As more Palestinians die due to the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza, Israeli troops continue to attack West Bank areas, these stories and more coming up, stay tuned.

The News Cast

Palestinian medical sources announced that three Palestinian civilians have died on Monday due to the wounds they sustained during the military offensive targeting the Gaza Strip. Doctors in Gaza City Al Shifa hospital reported that in addition to the three killed today; ambulance crews also recovered 12 bodies from the rubble in Gaza City. With those killed today and newly recovered bodies, the death toll of the Israeli military operation in Gaza has reached 1,318. The Israeli military started its offensive on Saturday December 27th, 2008.

On Sunday, Palestinian medics found 95 dead bodies in the rubble. Dr. Mo'awia Hassanin, the director of the Ambulance and Emergency department in the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Monday that among those killed are almost 400 children, and the total number of those injured have exceeded 6,000.

An Israeli army official told Israeli media on Monday that the troops will leave Gaza by Tuesday. The Israeli official that spoke to the online daily Haaretz under conditions of immunity, said that Israeli tanks and troops started the withdrawal on Sunday night, adding that it is expected to finish by Tuesday before the new US President Barak Obama is sworn in.

The Israeli government did not confirm the report, adding if conditions in Gaza remain quiet the Israeli troops will leave. On Saturday night Israel unilaterally announced a cease fire but decided to keep troops in Gaza.

In the West Bank today the Israeli army has kidnapped seven Palestinian civilians during morning and pre dawn invasions targeting several West Bank cities and towns.

Later in the day in the city of Jerusalem, Israeli troops sealed the house of Daham family located in the Jabal Al Mokaber area of the city. The family reported that troops came in the early hours of Monday morning, surrounded the house and then forced them out along with their belongings. The house where the 25 members of the family live is part of four storey building containing eight flats. The family live in the upper four flats, which the army sealed today.

Their son Ala attacked a Jewish settler's school in Jerusalem last year. He attacked the school using a machine gun, and was killed along with eight others. As soldiers sealed the house, local youths clashed with the troops outside, witnesses said that soldiers kidnapped four young men during the incident.

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.