In the West Bank, Israeli forces kidnap 23 Palestinians across the region. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, at least five Palestinians are killed as Hamas-affiliated police forces open fire on commemorative rally for the late Yasser Arafat. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned.

The Gaza Strip

At least five Palestinians were on Monday killed during a mass rally commemorating the death of Yasser Arafat in Gaza city, media sources have indicated. Initial eyewitness reports suggest that the Gaza police force attacked the rally after an armed man, reported by Hamas sources to be a Fatah gunman, opened fire from nearby rooftops – a report that has yet to be confirmed. IMEMC's correspondent in Gaza city reported that Hamas forces attacked and assaulted demonstrators, leaving at least 30 Palestinians injured. The situation remains tense, with police forces deployed across the city and the death toll expected to rise.

Earlier reports indicated that hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents attended the rally, carrying Fatah banners, Arafat posters, and chanting slogans commemorating the late president. Palestinian media sources stated that the rally was attended by people from across the region, with some traveling to Gaza city, on foot, from towns as far away as Beit Hanoun and Rafah. The Fatah movement had earlier accused the ruling Hamas government of attempting to disrupt the rally by establishing checkpoints around Gaza city.

Various Palestinian factions on Monday morning claimed responsibility for firing a number of homemade shells at Israeli territory from the northern Gaza Strip. The al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, on Monday announced that they had launched two home-made shells at the town of Ashkelon, while the al-Aqsa Brigades, Fatah's armed wing, claimed that they had fired two shells at the nearby Israeli town of Sderot. No injuries or damage were reported in either attack.

The West Bank

Israeli military forces kidnapped at least 23 Palestinians in a series of pre-dawn raids across the region on Monday. In the northern West Bank district of Tulkarem, Israeli forces kidnapped at least 15 Palestinians after invading Tulkarem city, Tulkarem refugee camp, and the towns of Bal'a and Deir al-Ghosoon.

Meanwhile, in the central and southern West Bank, Israeli troops invaded Ramallah and Bethlehem, kidnapping six civilians, including two Hamas legislators. The two law-makers were later identified as Dr. Maryam Saleh and Khaled Tafesh. Two fifteen-year-old Palestinians were also abducted in the southern West Bank city of Hebron after Israeli Border Police accused them of attempting to attack an Israeli soldier near the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Israeli media sources on Monday reported that the Israeli government plans to release some 400 Palestinian prisoners later this month as a 'goodwill gesture' designed to boost the strength of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the upcoming Annapolis summit. The number falls some way short of the 2,000 prisoners that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad last week requested the release of.

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.