DEIR EL-BALAH, Gaza Strip – Mahmoud Abbas, the leading candidate for Palestinian president, called on terrorists yesterday to stop firing rockets at Israel, as Israeli tanks and troops massed in northern Gaza in response to the latest barrage.

A poll released yesterday showed Mr. Abbas with the backing of two thirds of his people, three times the support of his nearest rival before a January 9 election to replace Yasser Arafat. Still, the candidate with the gray, bureaucratic image spent the day courting those who have disparaged him in the past – young terrorists.

With Israeli tanks gathering nearby, Mr. Abbas expressed his support for the gunmen at a campaign rally at a school in the northern Gaza town of Jebaliya.

However, he also criticized the rocket fire.

“Don’t let your actions be used as an additional pretext and excuse for them to fight us, because this is not the proper time for such actions,” Mr. Abbas said.

The Israelis sent forces into northern Gaza yesterday after Palestinian Arab terrorists fired mortars at the Erez industrial zone next to the main Gaza-Israel checkpoint and rockets at Sderot, a town just outside the Gaza fence, wounding several Israelis. The military said the goal was to stop the rocket and mortar fire.

A Palestinian Arab cameraman working for an Israeli TV station was shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza, Palestinian Arabs and local press said. The military had no immediate comment.

The new raid came as Israeli troops pulled out of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, ending a three-day operation to target terrorists firing the homemade rockets and mortars at Jewish settlements.

The army said it killed 13 armed Palestinian Arabs during the three-day operation. Palestinian Arab security officials put the number of dead at 11 and said nine of them were armed.

Israel is planning to pull out of Gaza in the summer, but violence is expected to escalate. Palestinian Arab terrorists are trying to show they are forcing the Israelis out, while Israel wants to deal a blow to the violent groups to keep them in check during the pullout and afterward.

When he presented his plan to evacuate all 21 Gaza settlements and four from the West Bank, Prime Minister Sharon called it “unilateral disengagement,” refusing to coordinate with Arafat’s Palestinian Arab government.

That changed with Arafat’s death November 11. Israel signaled it would cooperate with Mr. Abbas but avoided open support to keep from embarrassing him. Mr. Abbas has spoken out against violence and has called attacks against Israel a mistake, and Israelis hope his embracing of terrorists in recent days is just a campaign ploy.

A poll released yesterday by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found Mr. Abbas with 65% support and his nearest rival, prodemocracy activist Mustafa Barghouti, with only 22%. The other five candidates had combined support of 5% of voters, while 8% remained undecided.

The poll, conducted December 30-31, questioned 1,319 Palestinian Arabs and quoted a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Despite the poll numbers, Mr. Abbas still is scrambling for support. Analysts believe he needs to win the election in a landslide of at least 60% of votes to tap into the emotional support and loyalty Arafat enjoyed.

So over the past few days, Mr. Abbas, dressed in a suit and tie, has been touring squalid refugee camps, embracing armed terrorists and riding, visibly uncomfortable, on their shoulders.