4 jan 2008
Four Palestinian citizens were shot by Israeli soldiers in the village of Bil'in west of the city of Ramallah on Friday, during the weekly demonstration against the separation wall.
Villagers from Bil'in, along with international and Israeli activists, staged a demonstration to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement.
After Friday prayers the demonstrators marched through the village streets, chanting nationalist slogans, before walking towards the separation wall which is to the west of the village.
Israeli forces had erected a barbed wire fence to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the wall. As they drew close the soldiers began firing tear gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets at them. Adeeb Ahmad Abu Rahma, Mahdi Abdul Mu'min Abu Rahma, Ibrahim Abdul-Fattah Bernat and Nafez Abed Al-Karim Mansour were all injured by Israeli gunfire. Dozens of others suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
On Wednesday Israeli settlers moved to land near Bil'in with two mobile homes. Villagers tried to prevent the settlers from establishing the new outpost. They were attacked by the settlers and three young men from the village needed hospital treatment for their injuries.
On Thursday morning Israeli forces removed the settlers, along with their mobile homes.
Villagers from Bil'in, along with international and Israeli activists, staged a demonstration to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement.
After Friday prayers the demonstrators marched through the village streets, chanting nationalist slogans, before walking towards the separation wall which is to the west of the village.
Israeli forces had erected a barbed wire fence to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the wall. As they drew close the soldiers began firing tear gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets at them. Adeeb Ahmad Abu Rahma, Mahdi Abdul Mu'min Abu Rahma, Ibrahim Abdul-Fattah Bernat and Nafez Abed Al-Karim Mansour were all injured by Israeli gunfire. Dozens of others suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
On Wednesday Israeli settlers moved to land near Bil'in with two mobile homes. Villagers tried to prevent the settlers from establishing the new outpost. They were attacked by the settlers and three young men from the village needed hospital treatment for their injuries.
On Thursday morning Israeli forces removed the settlers, along with their mobile homes.
Tens of thousands turn out for funeral of brigades members killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip
Tens of thousands of people from Rafah and Beit Hanoun took to the streets on Friday for the funeral procession of three Al-Qassam Brigades members and a Fatah member, killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Al-Qassam Brigades members Muhammad Awad Al-Kafarna and Muhammad Naser Al-Kafarna died during dawn clashes with Israeli forces near Beit Hanoun on Friday and twenty-three-year-old Yasser Hillis, also an Al-Qassam Brigades member, died when Israeli warplanes targeted the Al-Shaja'eyah neighbourhood of Gaza City.
Twenty-five-year-old Abdallah Qishta, a commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades who was being detained by Hamas, died after Israeli helicopters launched three missiles at the Al-Qassam Brigades base, where he was being held.
The Al-Aqsa Brigades have condemned Hamas for the death of their leader, saying they are holding them responsible for his death.
Al-Qassam Brigades members Muhammad Awad Al-Kafarna and Muhammad Naser Al-Kafarna died during dawn clashes with Israeli forces near Beit Hanoun on Friday and twenty-three-year-old Yasser Hillis, also an Al-Qassam Brigades member, died when Israeli warplanes targeted the Al-Shaja'eyah neighbourhood of Gaza City.
Twenty-five-year-old Abdallah Qishta, a commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades who was being detained by Hamas, died after Israeli helicopters launched three missiles at the Al-Qassam Brigades base, where he was being held.
The Al-Aqsa Brigades have condemned Hamas for the death of their leader, saying they are holding them responsible for his death.
38 Palestinians injured by gunfire since start of Israeli military campaign in Nablus
Thirty-eight Palestinian citizens have been injured by Israeli gunfire as the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Nablus reaches the end of its second day, Dr Ghassan Hamdan, director of Palestinian Medical Relief, said on Friday afternoon.
Sixteen-year-old Khaldoun Salem, who is blind, was seriously injured when he was shot by an Israeli soldier in front of his home.
According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers shot and wounded on Friday morning a Palestinian citizen. They then administered first aid and handed him over to medical crews.
On Friday afternoon another Palestinian citizen was seriously wounded after Israeli sources opened fire on him.
Thirty-two-year-old Ahmad Abu Hantash was shot in the head as he walked to the mosque for Friday prayers in the west of the city.
He was taken to hospital where his condition is described as very serious.
Israeli forces are besieging hospitals in the city and obstructing the movement of ambulances and medical crews, Dr Hamdan said in a statement.
Many injured people remain stranded in the old city, as medical crews are prevented from reaching them because of the curfew imposed by the Israeli military, he said.
"This situation will have tragic consequences if it is allowed to continue. We call on the international community and human rights institutions to stop such violations and to put an end to the collective punishment that is being practiced in the city of Nablus. We also demand the immediate release of medical personnel," Hamdan added.
