9 jan 2008
Three killed, nine injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip
Two people were killed and four others injured in an Israeli artillery attack on a house in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip.
Thirty-year-old Khadra Wahdan and twenty-two-year-old Muhammad Maher Al Kafarneh died in the attack, according to Mu'awiyah Hassanein, the head of ambulance and emergency services in the Gaza Strip.
The dead were taken to Beit Hanoun's governmental hospital.
Four people were also injured, two of them seriously.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an that an Israeli ground missile targeted the house.
Earlier on Wednesday a Palestinian activist was killed and five others when Israeli artillery fired three missiles at a group of activists in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Two were seriously injured.
Palestinian medical sources said the dead man was Amjad Abdul-Dayim. His corpse was torn to pieces when it arrived at Kamal Udwan hospital. The five injured people also arrived at Kamal Udwan hospital. Sources said the group was about to fire homemade projectiles at Israeli targets when they were shelled.
The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, said that their fighters launched six homemade projectiles at the Israeli town Sderot before the three Israeli missiles hit the rocket squad, killing twenty-six-year-old Amjad Abdul-Dayim.
Israeli helicopters continue to fly over the northern Gaza Strip, and a missile has been fired recently in the area.
Israeli military kills one Palestinian, wounds six in missile strike on Gaza
Early Wednesday morning, the Israeli military fired a surface-to-surface missile at a group of Palestinians that they claimed were launching a homemade shell from the northern Gaza Strip. The Islamic Jihad confirmed that one of its fighters had been killed by an Israeli missile and six had been injured, two of them critically.
According to Israeli Army Radio, several Palestinian shells were fired toward the Negev desert prior to the missile strike, with no injuries or damage reported. Over the last six years, 12 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian homemade shells. Israeli authorities use this as a justification for their ongoing occupation and attacks against the Palestinian people. In the last six years, Israeli forces have killed 4,765 Palestinians.
Israeli forces have killed nine Palestinians in the past several days.
An-Nasser brigades launch eight projectiles at Sderot
An-Nasser Brigades bombard Israeli towns
DFLP fighters claim projectile attack
Israeli naval forces attacked, PFLP fighters say
Thirty-year-old Khadra Wahdan and twenty-two-year-old Muhammad Maher Al Kafarneh died in the attack, according to Mu'awiyah Hassanein, the head of ambulance and emergency services in the Gaza Strip.
The dead were taken to Beit Hanoun's governmental hospital.
Four people were also injured, two of them seriously.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an that an Israeli ground missile targeted the house.
Earlier on Wednesday a Palestinian activist was killed and five others when Israeli artillery fired three missiles at a group of activists in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Two were seriously injured.
Palestinian medical sources said the dead man was Amjad Abdul-Dayim. His corpse was torn to pieces when it arrived at Kamal Udwan hospital. The five injured people also arrived at Kamal Udwan hospital. Sources said the group was about to fire homemade projectiles at Israeli targets when they were shelled.
The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, said that their fighters launched six homemade projectiles at the Israeli town Sderot before the three Israeli missiles hit the rocket squad, killing twenty-six-year-old Amjad Abdul-Dayim.
Israeli helicopters continue to fly over the northern Gaza Strip, and a missile has been fired recently in the area.
Israeli military kills one Palestinian, wounds six in missile strike on Gaza
Early Wednesday morning, the Israeli military fired a surface-to-surface missile at a group of Palestinians that they claimed were launching a homemade shell from the northern Gaza Strip. The Islamic Jihad confirmed that one of its fighters had been killed by an Israeli missile and six had been injured, two of them critically.
According to Israeli Army Radio, several Palestinian shells were fired toward the Negev desert prior to the missile strike, with no injuries or damage reported. Over the last six years, 12 Israelis have been killed by Palestinian homemade shells. Israeli authorities use this as a justification for their ongoing occupation and attacks against the Palestinian people. In the last six years, Israeli forces have killed 4,765 Palestinians.
Israeli forces have killed nine Palestinians in the past several days.
An-Nasser brigades launch eight projectiles at Sderot
An-Nasser Brigades bombard Israeli towns
DFLP fighters claim projectile attack
Israeli naval forces attacked, PFLP fighters say
8 jan 2008
Undercover Israeli forces kill a Palestinian resistance fighter near Jenin
Undercover Israeli forces ambushed a Palestinian resistance fighter in the village of Burken near the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Fawaz Frihat 18 a fighter for Al Qudes Brigades the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, was found shot in several parts of his body and that his hands were tied behind his back, witnesses reported.
