Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Thursday condemned Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip and confirmed his solidarity with the Palestinian people.

"The state of Israel should respect the Palestinian people who have spent years fighting for their independence," he told a mass rally in Caracas.

"With all their military power and the support of the U.S. empire, Israel ... had started a new bombardment, invasion and incursion into the Palestinian territory," he said.

Chavez also condemned the kidnapping of an Israeli corporal, but said Israel had merely used the incident as a pretext to launch the raid.

On Wednesday, Israel sent thousands of troops, backed by warplanes and tanks, into Gaza after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed "extreme actions" to bring home the 19-year-old soldier who had been snatched by Palestinian militants during a cross-border raid on Sunday.

Israeli airstrikes knocked out bridges and electricity to much of Gaza, with sonic bombs rocking Gaza City and the Gaza Strip's borders being sealed, according to reports.

Palestinian Prime Minister and senior Hamas leader Ismail Haneya on Wednesday demanded Israel end its massive ground operation in the Gaza Strip. He also urged the UN Security Council to intervene to prevent an escalation of violence.

Source: Xinhua