The Israeli army kills two Palestinians during separate attacks on Gaza and the West Bank, while the military also demolish two homes in Jerusalem. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.

The News Cast

A Palestinian man from Gaza was reported dead on Monday morning, medical sources reported. Mohamed Al Sawafrey was injured when Israeli jet fighters shelled his home in the Al Zaytoun area of Gaza City on January 12th this year. Doctors stated that he had sustained critical wounds, and was transferred last week to Egypt for treatment.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported on Monday that the number of those killed in the recent Israeli attacks on the coastal region has reached 1,340. Of 5,500 injured, 300 remain in critical condition. At midday on Monday, one man was killed and six others injured when an unmanned Israeli drone aircraft shot missiles at a civilian car driving in Rafah City, in the south of the Gaza Strip.

Medics said that, of the six injured, three are in critical condition. The latest Israeli air attacks started late last night, as Israeli F16 fighter jets shelled several areas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli authorities announced a unilateral ceasefire on Sunday January 17th, 2009, after the Israeli military embarked on a 22-day offensive. Homes, schools, mosques, UN centers, and media agencies were attacked by Israeli air, sea, and ground forces.

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man was killed, and four others injured, by Israeli military fire near the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Monday morning. Eyewitnesses reported Israeli troops staffing a military checkpoint near Hebron city opened fire at a Palestinian car, killing the man and injuring four passengers. Israeli army sources state that the men opened fire at the soldiers, and troops returned fire, killing the man.

Also near Hebron city today, a Palestinian boy was injured after an Israeli settler hit him with his car. Witnesses stated that the settler drove into six-year old Sohayib Abu Miqdad, before Israeli troops arrived and surrounded the area. The soldiers called an ambulance and took the boy to an Israeli hospital for treatment.

The Israeli army and municipality of Jerusalem on Monday demolished two homes located near the old city, both owned by a Palestinian family. Witnesses said that Israeli troops surrounded the Shofat area before bulldozers demolished the homes of the Ghith family.

Israeli authorities maintain that the homes were built without the required planning permits. Since Israel occupied the city of Jerusalem in 1967, Palestinian residents have rarely been given permission to build homes, yet funding and the construction of hundreds of homes in illegal Israeli settlements continues in and around Jerusalem. Meanwhile, eight Palestinian civilians were kidnapped by the Israeli military during Monday’s pre-dawn invasions which targeted several parts of the West Bank.

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 Ghassan Bannoura and George Rishmawi.