One Killed another injured in clashes in Khanyounis

Salah Al-Astal, member of al Qassam brigade, the armed wing of Hamas, was killed while the head of Preventive security in Khanyounis was injured after being shot with live ammunition during clashes between executive troops controlled by the Ministry of Interior and the Fateh Led Preventive security force in the west of Khanyounis city in the Gaza Strip Wednesday morning.
Local witnesses reported that the incident occurred after a vehicle carrying executive troops clashed with the head of the Preventative Security force's vehicle. Al-Astal died from head injuries; while the head of the preventive security and a bystander were injured.
Members of Hamas held the preventive security t responsible for the killing of Al Astal

Gunmen set fire in the house of head of the Preventive security force in KhanYounis

A group of gunmen set fire in the house of Rfa'et Kalab, head of preventive security force in Khanyounis city south of the Gaza Strip.

An official source in the preventive security force affirmed that a group of gunmen of Al Qassam brigade, the armed wing of Hamas, fired live ammunition and RPG shells at Kalab's house.

The source added that members of Al Qassam brigade planted explosives around the house detonated them and set fire to the house which destroyed all the contents of the house.

One of Al Qassam members was killed and Kalab sustained an injury in his thigh on Wednesday morning in clashes which erupted between his companions and members of Hamas movement.




The Israeli Army invades Beit Wazen village and arrests three

Israeli troops invaded the West Bank village of Biet Wazen, west of Nablus. Three residents were arrested.

Eyewitnesses reported that special units of the army disguised in civilian clothes, accompanied by twenty armored vehicles, invaded and surrounded the village and forced the residents to stay in their homes. Soldiers then broke into several homes and conducted wide-scale searches.

Oneof the homes broken into belonged to Mahmoud Abu Aisha Three residents were arrested for not having correct identity cards. The arrestees were identified as Naseem Abu Aisha and one of his relatives who identified as Anas Khateeb, who works with the Palestinian security forces, while the third arrestee was unknown.

Army and settlers attack a Hebron resident and his son

Israeli soldiers and extremist settlers assaulted a resident and his son from the West Bank city of Hebron Wednesday morning.

The man and his son sustained bruises on all over their bodies. An eyewitness and sister of the attacked resident, Leena Abu Hiekel, reported that a group of extremist settlers attacked her brother Hani Jameel Abu Hiekal, 37, and his son Jameel, 13, with stones and empty bottles while they were on their way home in Tal Rumieda neighborhood adjacent to the illegal outpost of Ramat Yashi in the old city of Hebron.

Abu Heikal added that the soldiers in the area detained her brother and his son at a military checkpoint near their home after allowing the settlers to attack them. The soldiers then denied them access to their home which is just meters from the checkpoint.

Army confiscates a house in a Bethlehem village, turns it to a military watchtower

The Israeli army confiscated one of the homes of Taque' village south east of Bethlehem, on Wednesday and turned it into a military watch tower

Khalid Hameeda, head of the village council, reported that Israeli soldiers broke into the two storey home of Ali Taha Hameeda close to the village school, after imprisoning all of its occupants in one room

Hameed added that the soldiers installed their military equipment on the roof and began monitoring the movements of local residents.

Hameed affirmed that the soldiers harassed residents who expressed concerns over a possible attack on students taking their final exams He cautioned the escalation of attacks on village residents the last of which was a night attack during which soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition and gas bombs at the village houses.

Army storms Aida refugee cam and Al-Duha village near Bethlehem and arrests five

The Israeli army invaded Aida refugee camp to the north of the west Bank city of Bethlehem and the nearby village of Al Duha and arrested five residents early wednesday morning.

Soldiers stormed the resident's homes and conducted house-to-house searches in the town and refugee camp before arresting the five and taking them to unknown locations, no names were issued, local sources reported

The Army installs yet more portable checkpoints north of Salfit village.

Israeli army intensifies its portable military checkpoints north of Salit and at the entrances of the nearby villages of, Hares, Kefel Hares and ;Qarawet Bani Hassan

Local eyewitnesses in the area reported that soldiers posted on the checkpoints delayed the movement of the residents, stopped and searched several vehicles

Meanwhile soldiers at Dir Balut checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah delayed residents on their way to work and insulted them.

The Israeli Army release wild pigs and poisonous snakes in Salfit

The Israeli army has released wild pigs and poisonous snakes in farm land belonging to Jama'en village near the West Bank city of Salfit, Wednesday

Eyewitnesses said that they saw an army truck emptying plastic containers of snakes in the area and then released scores of wild pigs

The Israeli authorities said was action taken to maintain the nature balance of the area. Several pigs attacked Abdullah Awwad, 50 from the village injuring him whilst walking home, local sources said













Palestinian prisoners announce hunger strike in protest at their harsh conditions

Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli detention center of Qadomem east of the West Bank city of Tulkarem have announced a hunger strike in protest at their conditions in the center, on Wednesday.

The prisoners have informed the Palestinian prisoner society's lawyer of their decision and said it comes as protest at the harsh medical conditions, bad food and the interrogation methods used by Israeli jail guards which include the beating of prisoners, forcing them to remain standing for long hours and subjecting them to sleep deprivation.

The prisoners said that the jail administration are not allowing sick prisoners medical care or that if any care is given it so bad that it does more damage then good


Conclusion

And that’s just some of the news for today in Palestine. For constant updates, check out the International Middle East Media Center website, www.IMEMC.org. As always, thanks for joining us. From Occupied Bethlehem, this is Palestine today was brought to you by Pennie Quinton, Maia Williams Carpenter and Ghassan Bannora