A previously unknown Muslim group calling itself "The Army of Guidance" pledged on Tuesday to strike at Christian targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for recent remarks by the pope deemed offensive by many Muslims.

In a lecture in Germany last week, Pope Benedict XVI cited a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

In response, St. Perfidious, a 1,400-year-old Greek Orthodox church in Gaza, was lightly damaged Friday in an attack by unknown assailants.

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"Every place relevant to Christians will be a target," said a statement from The Army of Guidance sent to news organizations in Gaza. "This will be until the accursed infidel, the Vatican, apologizes to Muslims."

Benedict said Sunday that he was "deeply sorry" that Muslims took offense and that the emperor's words did not reflect his own opinion.

Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said security forces in Gaza had been ordered to protect Christian sites in light of the latest uproar. He said he did not see Tuesday's statement as evidence of a serious threat.

"This is a new name and an unknown group," he said. "I think this is empty talk, it's a fake name."

Christians are believed to number about 50,000 people in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, about 2 percent of the Palestinian population there.

Interfaith relations are generally good - though tensions periodically flare.

In Gaza the tiny Christian community, estimated at several thousand people, lives among 1.4 million Muslims.

Witnesses said that the local Greek Orthodox church, the Catholic church, the Baptist and Evangelical churches, and Christian schools were under 24-hour police guard.

Egypt's top Muslim leader demands clearer papal apology
The grand sheik of Al-Azhar Mosque, the Sunni Arab world's most powerful institution, demanded on Tuesday that the pope apologize more clearly for insulting Islam.

"The pope's remarks were insulting to Islam and Muslims, and (he made) a religious and scientific mistake," Grand Sheik Mohammed Sayed Tantawi told papal and Egyptian Catholic representatives.

"We have no objection if the pope holds another speech and declares publicly that what the Byzantine emperor had said was wrong. At the same time, the pope has to apologize frankly and justify what he said," Tantawi said in a statement after the meeting.

Mufti of Jerusalem asks the Pope for 'clear' apology
The top Muslim clergyman in the Palestinian territories demanded on Tuesday that Pope Benedict XVI offer a "clear apology" for remarks about Islam that ignited protests across the Muslim world.

The mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein, urged Palestinians to stop their attacks on churches, but held the pontiff responsible for the outpouring of Muslim anger.

"So far, we consider the apology of the Vatican Pope insufficient," Hussein told reporters. "We firmly ask the Vatican Pope to offer a personal, public and clear apology to the 1.5 billion Muslims in this world."

The pontiff tried to defuse the outrage by saying he was "deeply sorry" for the reactions. But because he didn't explicitly acknowledge doing anything wrong, many Muslims said they felt think his apology did not go far enough.

Seven churches in the West Bank and Gaza were attacked following Benedict's comments. Damage was minor and no one was hurt, but it unsettled the small Christian minority, which accounts for about 2 percent of the 3.4 million Palestinians.

Hussein said the attacks on churches were "an angry reaction" stemming from intolerance, ignorance and attempts to ignite sedition.

"We condemn any attack on churches, because it is an attack on the places of worship of others, protected clearly by Islam," Hussein said. "The religion is clear, but I hold the Vatican Pope responsible for all the anger in the Muslim street."