The Israeli army and settlers escalated their attacks in the West Bank on Thursday and invaded several areas kidnapping a number of civilians, these stories and more coming stay tuned.

West Bank

In the northern West Bank, the Israeli army invaded Nablus in the early hours of Thursday morning carrying out attacks and a wide-ranging search of the area and kidnapping seven civilians.

Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli army invaded several areas in Nablus, including the Balata refugee camp, searching for claimed wanted Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops also invaded Qabatiya and Qalqilia in the early morning. Local sources reported that four Palestinians have been kidnapped in Qabatiya whereas in Qabatiya, in the district of Jenin, the army kidnapped four Palestinians.

Local residents told IMEMC that the southern part of Jenin district witnessed an Israeli paratroop operation. Troops spread throughout the area and conducted a wide-scale search operation ransacking a number of Palestinian homes.

In the meantime, another force of the Israeli army kidnapped two Palestinians from Tulkarem city.

In the southern part of the West Bank, Israeli troops attacked a house in the village of Beit Fajar, near Bethlehem on Thursday morning.

Palestinian security sources reported that a number of military vehicles, backed by reinforcements, subjected the village to military orders and positioned themselves in the center, from where they attacked a dwelling.

In another part of the West Bank, Israeli forces invaded the city of Al Bireh and the village of Qarawat Bani Zaid, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, no kidnapping was reported.

Further south in the West Bank, Israeli settlers and soldiers attacked scores of international and Israeli activists and Palestinian olive growers in the area around the Atna'el settlement.

The Israeli settlement of Atna'el was constructed on Palestinian land which is owned by the people of the village of Al Samou'a, in the southern part of the district of Hebron.

The General Committee for the Defense of Land in Hebron District reports that settlers, together with Israeli soldiers, attacked as volunteers helped Palestinian farmers pick olives on land adjacent to the settlement.

Also in Hebron are, the Israeli army invaded the village of Yatta, early Thursday morning. A Palestinian from the town was kidnapped and several houses were damaged as soldiers launched a wide-scale search in several parts of the town center.

Gaza Strip

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli military shelled a civilian area in the southern part of the Strip causing slight damage to property but no injuries. Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance fighters continue to shell the western Negev in Israel with Mortar and RBG shells. NO damage or casualties were reported.

In other news, at least 4 Palestinians were killed and 30 have been wounded in clashes that erupted between the Hamas affiliated Executive force and armed members of Hillis Family in Gaza city.

Conclusion

Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, brought to you by John Smith and George Rishmawi.