In the West Bank, Israeli forces invade several towns and cities, kidnapping at least seven Palestinians civilians. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, four Palestinians are killed as Israeli warplanes attack northern Gaza. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned.

The West Bank

Israeli forces on Monday morning invaded the town of Azoun, in southern Qalqilia, searching homes and abducting three Palestinians. Local sources reported that forces ransacked homes before kidnapping Adi Enaya, 21, Ahmad Salama, 19, and Ala Husien, 20. Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers invaded the Tulkarem refugee camp, kidnapping one Palestinian. The man was later identified as Mohammad Al Bado, 24, an officer in the Palestinian police.

In the southern West Bank, Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli army kidnapped three Palestinian civilians, including a fifteen-year-old girl, from Hebron on Monday. The teen was abducted after Israeli soldiers claimed she intended to attack them with a concealed knife. Eyewitnesses confirmed that the girl had a knife, but added that she did not attack anyone with it. Elsewhere, a separate Israeli force invaded the village of Yatta, located south of Hebron, searched homes and kidnapped two civilians.

Media sources on Monday reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert intends to release an undefined number of Palestinian political prisoners before the upcoming Annapolis summit. Israeli media sources reported that the move is part of a series of so-called 'goodwill gestures' planned by the Israeli administration. While the number of detainees to be released remains unknown, the Israeli daily Haaretz claimed that Olmert is considering a request from Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to release 2000 prisoners.

The Gaza Strip

Four Palestinians, including a father and a child, were killed when Israeli warplanes struck twice in northern Gaza on Sunday. Medical sources identified the dead as Hesham Khadoura, 25, believed to be a member of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, Zaher Al’er, 40, his son Yousef, 18, and Mohammad Abu Harbeed, 23. The Interior Ministry of the deposed Hamas government condemned the attacks, branding them part of an unabated Israeli offensive on the Palestinian people.

Palestinian security sources on Monday morning reported that a blast had ripped through a fast food restaurant in Gaza city. The restaurant, which is located on the western side of the city, lies only several meters away from a security compound. Eyewitnesses reported that the building was destroyed, with nearby properties sustaining lighter damage. Medical sources reported no injuries in the blast.

The al-Quds Brigades on Monday announced that they were ready to defend the Gaza Strip against any future Israeli invasion. In an interview with the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, Abu Hamza, the spokesman for the brigades, said that the movement had stockpiled enough homemade shells to last two years, and warned that the Israeli army would be met with the same resistance it faced in last summer's war on Lebanon.

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 Ghassan Bannoura.