Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Monday August 18th, 2008.

Death toll in Gaza due to the Israeli siege reaches 237, meanwhile Israeli troops kidnap two Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.

The News cast

In the Gaza Strip the number of patients who have died due to the year-long Israeli siege has reached 237, as one more patient died today.

Ramada Ghalayini died of cancer as he was banned from leaving the Gaza strip to get the needed medical treatment, Palestinian medical sources reported.

Hundreds of patients in Gaza are liable to die if they don't get immediate life-saving treatment. As the siege continues there remains a serious shortage of medical supplies available.

In the upcoming few days, Gaza will welcome a group of international activists, who are set to sail from Cyprus to Gaza. The internationals, who call themselves, the Free Gaza Movement, are coming from various countries worldwide to break the siege of Gaza and send out a message of solidarity with its besieged people under a debilitating Israeli blockade for the past 14 months.

In the West Bank, Israeli troops invaded Kober village north of Ramallah. Troops searched several houses and kidnapped one civilian, taking him to an unknown destination.

Also, a number of Israeli troops invaded Hebron. They searched and damaged the residence of Izzat Al Natshe and seized the family members in one room. Troops kidnapped al-Natshe and took him to an unknown detention camp.

In the northern West Bank city of Tubas, a number of Israeli military vehicles invaded the city and erected a military checkpoint at its entrance. No one was taken prisoner.

Moreover, a number of Israeli military vehicles invaded the city of Nablus and centered at several areas, troops searched a number of neighborhoods and ransacked several houses.

On A separate issue, the Israeli ministerial committee on Palestinian prisoners is scheduled to meet today with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to approve the release of approximately 200 Palestinian prisoners, some of which have already spent more than 20 years in Israeli jails.

The Palestinian authority spokesman Nabeel Abu Rudeineh said that is a step in the right direction but still not enough. There are over 11,000 Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli detention centers, among them around 85 women and over 300 children.

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. This report has been brought to you by Rula Shahwan and George Rishmawi.