Israeli air forces struck a Palestinian house in Rafah, the army injures an old farmer north of Beit Lahia town in the Gaza Strip, and in the West Bank the army invades several cities and takes prisoners. These stories and more coming up stay tuned.
The Israeli army injured Jamal Al Attar, 45, after firing live rounds at him in Al Siqa area, north of Beit Lahia town, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Medical sources in Kamal Adwan hospital near Beit Lahia reported that Al Attar sustained medium injures due to a built wound in the leg and will remain at the hospital for more treatment.
In the meantime, scores of Palestinian police officers protested Thursday morning in the Gaza Strip against the near seven month freeze on wages by closing some vital roads in the southern and central areas of the Gaza Strip. The police officers protested on less-traveled roads connecting Gaza City with the refugee camp and villages around it, demanding their salaries. Palestinian public and security employees have not received their salaries for the past seven months due to the U.S.-led sanctions imposed in January 2006 after Hamas won the elections.
Medical sources in Gaza City reported that Tayesser Al Hindi, 45, died Thursday morning of wounds he sustained earlier this month in Gaza. Al Hindi sustained critical wounds in the head during clashes between the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, and the newly formed executive force near Kammal Adwan Hospital in Gaza on the 12th of September 2006, sources said. During the clashes six people were injured, including Al Hindi.
In a pre-dawn shelling on Thursday, Israeli air forces struck a Palestinian house in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, shortly after troops phoned the inhabitants and ordered them to leave. Two missiles were fired at the house, leveling it completely. Local sources in Rafah reported that the three-story building belongs to resident Sami Sabri Breka; damage was reported to several surrounding houses as well.
Civil defense and rescue teams rushed to the area immediately; no injuries were reported. An Israeli army source said that the owner of the shelled house is a member of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
The West Bank Update
Israeli soldiers took prisoner Jihad Al Tuork, Nitham Mujahed, and Sahdi Mujahed during an Israeli army search campaign to residents' homes in the western areas of the West Bank city of Hebron Thursday morning.
Troops attacked the residents' homes, located in Wadi Al Karam area, west of Hebron, and searched and ransacked them before taking the three to unknown locations, their families reported.
The Israeli army has taken prisoner 60 civilians from the Hebron district since the beginning of September 2006, according to the Prisoner Society office in Hebron.
Also on Thursday morning, the Israeli soldiers took prisoner two residents in a predawn invasion to several parts of the West Bank city of Nablus. In Balata Refugee Camp troops attacked and ransacked scores of residents' homes and shot live rounds randomly at residents before taking a 20 year old young woman, Du'a Hussen, and another unknown youth from the refugee camp to unknown locations, eyewitnesses reported.
Elsewhere, in nearby Rojeb and Assira Al Shamaliha villages near Nablus, soldiers searched scores of homes and damaged families' belongings during the dawn invasion today. The army claimed they were looking for wanted people.
In other areas of the West Bank Israeli forces invaded the villages of Al Zababda and Sliat Al Harthia near the city of Jenin and took prisoner three residents on Thursday at dawn. Troops entered Al Zababda village east of Jenin and took Amar Abass, 29, and Mohamed Abu Khamis, 32, to unknown locations after searching a stone-making factory where they work.
Meanwhile, soldiers invaded Sliat Al Harthia village west of Jenin, and searched and ransacked scores of residents' homes before taking Mahmoud Tahina, 20, to an unknown location, local sources reported.
Also near Jenin, the Israeli army took prisoner Obaida Yassen, 21, and Ibrahim Yassen, 22, during a dawn invasion of Abu Da'eif village, east of the West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday.
Israeli forces took prisoner two residents in a pre dawn invasion to the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Thursday. More than 8 army vehicles surrounded Rakhmah area on the east side of Bethlehem, searched several homes, then took Rami Shawuria, 22, to an unknown location. Moreover, in Al Karkafa area, on the west side of the city, troops stormed, searched and ransacked the house of Moussa Zawahra, 44, then took him to an unknown location, eyewitnesses reported.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org brought to you by Caysha Cay & Ghassan Bannoura.