Tanks bombard areas in the Gaza Strip while troops invade West Bank communities and detain civilians. These stories and more are coming up, stay tuned

The News Cast
Israeli tanks stationed at the Gaza Strip borders with Israel bombarded on Tuesday residents homes and farmers in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Tank shells caused damage to homes, some shells landed near farmers while they were working on their lands near Beit Lahyia town, they escaped unharmed, local sources reported.

Palestinian fighters detonated an explosive device near an Israeli military vehicle, Tuesday morning, near the Erez terminal in northern Gaza. The Jihad Jibril Brigade, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Israeli army reported no injuries and said that soldiers have combed the area without finding more explosives. The soldiers opened fire at the Palestinian fighters, who managed to return to Gaza.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli troops invaded a number of west Bank communities and searched homes; nine civilians were detained by troops, security sources reported. Invasions were reported in the cities of Ramallah, central West Bank, in addition to Bethlehem and Hebron in the south.

Moreover troops erected military checkpoints between Hebron and Bethlehem, residents said that soldiers stopped their cars and searched them and then checked their ID cards.

In other news Israeli troops handed out demotion orders to nine Palestinian home owners in the village of Yatma near Nablus, northern West Bank. Local sources announced that the nine homes are under construction and the army says they are built without the needed permission from the military command. Earlier this year the army orders anther 13 Yatma residents to demolish their homes for the same reason.

The village of Yatma is considered to be in area C. according to the Oslo Accords the Palestinian Authority control area A and B in the West Bank while area C still under the Israeli military control.

The director of settlement watch office in northern West Bank, Ghassan Doghlas, condemnd the Israeli military action and said it only helps illegal settlers living nearby to take over more Palestinian-owned lands.

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.