Palestine Today 032608

A resistance fighter and a civilian are pronounced dead in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks, while in the West Bank Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers, these stories and more coming up. Stay tuned.

The News Cast

A Palestinian resistance fighter was pronounced dead on Wednesday at midday from wounds sustained during an Israeli attack targeting the Gaza Strip three weeks ago.

Mohamed Abed Rabuh, 24, was injured earlier this month during Israeli attacks in which the army killed at least 130 Palestinians, 95 of whom were civilians. The Al Quds brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, stated that Abed Rabuh was one of their fighters.

A senior Islamic leader was found dead in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, near the evacuated settlement of Nitzarim south of Gaza city, Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses reported. Mahmoud Basal, senior leader of a group known as “Army of Islam”, was found dead after he was kidnapped by unknown gunmen on Monday.

The group was previously known as one of three groups responsible for the capture of the Israeli private Gilad Shalit in June 2006. The group has also claimed responsibility for kidnapping the BBC reporter Alan Johnston in March of 2007.

Earlier on Wednesday at dawn an elderly woman was pronounced dead after her application to exit the Gaza strip for medical care was denied by the Israeli Armed forces. Jazyiah Abu Hilal, aged 65, from Gaza city died from a chronic illness. For several months she was prevented from leaving Gaza to obtain life saving treatment by the Israeli army, doctors said.

The death of Abu Hilal, brings the number of Palestinian deaths resulting from Israeli prohibition of exiting Gaza to receive medical treatment to 118. The Israeli army has placed Gaza under a total siege since June 2007.

Meanwhile in the West Bank on Wednesday, the Israeli military kidnapped 50 year old Omar Jaber of the al-Qassam brigade, the armed wing of Hamas from his village of Iktaba near Tulkarem.

The Israeli forces kidnapped Jaber after invading a home belonging to Hamas affiliate, Hani Barbra in Bal'a town, east of Tulkarem. Forces kidnapped both Jaber and Barabra, taking them to an undisclosed detention center.

In the southern part of the West Bank today, A group of Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Havet Ma'on south of Hebron city, opened fire at Palestinian shepherds and their sheep on Wednesday midday injuring three sheep.

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 Fouad Al-Zir and Ghassan Bannoura.