Egyptian authorities stop Viva Palestina aid convoy from entering the Gaza Strip, and Israeli settlers attack civilians in a West Bank village, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.

The News Cast

The Israeli military allowed on Wednesday supplies into Gaza and decided to send calves to the Strip. Palestinian sources said that around 70 trucks loaded with food supplies and animal feed and industrial fuel needed to operate Gaza power plant will be allowed in.

Meanwhile the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved on Wednesday the transfer of 2,600 calves from Israeli to Gaza for the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The Israeli military radio said that the decision of Barak came after complaints by cattle ranchers in Israeli. Earlier this month, Amos Gilad, the head of the Defense ministry’s military-political bureau, rejected a shipment of cows to Gaza.

Israeli cattle ranchers argued that Gilad decision would result in millions of shekels of lost potential revenue.

Later on Wednesday afternoon the Egyptian Authorities stopped trucks of the Viva Palestina aid convoy from entering the Gaza Strip and allowed the crew 24 hours access. The Palestinian Information Center reported that the crew will be allowed into the Gaza Strip for only 24 hours and the aid supplies will stay at the Egyptian side of the borders.

The Viva Palestina arrived to Egypt on Sunday. On Monday, the caravan members were met by British MP George Galloway, who organized the aid campaign, and US former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who was deported from Israel last Wednesday while attempting to bring several tons of aid to Gaza by boat.

The aid convoy is the second one organized by Galloway – the first successfully brought aid via a truck convoy from the United Kingdom earlier this year.

Israel has placed the Gaza Strip under a total strict siege in June 2007 driving the economy there to the verge of collapse and leaving the Gaza population of 1.5 million Palestinians lacking basic food, medical and fuel supplies.

In the west Bank, a group of armed Israeli settlers ransacked on Wednesday a Palestinian home located in Bil'a village near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem.

The villagers said settlers were aided by the soldiers and after they attacked the house they walked around the village in an attempt to provoke the farmers.

In other news, the Israeli military kidnapped 5 Palestinians civilians during pre-dawn invasions targeting a number of West Bank communities

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.