Palestine Today 012609

A Palestinian man from Gaza dies of wounds sustained earlier this month and Israeli troops kidnap civilians in the West Bank, these stories and more coming up. Stay tuned.

The News Cast

A Palestinian man was reported dead on Monday in a hospital in Egypt after succumbing to wounds he sustained during the latest Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip.

The man, Mohamed Al Burai, 29, was moved to Egypt several days ago, the Palestinian consulate in Cairo reported. Al Burai is the 30th Palestinian to die in Egypt after sustaining wounds in the latest Israeli attacks.

The Israeli Army embarked on its military offensive on Saturday, December 27th, 2008. For 22 days, homes, schools, mosques, UN centers, and media agencies were attacked by Israeli air, sea, and ground forces.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health this week has placed the death toll in Gaza due to the military offensive at 1,330 with at least 5,000 injured. Doctors say that of those 1,330 killed there are at least 400 children. Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire on Sunday 17th of Jan. 2009.

In the West Bank, Palestinian shepherds reported on Monday that Israeli settlers attacked them on lands located near Tubas city in the northern part of the West Bank. According to the Shepherds a group of armed Israeli settlers attacked them and then threatened to shoot them and their sheep if they did not leave.

The settlers said that next time they will shoot to kill, the shepherds reported. The land is located near by an Israeli settlement and it is owned by local farmers.

The Israeli army kidnapped at least 18 Palestinian civilians on Monday during attacks targeting West Bank areas. 11 of those kidnapped were taken during a military attack targeting the village of Hussan near Bethlehem city.

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 Jane Smith and Ghassan Bannoura.