Medical workers Taher Al-Kusa and Firas Khader were left handcuffed and blindfold in the open air in front of the National Hospital for several hours before being taken away in an Israeli military jeep.
The intensity of the Israeli military operation in the city has increased, with bulldozers and other military vehicles being drafted in. The old city has been under curfew since dawn on Thursday. The curfew has now been extended to the wider Nablus area, including the Balata refugee camp.
Since Thursday the Israeli military campaign in the city has resulted in raids on dozens of houses in the old city, injuring a number of citizens.
Eight people have been arrested since Thursday evening, including 'wanted' Al-Aqsa Brigades members twenty-four-year-old Ahmed Ash-Shantir, and twenty-three-year-old Stephen Anbatawi, along with two ambulance crew members, twenty-eight-year-old Firas Khader and thirty-year-old Taher Al-Kusa and Palestinian citizens, Jawad Shakhsheer and Gawdat Shakhsheer and Yahya Sharaf and Ala Hamameh.
In a telephone call to Ma'an, the Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for detonating an explosive near an Israeli military jeep at the entrance to the old city.
Israeli forces claim they have located two projectiles in an explosives factory in the city. The Al-Aqsa Brigades announced that the two projectiles were found by the Israeli army in Nablus were to be used to target Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
***Last updated 5:27 pm local time
Hamas weapons arsenal discovered in Nablus
An Nasser brigades target Israeli military base east of Beit Hanoun
Sixteen-year-old Khaldoun Salem, who is blind, was seriously injured when he was shot by an Israeli soldier in front of his home.
According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers shot and wounded on Friday morning a Palestinian citizen. They then administered first aid and handed him over to medical crews.
On Friday afternoon another Palestinian citizen was seriously wounded after Israeli sources opened fire on him.
Thirty-two-year-old Ahmad Abu Hantash was shot in the head as he walked to the mosque for Friday prayers in the west of the city.
He was taken to hospital where his condition is described as very serious.
Israeli forces are besieging hospitals in the city and obstructing the movement of ambulances and medical crews, Dr Hamdan said in a statement.
Many injured people remain stranded in the old city, as medical crews are prevented from reaching them because of the curfew imposed by the Israeli military, he said.
"This situation will have tragic consequences if it is allowed to continue. We call on the international community and human rights institutions to stop such violations and to put an end to the collective punishment that is being practiced in the city of Nablus. We also demand the immediate release of medical personnel," Hamdan added.
Medical workers Taher Al-Kusa and Firas Khader were left handcuffed and blindfold in the open air in front of the National Hospital for several hours before being taken away in an Israeli military jeep.
The intensity of the Israeli military operation in the city has increased, with bulldozers and other military vehicles being drafted in. The old city has been under curfew since dawn on Thursday. The curfew has now been extended to the wider Nablus area, including the Balata refugee camp.
Since Thursday the Israeli military campaign in the city has resulted in raids on dozens of houses in the old city, injuring a number of citizens.
Eight people have been arrested since Thursday evening, including 'wanted' Al-Aqsa Brigades members twenty-four-year-old Ahmed Ash-Shantir, and twenty-three-year-old Stephen Anbatawi, along with two ambulance crew members, twenty-eight-year-old Firas Khader and thirty-year-old Taher Al-Kusa and Palestinian citizens, Jawad Shakhsheer and Gawdat Shakhsheer and Yahya Sharaf and Ala Hamameh.
In a telephone call to Ma'an, the Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for detonating an explosive near an Israeli military jeep at the entrance to the old city.
Israeli forces claim they have located two projectiles in an explosives factory in the city. The Al-Aqsa Brigades announced that the two projectiles were found by the Israeli army in Nablus were to be used to target Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
***Last updated 5:27 pm local time
Hamas weapons arsenal discovered in Nablus
An Nasser brigades target Israeli military base east of Beit Hanoun
Two Al-Qassam fighters killed in Gaza Strip, bringing death toll in Gaza to 11 in 24 hours
Two Al-Qassam Brigades fighters were killed in clashes with Israeli forces in Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip on Friday.
The deaths of Muhammad Awad Al-Kafarna and Muhammad Naser Al-Kafarna, during the dawn clashes, bring the number of dead to 11 in the past 24 hours in the coastal enclave.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces fired seven missiles at groups of resistance fighters as they penetrated three kilometers inside Beit Hanoun. More than 25 citizens were also injured in the incursion.
Nine people died on Thursday during Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. Twenty-five-year-old Abdallah Qishta, a Fatah member detained by Hamas, died after Israeli helicopters launched three missiles at the place he was being held.
Al-Qassam Brigades member twenty-three-year-old Yasser Hillis died when Israeli warplanes targeted the Al-Shaja'eyah neighbourhood of Gaza City.
Five people from the same family were killed when Israeli artillery fired missiles at the family's home in Bani Suhayla in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday. Karima Fayyad, 52, and her sons Ahmad, 32, and Sami, 32, her 15-year-old daughter Asma and her nephew Muhammad, 18, died in the attack.
