THOUSANDS of Palestinians poured onto the streets of Nablus yesterday, the third day of the largest demonstration yet against the Israeli curfew.

　　Israeli tanks ringing the city moved around, but took no action against residents — a contrast to tough reactions to earlier violations, when they even opened fire on people on the streets because of misunderstandings over the curfew's duration.

　　Palestinians said the success of the action in Nablus might spread to other West Bank cities. Nablus Governor Mahmoud Aloul, who had urged his people to defy the curfew, said Palestinians should follow the Nablus model.

　　"People who can't find food and need medicine and treatment should break the doors of their jail," Aloul said.

　　Shops, banks and offices opened to accommodate the curfew breakers, who filled the streets of Nablus.

　　In some cities, the curfew is often lifted during the day, and then reimposed before nightfall. But the restrictions have been particularly tight in Nablus, where the curfew has been officially lifted five times, for a few hours at a stretch, in the last 40 days.

　　On Monday, the curfews were lifted for the day in Tulkarem, Qalqiliya and Hebron.

　　The restrictions, imposed when Israeli forces took over seven of the eight main Palestinian population centers starting June 20 in response to suicide bomb attacks, have worsened already difficult conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank. International aid agencies warn some are facing malnutrition.

　　Preliminary figures from a U.S. government report show that 30 percent of Palestinian children are suffering from malnutrition, up from 7 percent since the fighting began.

　　In response, Israel pledged to release US$15 million to the Palestinian Authority, the first such transfer since fighting erupted in September 2000.

　　The transfer, the first of three planned installments, is a small fraction of the estimated U$$600 million in taxes and customs revenues Israel has collected on behalf of the Palestinians. Up to now, Israel has refused to release the money, contending it might be used to finance terror attacks.

　　The curfews, added to roadblocks, travel restrictions and a ban on Palestinians working in Israel, have wrecked the Palestinian economy through nearly two years of fighting and left thousands of families dependent on food handouts from international aid organizations.