Palestinians marked the 19th anniversary of their independence, and the Israeli army killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, these stories and more coming up so stay tuned.

The Gaza strip

Two Palestinians were killed and four others wounded on Thursday in an Israeli strike on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya . Initial media reports said that those killed belonged to the Fatah's offshoot, aL-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and that one of those injured was in a critical condition

Witnesses said that a missile struck a car while driving on a road in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia. The Israeli army has recently been engaged in a series of air strikes on Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza, killing dozens of them and injuring many others.

Another Palestinian resident was reportedly killed and another injured when an explosion ripped through two police stations in Gaza city. Also on Thursday two members of the AL-Qassam brigades were wounded in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, after a mysterious object exploded near them. No further details were given to the media.

The West Bank

Today Palestinians conducted rallies across the West Bank and Gaza Strip to commemorate the 19th anniversary of their independence. The rallies were calling for national unity and an end to Israeli occupation.

Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli army kidnapped at least four Palestinian civilians during predawn invasions across the West Bank on Thursday. The kidnappings took place in the cities of Bethlehem and Hebron.

Midday on Thursday the Israeli army attacked a peaceful demonstration on the settlers' road known as road 443 which had been organized by villagers from several villages west of Ramallah,. Sources at the protest told IMEMC that the protesters marched towards the road, then held midday prayers there. Shortly after, the Israeli army attacked the participants with rifle-butts and batons. No injuries or kidnappings were reported.

Meanwhile near the northern West Bank city of Nablus a group of settlers set fire to olive groves belonging to the village of Dier Hatab. The blaze damaged more than fifty trees. Israeli soldiers prevented the local fire-fighting vehicles from reaching the village, leaving the villagers to fight the fire on their own.

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 Louisa White and Ghassan Bannoura.