Two Al-Qassam Brigades members also died on Thursday. They were Muneer Barham, 20, and Barham Abu Lihya, also in his twenties.
Two Qassam fighters killed
The deaths of Muhammad Awad Al-Kafarna and Muhammad Naser Al-Kafarna, during the dawn clashes, bring the number of dead to 11 in the past 24 hours in the coastal enclave.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces fired seven missiles at groups of resistance fighters as they penetrated three kilometers inside Beit Hanoun. More than 25 citizens were also injured in the incursion.
Nine people died on Thursday during Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. Twenty-five-year-old Abdallah Qishta, a Fatah member detained by Hamas, died after Israeli helicopters launched three missiles at the place he was being held.
Al-Qassam Brigades member twenty-three-year-old Yasser Hillis died when Israeli warplanes targeted the Al-Shaja'eyah neighbourhood of Gaza City.
Five people from the same family were killed when Israeli artillery fired missiles at the family's home in Bani Suhayla in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday. Karima Fayyad, 52, and her sons Ahmad, 32, and Sami, 32, her 15-year-old daughter Asma and her nephew Muhammad, 18, died in the attack.
Two Al-Qassam Brigades members also died on Thursday. They were Muneer Barham, 20, and Barham Abu Lihya, also in his twenties.
Two Qassam fighters killed
Two Palestinians, said to be members of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, were killed early on Friday morning during an armed clash with an Israeli army force in northern Gaza. In a statement faxed to the press, the aL-Qassam brigades, announced that Mohammad Nasser aL-Kafarana and Mohammad Awad aL-Kafarna, were killed today when an Israeli army force exchanged gun fire with a group of fighters on the Gaza-Israel border in Beit Hanoun.
Israeli army attacks have escalated over the past 24 hours, claiming the lives of 11 people, including a four-member family, and other resistance fighters in different parts of the coastal territory. Such military escalation on the ground is consistent with repeated warnings by the Israeli army that it will be widely invading the Gaza Strip.
Since June 2007, Israel has been imposing a crippling closure on the Gaza Strip, following the Hamas takeover of the region amidst a power struggle with the rival Fatah party of Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.
Three months later, Israel declared Gaza a 'hostile entity' and began a series of 'punitive measures' on Gaza's 1.4 million-strong population, such as largely cutting off fuel supplies and further tightening the siege.
Israel claims that its actions have been aimed at preventing homemade shell fire from being launched from the Gaza Strip onto nearby Israeli towns, a pretext rebuffed by human rights groups worldwide as ' a collective punishment policy'.
Many commentators believe that Israel's actions on the ground would hamper Abbas-led peace talks which are underway with Israel. The Islamist Hamas in Gaza has shunned such talks until Israel lifts the Gaza siege, removes West Bank roadblocks and freezes construction of settlements in occupied Palestinian lands.
Israeli army attacks have escalated over the past 24 hours, claiming the lives of 11 people, including a four-member family, and other resistance fighters in different parts of the coastal territory. Such military escalation on the ground is consistent with repeated warnings by the Israeli army that it will be widely invading the Gaza Strip.
Since June 2007, Israel has been imposing a crippling closure on the Gaza Strip, following the Hamas takeover of the region amidst a power struggle with the rival Fatah party of Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.
Three months later, Israel declared Gaza a 'hostile entity' and began a series of 'punitive measures' on Gaza's 1.4 million-strong population, such as largely cutting off fuel supplies and further tightening the siege.
Israel claims that its actions have been aimed at preventing homemade shell fire from being launched from the Gaza Strip onto nearby Israeli towns, a pretext rebuffed by human rights groups worldwide as ' a collective punishment policy'.
Many commentators believe that Israel's actions on the ground would hamper Abbas-led peace talks which are underway with Israel. The Islamist Hamas in Gaza has shunned such talks until Israel lifts the Gaza siege, removes West Bank roadblocks and freezes construction of settlements in occupied Palestinian lands.
3 jan 2008
Nine dead, more than forty injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip
Israeli helicopters launched three missiles at a site belonging to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades killing 25-year-old Abdallah Qishta, a Fatah member detained by Hamas, and injuring four others, one seriously.
This attack brings the death toll since Thursday morning to nine. The number of those injured also rose to 46.
Helicopters also fired a missile at a site belonging to the Hamas-affiliated police in Rafah, injuring two.
Less than an hour earlier, Israeli warplanes targeted the Ash-Shja'iyya neighbourhood in Gaza City, killing 23-year-old Yasser Hillis, who is also affiliated to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades.
Earlier in the day a Palestinian woman, her daughter and two sons, and another activist affiliated to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades were killed in an Israeli incursion in the town of Bani Suhaila, south of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
The body of combatant Barham Abu Lihya, in his twenties, was also discovered after the Israeli forces withdrew from the area later on Thursday afternoon.
