Tanks invades areas in Gaza and troops kidnaps civilians in the West Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.

The News Cast

A number of Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded, on Wednesday morning, Al Qararra town on the southern borders of the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Witnesses said that bulldozers destroyed farm lands as tanks opened fire at nearby houses. Damage to homes was reported but no injuries.

Tanks and bulldozers have been invading border areas of the Gaza Strip on daily bases since the start of this week. On Tuesday afternoon Palestinian fighters clashed with the invading forces, on both sides there were no injuries reported.

Elsewhere, Israeli police forces evacuated a settler outpost at dawn, located near the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank

The settlers erected the outpost several months ago. On Tuesday they added a few extra tin shacks. Hundreds of settlers took part in the opening of the outpost the same day, Israeli media reported.

The outpost was expanded on Monday and Tuesday as part of a campaign of Israeli right wing groups.

On Tuesday, settlers' organizations including youth for the land of Israel and the land of Israel faithful continued to erect 11 new illegal outposts in northern and southern areas of the west bank. The groups said the move is in response to the U.S. special envoy George Mitchell's visit to the region and his attempts to freeze settlement construction.

In other News, The Israeli army invaded different areas in the West Bank, overnight from Tuesday on Wednesday.

Villages were raided around Tulkarem, in the northern West Bank and close to Ramallah in the central West Bank. In Illar, a village north of Tulkarem two Palestinian brothers were taken by Israeli soldiers after the soldiers ransacked the family’s home first.

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.