Hundreds protest against the continued Israeli attack on Gaza while the death toll in the Costal region reaches 997 killed, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.


The News Cast

The Israeli military continued its offensive targeting of the Palestinian costal region for the 18th day. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that at least five Palestinians were killed by midday on Wednesday; this brings the death toll in Gaza since the start of the Israeli operation on December 27th to 997.


The Ministry added that among those killed are 311 children and the number injured reached 4,525 including 300 in critical condition. Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli army shelled residential areas in Gaza City and in the nearby Jabalyia town, meanwhile Israeli tanks advanced from several areas deeper into the Costal region.

Witnesses and reporters said that a cloud of smoke covered the sky over Gaza City in the morning caused by the intensive Israeli bombardment. In Gaza City one of the targets was a local graveyard, Israeli jetfighters fired missiles at the tombs destroying them and leaving the buried bodies exposed by the explosions.

Palestinian resistance groups clashed with the Israeli ground forces in a different location, the groups reported that they injured 10 Israeli soldiers. Israeli sources said that 5 soldiers were injured in the morning and overnight clashes, adding that one of them sustained critical wounds.

Meanwhile home-made shells fired from Gaza continued to hit Israel, the Israeli army radio said that at least 10 home-made shells hit northern Israeli towns and the Negev. Damage was reported but no injuries

In the West Bank today hundreds protested against the ongoing attacks on Gaza and demanded the immediate halt of the Israeli attacks. Protests were reported in Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus and Bethlehem.

On Wednesday at dawn the Israeli military invaded several villages located near the southern West Bank city of Hebron and kidnapped seven Palestinian civilians on Wednesday. Local sources said that Israeli troops attacked and searched homes in the villages of Beit Awwa and Sa'er, before kidnapping seven men and taking them to unknown locations.


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 Jane Smith and Ghassan Bannoura.