Palestinian medical sources told Ma'an that 52-year-old Karima Fayyad and her sons, 32-year-old Ahmad, and 31-year-old Sami, and her 5-year-old daugher Asma
were killed when Israeli artillery fired missiles at the family's home. The rest of the family were wounded in the attack and medics are trying to free them from under the debris of the ruined house.
Early on Thursday afternoon the body of Muhammad Fayyad, Karima's 18-year-old nephew, was pulled from the wreckage of their home.
A baby from the same family is clinically dead but is on a life support machine.
A Palestinian gunman affiliated to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, twenty-year-old Muneer Barham, was also killed when Israeli forces invaded the town of Bani Suhayla in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter that that Israeli warplanes and artillery launched seven missiles at Palestinian combatants as they clashed with the invading forces, which penetrated three kilometres into the area.
Palestinian military groups target Israeli towns and soldiers
Two Palestinian military groups target Ashkelon
This attack brings the death toll since Thursday morning to nine. The number of those injured also rose to 46.
Helicopters also fired a missile at a site belonging to the Hamas-affiliated police in Rafah, injuring two.
Less than an hour earlier, Israeli warplanes targeted the Ash-Shja'iyya neighbourhood in Gaza City, killing 23-year-old Yasser Hillis, who is also affiliated to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades.
Earlier in the day a Palestinian woman, her daughter and two sons, and another activist affiliated to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades were killed in an Israeli incursion in the town of Bani Suhaila, south of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
The body of combatant Barham Abu Lihya, in his twenties, was also discovered after the Israeli forces withdrew from the area later on Thursday afternoon.
Palestinian medical sources told Ma'an that 52-year-old Karima Fayyad and her sons, 32-year-old Ahmad, and 31-year-old Sami, and her 5-year-old daugher Asma
were killed when Israeli artillery fired missiles at the family's home. The rest of the family were wounded in the attack and medics are trying to free them from under the debris of the ruined house.
Early on Thursday afternoon the body of Muhammad Fayyad, Karima's 18-year-old nephew, was pulled from the wreckage of their home.
A baby from the same family is clinically dead but is on a life support machine.
A Palestinian gunman affiliated to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, twenty-year-old Muneer Barham, was also killed when Israeli forces invaded the town of Bani Suhayla in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter that that Israeli warplanes and artillery launched seven missiles at Palestinian combatants as they clashed with the invading forces, which penetrated three kilometres into the area.
Palestinian military groups target Israeli towns and soldiers
Two Palestinian military groups target Ashkelon
Israeli forces raid village near Tulkarem, injuring one
A young Palestinian was shot and injured by Israeli soldiers in the village of Far'un, south of Tulkarem, as he walked near the separation wall west of the village, Ma'an's reporter said.
Our reporter quoted Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses as saying that the Israeli soldiers raided the village and shot at 18-year-old Mu'ath Ata wounding him in his leg.
The Israeli troops then detained the injured man at the Jbara military checkpoint south of Tulkarem refusing to turn him over to the Palestinian ambulance services.
In another incident, Israeli forces raided the area of Ar-Ras north of Shuwaika neighborhood in Tulkarem. Clashes erupted in the area between the invading Israeli forces and young Palestinian men who pelted the soldiers with stones and empty bottles, while the soldiers fired sonic bombs and tear gas canisters. No casualties have been reported.
A young Palestinian was shot and injured by Israeli soldiers in the village of Far'un, south of Tulkarem, as he walked near the separation wall west of the village, Ma'an's reporter said.
Our reporter quoted Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses as saying that the Israeli soldiers raided the village and shot at 18-year-old Mu'ath Ata wounding him in his leg.
The Israeli troops then detained the injured man at the Jbara military checkpoint south of Tulkarem refusing to turn him over to the Palestinian ambulance services.
In another incident, Israeli forces raided the area of Ar-Ras north of Shuwaika neighborhood in Tulkarem. Clashes erupted in the area between the invading Israeli forces and young Palestinian men who pelted the soldiers with stones and empty bottles, while the soldiers fired sonic bombs and tear gas canisters. No casualties have been reported.
An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades leader injured in Gaza City
A prominent leader from the An-Nasser Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), was injured on Wednesday evening when Israeli fighter jets launched a missile at a car carrying a group of combatants in the As-Saftawi neighbourhood of northern Gaza City, eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter.
The spokesperson of the An-Nasser Brigades, Abu Mujahid, said that the outstanding leader "Abu Sha'ban" was moderately injured in an Israeli air raid on his car.
"Israeli assassination will not discourage resistance fighters; it will only strengthen their will," Abu Mujahid added.
Mu'awiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry affirmed that ambulances two bystanders were also slightly injured passersby.
