Egypt Islamists call new march after 568 people killed

An Egyptian woman mourns over the body of her daughter at a mosque in Cairo Islamists vowed to rally Thursday in support of deposed president Mohammed Morsi despite a violent crackdown that sparked Egypt's worst day of violence for decades, with over 500 people killed. As the death toll from the carnage soared, condemnation of Wednesday's crackdown on two Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in Cairo poured in, with Britain, France and Germany summoning the country's ambassadors to express concern.
The Brotherhood, the Islamist movement from which Morsi hails, said a march was planned from the Al-Iman mosque in the capital "to protest the death of their relatives".
The call came after a tense night, following the army-backed interim government's decision to impose a month-long, nationwide state of emergency and curfews in 14 provinces.
In Cairo, trucks cleared debris from the charred sites of the Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda square protest camps, occupied for weeks by Morsi loyalists, paralysing the area.
Posters of Morsi were strewn next to burnt tins of food, as light traffic returned to the streets.
The health ministry continued to update its toll, saying at least 568 people had been killed across the country on Wednesday, including 43 police.
Despite the violence, Egypt's press trumpeted the end of the pro-Morsi demonstrations, which had occupied two Cairo squares since the military ousted the Islamist president on July 3.
"The nightmare of the Brotherhood is gone," the daily Al-Akhbar's front page headline read.
"The Brotherhood's last battle," added Al-Shorouk.
The newspapers carried photos of protesters brandishing weapons and throwing stones, but none from makeshift morgues where dead protesters were lined up in rooms slick with blood.
Residents of Rabaa al-Adawiya said the tension and paralysis caused by the protests had put lives on hold.
"We were hearing gunshots all day... (The dispersal) had to happen. People here were not living," said Omar Hamdy, 23.
At least four churches were attacked as police broke up the protests, with Christian activists accusing Morsi loyalists of waging "a war of retaliation against Copts in Egypt".
The day's violence was Egypt's worst in decades, exceeding even that seen during the 18-day uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
An AFP correspondent counted at least 124 bodies in makeshift morgues in the Rabaa al-Adawiya protest site and the Brotherhood spoke of 2,200 dead overall and more than 10,000 wounded.
The Islamist movement remained defiant on Thursday, with spokesman Gehad al-Haddad saying demonstrations would continue.
"We will always be non-violent and peaceful. We remain strong, defiant and resolved," he tweeted. "We will push forward until we bring down this military coup."
Morsi loyalists have insisted their demonstrations are exclusively peaceful, but an AFP reporter saw several protesters carrying weapons at Rabaa on Wednesday.
The Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organisations (EUHRO) issued a report on Thursday, stating that police forces called on protesters, specially ?the women and children, via loud speakers to safely exit the square.
However, according to EUHRO only a small number or protesters heeded the call.
The report said the police were taken aback by gunshots, which appeared to be coming from ?rooftops of buildings surrounding Rabaa al-Adaweya. The forces reportedly did not fire live rounds in response but used only teargas. The shooting increased continuously, but came from places near a field ?hospital.?
The same was allegedly observed in al-Nahda Square.
The violence prompted vice president and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei to resign, saying he was troubled over the loss of life, "particularly as I believe it could have been avoided".
However the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, insisted that since its formation, the interim government, has done what it can to reach national reconciliation.
 An official statement on Thursday said the government tried by all means to end the sit-ins with dialogue, and to avoid bloodshed
“As all these efforts failed to achieve the desired goals, the government ?didn’t have any alternative but to take responsibility for implementing the rule of law, preserve the ?security of citizens and maintain national peace by putting into action the decisions of the ?public prosecution in this regards,” a foreign ministry spokesman said.?
The violence was a dramatic turn of events for the Brotherhood, which just over a year ago celebrated Morsi's victory as Egypt's first elected president.
His single year in power, marred by political turmoil, deadly clashes and a crippling economic crisis, turned many against the Islamist movement, with millions taking to the streets on June 30 to call for his removal.
Egypt’s state news agency meanwhile reported that judicial authorities have extended Morsi's detention period for 30 days.
Morsi is currently being held at an undisclosed location on allegations of murder and spying.
Addtional source: AFP