Palestinian gunmen have surrounded European Union offices in the Gaza Strip threatening violence and demanding an apology after newspapers in Europe reprinted Danish caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.

Newspapers in several EU countries published the cartoons Wednesday in a show of solidarity for press freedom.

One cartoon shows the Prophet Mohammed wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.

The militants have threatened to target Danish, French, and Norwegian nationals in the Palestinian territories.

The French-Egyptian owner of the French newspaper France Soir has fired an editor for reprinting the cartoons.

A spokesman for the press freedom group Reporters Without Borders is calling on both sides to calm down.

Meanwhile, a Jordanian weekly newspaper has published three of the 12 cartoons to acquaint the Muslim public with the caricatures.

Publication of the cartoons by a Danish newspaper in September prompted Muslim protests.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.