An Israeli air missile also targeted a car carrying another group of An-Nasser Brigades. No casualties have been reported.
The spokesperson of the An-Nasser Brigades, Abu Mujahid, said that the outstanding leader "Abu Sha'ban" was moderately injured in an Israeli air raid on his car.
"Israeli assassination will not discourage resistance fighters; it will only strengthen their will," Abu Mujahid added.
Mu'awiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry affirmed that ambulances two bystanders were also slightly injured passersby.
An Israeli air missile also targeted a car carrying another group of An-Nasser Brigades. No casualties have been reported.
Continuing Israeli Massacre in Gaza
The latest round of Israeli massacres committed against the people of Gaza has resulted in the brutal killings of the Fayyad family in the town of Bani Suhaila, south of Khan Younus as they slept in their own house, and the injury of more than 30 civilians. Karima Fayyad, her sons, Ahmad and Sami, and her daughter Asma were killed when Israeli artillery fired missiles at the family's home.
This brings today's toll alone to 8 Palestinian martyrs, in addition to the 7 civilians killed yesterday. Since the end of the Annapolis International meeting, the Israeli Occupation Forces have killed more than 110 Palestinians, most of whom are civilians and children.
The slow motion genocide itself has killed 59 patients over the last two months. The One Democratic State Group condemns in the strongest possible terms these heinous crimes and reiterates its call upon all civil society organizations and freedom loving people to act immediately in any possible way to put pressure on their governments to end diplomatic ties with Apartheid Israel and institute sanctions against it for its 40 years of military occupation of Palestine.
Gaza has been enduring Israeli policies of extermination and vandalism since June.2006. We equally condemn the international conspiracy of silence and Arab impotence in the face of these continuous Israeli crimes. Not a single action against Israel has been taken by any Arab country. The failure of the United Nations and its numerous organizations to condemn such crimes indicates complicity.
We ask, how many more dead corpses of Palestinian children and women does the international community need to see in order to act? What more do Arab peoples need to see to translate their words of support into action? How many more refugees should be stranded in the Sinai desert, on the Jordanian-Iraqi borders, and the Syrian-Iraqi frontiers to convince the UN and its Security Council that Palestinians are also human beings?
One Democratic State Group
This brings today's toll alone to 8 Palestinian martyrs, in addition to the 7 civilians killed yesterday. Since the end of the Annapolis International meeting, the Israeli Occupation Forces have killed more than 110 Palestinians, most of whom are civilians and children.
The slow motion genocide itself has killed 59 patients over the last two months. The One Democratic State Group condemns in the strongest possible terms these heinous crimes and reiterates its call upon all civil society organizations and freedom loving people to act immediately in any possible way to put pressure on their governments to end diplomatic ties with Apartheid Israel and institute sanctions against it for its 40 years of military occupation of Palestine.
Gaza has been enduring Israeli policies of extermination and vandalism since June.2006. We equally condemn the international conspiracy of silence and Arab impotence in the face of these continuous Israeli crimes. Not a single action against Israel has been taken by any Arab country. The failure of the United Nations and its numerous organizations to condemn such crimes indicates complicity.
We ask, how many more dead corpses of Palestinian children and women does the international community need to see in order to act? What more do Arab peoples need to see to translate their words of support into action? How many more refugees should be stranded in the Sinai desert, on the Jordanian-Iraqi borders, and the Syrian-Iraqi frontiers to convince the UN and its Security Council that Palestinians are also human beings?
One Democratic State Group
Major Israeli incursion into Nablus 48 hours after Barak visit
Israeli forces stormed Rafedia Hospital and besieged other hospitals in Nablus on Thursday morning in a major incursion into the northern West Bank city, just 24 hours after Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and his Chief of Staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, had visited the volatile city.
Ma'an's correspondent said that more than 70 Israeli military vehicles entered Nablus from all directions, declaring the old city of Nablus a closed military zone preventing citizens' and medical staff from entering the area.
He said that Israeli forces arrested four Palestinians - twenty-year-old Ahmad Dhoqan, from Balata refugee camp, thirty-year-old Rami Al-Qadi, also from Balata, twenty-year-old Mahir Mabruka, from the old city of Nablus and sixteen-year-old Ayid Abdul-Rahim, from the village of Zuwata, west of Nablus.
Israeli sources also mentioned that the invading Israeli forces wounded a Palestinian militant in the Al-Qaysariyya neighbourhood of the old city, before storming Rafedia Hospital and confiscating the weapons belonging to the hospital's security guards. Then they besieged other hospitals in Nablus looking for the wounded gunman.
The number of Palestinians injured later rose to 24. Amongst those was the distributor of Al-Quds daily newspaper 43-year-old Mamduh Abdul-Haq. Two other citizens were injured near the eastern graveyard. They were named as 23-year-old Mahir Talih, who received a gunshot to the head, and 16-year-old Khalid Al-'Amudi, who was slightly injured. Twenty others sustained different injuries ranging from the effects of tear gas to being hit by rubber bullets.
