Palestine Today 122208

Israeli military kidnaps 10 Palestinian civilians from the West Bank, Tzipi Livni call for Hamas to be toppled. These stories, and more coming up, stay tuned.

The Free Gaza Movement reported on Sunday that the Qatari ship, the first Arab solidarity boat to break the Israeli siege, sailed out of Gaza after activists onboard spent 48 hours delivering humanitarian supplies, and observing the negative and devastating effects of the unjust Israeli siege.

The activists visited relief organizations and educational facilities in the coastal region. Fifteen Qatari nationals and international peace activists were onboard the ship. Also on Sunday, Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported that a woman was wounded after the Israeli Army fired a surface-to-surface missile at a group of fighters east of Gaza city.

Medical sources at Kamal Adwan hospital reported that the Palestinian woman suffered mild-to-moderate wounds. During the same air strike, Israeli military helicopters shelled Tal Qleibo area, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip; damage was reported, but no injuries.

In Israel, Tzipi Livni, Israel’s foreign minister, said in a statement over the week end that her primary goal if she is elected to the office of prime minister will be to overthrow the Hamas government in Gaza.

Israel has began a public relations campaign, targeting key members of the United Nations Security Council, as well as EU countries, in order to gain support for a full-scale military invasion into Gaza, which would have devastating effects on the local populations already suffering from Israel’s year and a half long siege.

Also in the news today, according to the Israeli Army, a group of Palestinian resistance fighters responded with heavy gun fire to an Israeli air strike on the northern parts of the Gaza Strip, and that the warplanes reacted to the source of fire.

Palestinian medics reported late Sunday night that at least four people, including a child, were wounded by Israeli fire in northeastern Gaza. The armed wing of the ruling Hamas party, known as Ezzildin Alqassam, said in a statement that its fighters were able to force Israeli warplanes to turn back after the resistance fired a volley of bullets toward the
aircraft.

In the West Bank today, three Palestinians were arrested in the city of Jenin, and seven more were arrested in the city of Nablus. All were stated by Israeli Military sources as “wanted”. Palestinian security sources said in a statement that three others, not mentioned in Israel’s account, were taken from their homes near the Israeli annexation wall in the town of Zeita, just north of Tulkarem in the northern part of the West Bank.


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 Justin Theriault and Husam Qassis.