lieutenants along with addresses from the leaders of militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad who have also claimed credit for the historic withdrawal.

The afternoon rally at Neve Dekalim comes after Abbas warned that his Palestinian Authority would no longer tolerate the armed chaos which has allowed militants to operate with impunity in the increasingly lawless and impoverished territory.

The largest of the armed factions, Hamas, responded by vowing to not only hold onto its weapons but to increase its attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

In a televised address on Tuesday, the day after Israel ended its 38-year presence in the Gaza Strip, Abbas pledged to address the "anarchy" which has pervaded both Gaza and the West Bank.

"We will no longer tolerate from this day the security anarchy, the armed chaos and the kidnappings," Abbas said.

"The principle that unites us is that we have one authority, one law and one legal weapon," he said, referring to the arms of the Palestinian security services.

Abbas has repeatedly criticised the use of weapons during the five-year uprising but militant groups have vowed to retain their arms and continue attacks against Israel despite the pullout from Gaza.

Hamas, behind the majority of anti-Israeli attacks during the intifada, has portrayed the withdrawal as an act of surrender and vowed to continue the armed struggle until the occupation is ended on all Palestinian land.

Hamas's leader in its Gaza stronghold pledged that "our weapons will remain in our hands until the Palestinian flag is hoisted in Jerusalem.