The Gaza strip
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Palestinian medical sources declared that two Israeli air strikes killed four Palestinians near Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Another two were killed when the Israeli military ambushed resistance fighters in Al Qarara town, south of Khan Younis. The death of the four men makes a total of six killed in less than 24 hours in Khan Younis. On Wednesday, Israeli naval forces killed two Palestinian Police Officers and injured five others in Khan Younis when an Israeli naval ship stationed off the coast opened fire at Khan Younis beach.
On Wednesday, the Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh, the Al Quds brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, claimed joint responsibility for opening fire at Israeli soldiers stationed in the industrial area in the Eretz Crossing.
The West Bank
The Israeli army kidnapped two Palestinian civilians during a pre-dawn invasion on the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem on Thursday. Among those kidnapped was Khaled Sa'adah, 48, a member of the local municipal council of Bethlehem city. Witnesses reported that troops surrounded his home located in the southern side of the city, conducted a search and then took him away. He is reportedly being held at an undisclosed detention center.
Palestinian sources reported that Palestinian teachers in the city of Tulkarem located in the northern part of the West Bank staged a warning work strike for half a day on Thursday. Jammal Yakoub, the secretary of the Teachers Union in the city stated that teachers did not teach after 10:00 am. Students left the schools while teachers stayed in their work places.
Yakoub added that these strikes took place after the Palestinian government did not pay the over-due and vital increases to the teachers. Yakoub also told reporters that the teachers Union will meet next week to decide their future steps.
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 Louisa White and Ghassan Bannoura.