Ma'an's reporter added that the invading Israeli troops attacked Palestinian medics and ambulances with live ammunition and rubber bullets. He said medic, Ahmad Jibril, received a rubber bullet to his back, while medics Diya' Balbisi and Tariq As-Sabuh were both wounded by Israeli gunfire.
Moreover, the Israeli soldiers arrested two other medics, Khalid Ba'ara and Sa'id Al-Masri.
The director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Service Dr Ghassan Hamdan told our correspondent that the Israeli forces prevented his attempts to evacuate injured people, and that an Israeli military jeep deliberately hit his car.
The governor of Nablus Dr Jamal Muhaisin said that the Israeli incursion was meant to frustrate the Palestinian plan to maintain security in Nablus. He described the military operation as unjustified, especially after the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Brigades decided to halt its military activity at the request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Ma'an's correspondent said that more than 70 Israeli military vehicles entered Nablus from all directions, declaring the old city of Nablus a closed military zone preventing citizens' and medical staff from entering the area.
He said that Israeli forces arrested four Palestinians - twenty-year-old Ahmad Dhoqan, from Balata refugee camp, thirty-year-old Rami Al-Qadi, also from Balata, twenty-year-old Mahir Mabruka, from the old city of Nablus and sixteen-year-old Ayid Abdul-Rahim, from the village of Zuwata, west of Nablus.
Israeli sources also mentioned that the invading Israeli forces wounded a Palestinian militant in the Al-Qaysariyya neighbourhood of the old city, before storming Rafedia Hospital and confiscating the weapons belonging to the hospital's security guards. Then they besieged other hospitals in Nablus looking for the wounded gunman.
The number of Palestinians injured later rose to 24. Amongst those was the distributor of Al-Quds daily newspaper 43-year-old Mamduh Abdul-Haq. Two other citizens were injured near the eastern graveyard. They were named as 23-year-old Mahir Talih, who received a gunshot to the head, and 16-year-old Khalid Al-'Amudi, who was slightly injured. Twenty others sustained different injuries ranging from the effects of tear gas to being hit by rubber bullets.
Ma'an's reporter added that the invading Israeli troops attacked Palestinian medics and ambulances with live ammunition and rubber bullets. He said medic, Ahmad Jibril, received a rubber bullet to his back, while medics Diya' Balbisi and Tariq As-Sabuh were both wounded by Israeli gunfire.
Moreover, the Israeli soldiers arrested two other medics, Khalid Ba'ara and Sa'id Al-Masri.
The director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Service Dr Ghassan Hamdan told our correspondent that the Israeli forces prevented his attempts to evacuate injured people, and that an Israeli military jeep deliberately hit his car.
The governor of Nablus Dr Jamal Muhaisin said that the Israeli incursion was meant to frustrate the Palestinian plan to maintain security in Nablus. He described the military operation as unjustified, especially after the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Brigades decided to halt its military activity at the request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
2 jan 2008
Death toll rises to eight in 24 hours in Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip
The death toll of those killed in Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours has risen to eight after a bullet-ridden body was found near the Israeli border in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon.
The director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry, Mu'awiya Hassanain said that the last victim was taken to Kamal Udwan hospital. His body was bullet-riddled. Hassanain added that 18 injured men were hospitalized during the past 24 hours, three of whom sustained serious wounds.
Six Palestinian activists were killed and several others injured on Wednesday morning in a series of Israeli air raids and a simultaneous ground incursion in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced the death of three of their members after Israeli warplanes fired three missiles at a group of activists in the Ash-Shuja'iyya neighborhood. Amongs the victims was Ahid Shamali, a leader in the Al-Qassam Brigades.
After a second Israeli strike, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced the death of activists Yousif Shamali and Mus'ab Jundiyya.
Israeli warplanes fired missiles a third time at another group of Al-Qassam Brigades fighters, killing Abdul-Karim Al-Hilou and Hammad Abu Amira, all fighters with the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades.
In fierce clashes between Palestinian resistance fighters and the invading Israeli forces in Ash-Shuja'iyya, an activist from Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades named Salim Al-Wadiyya was killed.
The An-Nasser Brigades said that their combatants ambushed the undercover Israeli forces and fought with them in the area of the electricity company.
The Israeli army said that the Israeli air planes attacked Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants launched anti-tank missiles at Israeli forces.
On Tuesday evening, a leader within Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, twenty-five-year-old Yahya Abu Talha was killed and five others were injured after the Israeli artillery bombarded a base in Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades launch projectile
Three palestinian military groups target Sderot
The director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry, Mu'awiya Hassanain said that the last victim was taken to Kamal Udwan hospital. His body was bullet-riddled. Hassanain added that 18 injured men were hospitalized during the past 24 hours, three of whom sustained serious wounds.
