Palestine Today 061208

Seven Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip and Israeli soldiers kidnap a Palestinian and his wife from the west Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.

The News Cast

Four Palestinian civilians, among them a baby were killed on Thursday midday as an explosion ripped a house in Beit Lahyia town located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Witnesses said that the explosion left a house comprised of their apartments totally destroyed.

Medical sources said that four were killed, among them Nur Hamudah, four months old and another three men; 40 other civilians were injured at least among them 6 in critical condition, Dr. Mo'awiah Hassanen, of the Palestinian Ministry of health in Gaza reported.

The Hamas movement said that Israeli F16's shelled the house which belongs to a leader of the movement armed wing Al Qassam Brigades. Meanwhile the Israeli army denied any responsibility and said that the house was destroyed because the Hamas fighter had bombs stored there. Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli army has killed three Palestinian resistance fighters in two separate incidents on Thursday morning.

The Al Aqsa brigades the armed wing of Fatah and the National Resistance group the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, announced that their fighters attacked a military site located at the northern Gaza-Israeli borders near Beit Lahyia town.

The two groups said that during the attack their fighters clashed with Israeli soldiers for two hours and managed to detonate a home made bomb, adding that two of their fighters were killed during the attack. Meanwhile in a separate incident, Israeli army sources said that its forces shot and killed a Palestinian fighter on Thursday at dawn at the borders between northern Gaza and Israel.

In the West Bank a group of Israeli settlers attacked the home of a Palestinian family located in Howwara town near the northern city of Nablus and injured two civilians. Witnesses said that settlers from the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Yitshar attacked the Khalaf family house; settlers stabbed with a knife Ahamad Khalaf, 33, and beat up his friend Samir Ali, 25. Both were transported to a hospital in Nablus city where doctors described their injuries as serious.

The Israeli army invaded the village of Hussan located near Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank. During the invasion on Thursday morning the soldiers kidnapped a Palestinian man and his wife that is from Jewish origins.

Mohamed Hamamerh, 25, met his wife Melissa, 23, several months ago when he used to work at the settlement of Bitar Illit near his village. they were married last month during a large wedding at Hussan village, Hamamerh's family reported. The villagers told media sources in Bethlehem that the settlers threatened to send the Israeli army to get Melissa out using force, which was done today. The Hamamerh family said that the settlers are using the army forces as a tool to force their son to divorce his wife.

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 and Nicole Custer.