Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei said on Tuesday that rocket and mortar attacks on Jewish settlements are giving Israel an excuse for its aggression against the Palestinian people.

Speaking to reporters shortly before he chaired a weekly cabinetmeeting in Ramallah, Qurei said Palestinian militants should not give Israel the excuse for aggressions by firing rockets at Israelitargets.

"We do not want to give Israel the excuse in front of the world to continue its planned aggression against our people," he said, while condemning an Israeli operation in northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday as "a massacre."

Israeli tank shells killed early Tuesday eight Palestinians and wounded seven others in the town of Beit Lahya in northern Gaza Strip.

"We should use means of struggle conducive to the Palestinian cause and take into consideration the current situation," Qurei said.

Qurei also urged the international community to send a mission of international observers to the Palestinian territories, who he said will observe the Palestinian election and help stop Israel's violations in the Palestinian territories."