Six Palestinian activists were killed and several others injured on Wednesday morning in a series of Israeli air raids and a simultaneous ground incursion in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced the death of three of their members after Israeli warplanes fired three missiles at a group of activists in the Ash-Shuja'iyya neighborhood. Amongs the victims was Ahid Shamali, a leader in the Al-Qassam Brigades.
After a second Israeli strike, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced the death of activists Yousif Shamali and Mus'ab Jundiyya.
Israeli warplanes fired missiles a third time at another group of Al-Qassam Brigades fighters, killing Abdul-Karim Al-Hilou and Hammad Abu Amira, all fighters with the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades.
In fierce clashes between Palestinian resistance fighters and the invading Israeli forces in Ash-Shuja'iyya, an activist from Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades named Salim Al-Wadiyya was killed.
The An-Nasser Brigades said that their combatants ambushed the undercover Israeli forces and fought with them in the area of the electricity company.
The Israeli army said that the Israeli air planes attacked Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants launched anti-tank missiles at Israeli forces.
On Tuesday evening, a leader within Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, twenty-five-year-old Yahya Abu Talha was killed and five others were injured after the Israeli artillery bombarded a base in Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades launch projectile
Three palestinian military groups target Sderot
Settlers assault nonviolent Palestinian protesters in construction of new outpost
Three nonviolent Palestinian activists were injured while attempting to block the establishment of a new Israeli outpost on the land of the West Bank village of Bil'in, near the city of Ramallah, on Tuesday.
Abdullah Abu Rahma, Imad Birnat, and the head of Bil'in's Popular Committee against the Israeli separation wall Muhammad Al-Khatib were injured while attempting to use their bare bodies to block an Israeli crane from unloading a movable caravan when a group of Israeli settlers assaulted them.
The settlers yelled at the crane's operator, demanding that he crush the Palestinian activists with the prefabricated house.
The International solidarity movement also reported that a Palestinian journalist had his camera smashed by the attacking settlers.
The Israeli High Court ruled on September 4, 2007 that the confiscated lands in Bl'in be returned to their owners.
Bil'in has made international headlines as a symbol of peaceful struggle with its weekly demonstrations against the Israeli wall.
Abdullah Abu Rahma, Imad Birnat, and the head of Bil'in's Popular Committee against the Israeli separation wall Muhammad Al-Khatib were injured while attempting to use their bare bodies to block an Israeli crane from unloading a movable caravan when a group of Israeli settlers assaulted them.
The settlers yelled at the crane's operator, demanding that he crush the Palestinian activists with the prefabricated house.
The International solidarity movement also reported that a Palestinian journalist had his camera smashed by the attacking settlers.
The Israeli High Court ruled on September 4, 2007 that the confiscated lands in Bl'in be returned to their owners.
Bil'in has made international headlines as a symbol of peaceful struggle with its weekly demonstrations against the Israeli wall.
Israeli settlers torch historic mosque near Bethlehem
The Al-Hamidiyya mosque
Israeli settlers set fire to a historic mosque in the West Bank town of Al-Khader, near Bethlehem on Tuesday, Palestinian farmers and municipal officials said.
Witnesses said that the settlers confiscated 20 boxes of beehives, piled them inside the Al-Hamidiyya Mosque, and torched them.
Recently refurbished by local residents and a grant from the Islamic endowment ministry, the mosque is believed to be 700 years old. An imam was appointed for the mosque two years ago.
Palestinian farmers who tend their groves during the day, which are behind the Israeli separation wall, hold daily prayers at the mosque, wince it is difficult for them to go to other mosques because of Israeli restrictions on their movement.
The mosque is located in an area called Faghur ruins, and near the Israeli settlements of Efrata and El'azar.
The municipal council of Al-Khader condemned the attack and appealed to international organizations to intervene and protect the places of worship.
They also appealed to the Palestinian Ministries of Endowments and Tourism to repair the mosque and protect it and the surrounding lands from Israeli settlers' attacks.
Israeli settlers set fire to a historic mosque in the West Bank town of Al-Khader, near Bethlehem on Tuesday, Palestinian farmers and municipal officials said.
Witnesses said that the settlers confiscated 20 boxes of beehives, piled them inside the Al-Hamidiyya Mosque, and torched them.
Recently refurbished by local residents and a grant from the Islamic endowment ministry, the mosque is believed to be 700 years old. An imam was appointed for the mosque two years ago.
Palestinian farmers who tend their groves during the day, which are behind the Israeli separation wall, hold daily prayers at the mosque, wince it is difficult for them to go to other mosques because of Israeli restrictions on their movement.
The mosque is located in an area called Faghur ruins, and near the Israeli settlements of Efrata and El'azar.
The municipal council of Al-Khader condemned the attack and appealed to international organizations to intervene and protect the places of worship.
