The West Bank
The Israeli army invaded several areas across the West Bank on Monday morning, kidnapping at least five Palestinian civilians.
In the northern part of the West Bank, at least 10 military vehicles invaded the al-Ein Beit Al Ma' refugee camp, located in Nablus. Soldiers searched homes and kidnapped two civilians. During the invasion of the camp, local resistance fighters clashed with Israeli troops. Israeli sources reported that one soldier was lightly wounded.
Meanwhile, in the central West Bank, Israeli troops attacked and searched homes in Qadoura refugee camp, located near Ramallah. One man was kidnapped in the invasion. Elsewhere, the Israeli army attacked Beit Fajar village, located near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, on Monday morning, kidnapping two civilians.
In related news, Ali Abu Ramliha, 45, died on Sunday due to wounds sustained one month ago during an Israeli army attack on the Jenin refugee camp, located in the northern part of the West Bank.
The Gaza Strip
Eight Palestinian civilians were wounded in two different Israeli air strikes in Gaza on Monday morning. Dr Mo'awiya Hasnien, Director of the emergency department at the Alshifa hospital of Gaza, reported that five civilians were injured when Israeli jetfighters attacked a group of civilians in the Al Shuja'yia neighborhood in the eastern part of Gaza city. Dr. Hasanien added that two sustained critical wounds.
The second air strike targeted a group of Palestinian police officers, east of Gaza city. Local sources reported that two police officers sustained moderate wounds in the attack.
On Sunday evening, a Palestinian civilian sustained moderate injures when Israeli tanks shelled homes located near the al-Mintar crossing, east of Gaza city.
The Israeli army on Sunday announced that it held the Hamas movement responsible for the apparent firing of a Katyusha rocket earlier the same day. The rocket in question landed near the Israeli town of Netivot. Neither damage nor injuries were reported.
In related news, senior officials in the Israeli army have suggested that Hamas has now established total control of arms smuggling routes from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, adding that an increased number of explosives and rockets have been smuggled into the coastal region over the preceding weeks. The officials failed to report the means by which such information was obtained.
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, brought to you by John Smith and Ghassan Bannoura.