Palestine Today 031109

Three residents injured in Gaza due to the Israeli continued shelling; and in the West Bank, Israeli troops kidnap 38 Palestinian civilians; these stories and more coming up - stay tuned.

The News Cast

Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Wednesday morning that two residents were wounded in an Israeli shelling that targeted the tunnels area in the Al Brazil neighborhood of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Additionally the Israeli Navy fired several shells at Tal Al Sultan neighborhood, also in Rafah, causing damage but no injuries.

Later in the day, a Palestinian man was reported injured during an Israeli shelling targeting Gaza city. Local sources said that Israeli tanks stationed at the Gaza-Israeli borders shelled a group of people, injuring one. Medical sources said that the man sustained light wounds.

Elsewhere in the Gaza strip at midday on Wednesday, Israeli unmanned planes fired several missiles across the Gaza-Egypt border line at Rafah city. The army claimed that they were bombing underground tunnels but local residents living at the borders said that they are being targeted daily.

Israeli military and security sources reported on Wednesday morning that Palestinian fighters in Gaza fired two homemade shells into the Eshkol settlement, in the Western Negev; no injuries were reported

At least 38 Palestinian civilians were kidnapped on Wednesday by the Israeli military during invasions targeting a number of West Bank areas. In Bit Omer village near the southern city of Hebron, Israeli troops kidnapped 35 civilians.

Witnesses said that Israeli troops stormed the village, imposing a curfew and searching homes. They added that soldiers rounded up 35 men between the ages of 15 to 45 and took them away.

Meanwhile, two civilians were kidnapped during a pre-dawn invasion from Israeli troops in Tulkarem city, in the northern part of the West Bank. One civilian was taken by the Israeli soldiers during a search of homes in the central west Bank city of Ramallah.

In Jerusalem, tension was high on Wednesday. Palestinian sources said that the Israeli police closed several roads and a number of Arab shops in the Old City in order to allow Israeli settlers to reach the Western Wall for prayers. The Palestinians were not allowed to reach the Al Aqsa Mosque or the Arab areas around it, the sources added.

Dozens of merchants and shop owners had to close the businesses, especially in the area which is adjacent to the Western Wall.

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 Mary Arthur and Ghassan Bannoura.