They also appealed to the Palestinian Ministries of Endowments and Tourism to repair the mosque and protect it and the surrounding lands from Israeli settlers' attacks.
Second Gazan pilgrim dies at Al-Arish
Palestinian medical sources announced the death of Palestinian pilgrim Mariam Udwan, a woman in her fifties, the second person to die while stranded at Al-Arish, Egypt, while attempting to return to the Gaza Strip from Mecca.
On Monday, a woman named Khadra Mas'ud, also died. About 1,200 pilgrims are living in tents at Al-Arish, exposed to the cold, dusty climate of the Egyptian desert in winter.
The stranded pilgrims threatened to escalate their protest if they are not allowed into Gaza Strip through Rafah crossing.
The Egyptian government arranged to have thousands of Gazan pilgrims pass through Palestinian-administered Rafah on December 18th. Now, after Israeli accusations that Egypt was aiding Palestinan arms smugglers, Egyptian authorities are demanding that the pilgrims return through an Israeli-controlled crossing.
Most of the pilgrims are refusing to do this, because many of them are pursued by the Israeli government for political activities, and may be detained by Israeli authorities if they pass through an Israeli checkpoint.
On Monday, a woman named Khadra Mas'ud, also died. About 1,200 pilgrims are living in tents at Al-Arish, exposed to the cold, dusty climate of the Egyptian desert in winter.
The stranded pilgrims threatened to escalate their protest if they are not allowed into Gaza Strip through Rafah crossing.
The Egyptian government arranged to have thousands of Gazan pilgrims pass through Palestinian-administered Rafah on December 18th. Now, after Israeli accusations that Egypt was aiding Palestinan arms smugglers, Egyptian authorities are demanding that the pilgrims return through an Israeli-controlled crossing.
Most of the pilgrims are refusing to do this, because many of them are pursued by the Israeli government for political activities, and may be detained by Israeli authorities if they pass through an Israeli checkpoint.
1 jan 2008
Israeli forces raid Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip
The Israeli forces on Tuesday morning penetrated in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip using tanks and helicopters, eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter.
According to the eyewitnesses, the invading Israeli forces closed Salah Addin street and entered the area near the building of Beit Hanoun municipality and Al-Wadi Al-Gharbi (the western valley) street firing from machine guns towards Palestinian houses.
They added that every now and then they heard terrible explosions, and that bulldozers were damaging agricultural fields in the area.
For its part, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for firing a Rocket-Propelled grenade RPG at an Israeli bulldozer in Beit Hanoun.
They said in a statement that the shell hit the bulldozer directly.
Separately, Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed group affiliated to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine PFLP said their combatants damaged an Israeli bulldozer using an explosive device at the entrance to Beit Hanoun.
Israeli forces raid Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip
The Israeli forces on Tuesday morning penetrated in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip using tanks and helicopters, eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter.
According to the eyewitnesses, the invading Israeli forces closed Salah Addin street and entered the area near the building of Beit Hanoun municipality and Al-Wadi Al-Gharbi (the western valley) street firing from machine guns towards Palestinian houses.
They added that every now and then they heard terrible explosions, and that bulldozers were damaging agricultural fields in the area.
For its part, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for firing a Rocket-Propelled grenade RPG at an Israeli bulldozer in Beit Hanoun.
They said in a statement that the shell hit the bulldozer directly.
Separately, Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed group affiliated to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine PFLP said their combatants damaged an Israeli bulldozer using an explosive device at the entrance to Beit Hanoun.
Israeli forces raid Jenin district
The Israeli forces on Tuesday morning raided the northern West Bank city of Jenin and the nearby towns of Qabatia and Kufur Dan, Ma'an's reporter said.
Palestinian security sources said that Israeli patrols stormed Jenin and fired gunshots and sonic bombs in the streets in addition to breaking into several houses conducting inspections.
In Qabatia south of Jenin, sources within the Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades said their combatants clashed with the invading Israeli forces in the town.
Local sources told Ma'an that the invading Israeli forces ransacked several homes in Qabatia and forced the residents to leave their houses and sit in the open air suffering from very cold weather.
Eyewitnesses from Kufur Dan near Jenin said that Israeli forces raided their village and conducted house-to-house inspections. No casualties or arrests have been reported.
Palestinian security sources said that Israeli patrols stormed Jenin and fired gunshots and sonic bombs in the streets in addition to breaking into several houses conducting inspections.
In Qabatia south of Jenin, sources within the Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades said their combatants clashed with the invading Israeli forces in the town.
Local sources told Ma'an that the invading Israeli forces ransacked several homes in Qabatia and forced the residents to leave their houses and sit in the open air suffering from very cold weather.
Eyewitnesses from Kufur Dan near Jenin said that Israeli forces raided their village and conducted house-to-house inspections. No casualties or arrests have been reported.