Frihat is originally from the village of Al Yamon located near Burken village. The Israeli army stated that Frihat clashed with Israeli troops and sustained wounds but he managed to escape.
Palestinian medical sources said that the fighter was shut several times and some of the wounds he sustained were from a close range shots.
Undercover Israeli forces ambushed a Palestinian resistance fighter in the village of Burken near the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Fawaz Frihat 18 a fighter for Al Qudes Brigades the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, was found shot in several parts of his body and that his hands were tied behind his back, witnesses reported.
Frihat is originally from the village of Al Yamon located near Burken village. The Israeli army stated that Frihat clashed with Israeli troops and sustained wounds but he managed to escape.
Palestinian medical sources said that the fighter was shut several times and some of the wounds he sustained were from a close range shots.
Palestinian fighters: four Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza Strip clash
The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades claimed on Tuesday that their fighters clashed with Israeli forces in the east of the town of Al-Qarara in the southern Gaza Strip.
They said in a statement that four Israeli troops have been injured.
The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades claimed on Tuesday that their fighters clashed with Israeli forces in the east of the town of Al-Qarara in the southern Gaza Strip.
They said in a statement that four Israeli troops have been injured.
Al-Aqsa Brigades claim clashes with Israeli patrols
Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility on Tuesday for clashing with Israeli forces in Nablus and Qalqilia in the northern West Bank.
They said in a statement that their groups clashed with an Israeli patrol, hurling an explosive device at it, near the village of Qusin, west of Nablus.
The statement added that other groups clashed with Israeli forces and launched grenades at them in the town of Hajja, west of Qalqilia. They claimed that the Israeli troops had suffered casualties.
Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility on Tuesday for clashing with Israeli forces in Nablus and Qalqilia in the northern West Bank.
They said in a statement that their groups clashed with an Israeli patrol, hurling an explosive device at it, near the village of Qusin, west of Nablus.
The statement added that other groups clashed with Israeli forces and launched grenades at them in the town of Hajja, west of Qalqilia. They claimed that the Israeli troops had suffered casualties.
Report: Palestinian shot in back of head by Israeli forces in Nablus
One of the 38 Palestinian civilians shot and injured by Israeli forces during their two-day invasion of Nablus this week was shot three times in the back of the head, according to medical reports. Ahmed Abu-Hantash is one of a number of Palestinians who were fired upon by Israeli forces while leaving al-Shuhada Mosque in Nablus after Friday prayers, according to eyewitnesses. He remains in the hospital in critical condition.
One eyewitness told the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), “I was walking with Ahmad to the mosque and suddenly I heard a gunshot and saw Ahmad fall beside me, I was horrified to see his blood splashing all over the ground, and did not know why the army shot at us, we ducked for cover and when the Israeli jeep left we rushed Ahmad to the nearby Specialty Hospital.”
According to the ISM, Ahmad Abu Hantash is a 35-year old Palestinian worker, married with two children, Fadi, 4 years old, and Hadi, three months old.
After X-Rays showing the location of the three bullets in Abu-Hantash's head were published in the Israeli press, the Israeli military claimed that they will be investigating the incident.
The Israeli army invades Ramallah and kidnaps two Hamas leaders
Palestinian group claims attempted bombing inside Israel
Al-Aqsa Brigades fire homemade projectile at Ashkelon
One of the 38 Palestinian civilians shot and injured by Israeli forces during their two-day invasion of Nablus this week was shot three times in the back of the head, according to medical reports. Ahmed Abu-Hantash is one of a number of Palestinians who were fired upon by Israeli forces while leaving al-Shuhada Mosque in Nablus after Friday prayers, according to eyewitnesses. He remains in the hospital in critical condition.
One eyewitness told the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), “I was walking with Ahmad to the mosque and suddenly I heard a gunshot and saw Ahmad fall beside me, I was horrified to see his blood splashing all over the ground, and did not know why the army shot at us, we ducked for cover and when the Israeli jeep left we rushed Ahmad to the nearby Specialty Hospital.”
According to the ISM, Ahmad Abu Hantash is a 35-year old Palestinian worker, married with two children, Fadi, 4 years old, and Hadi, three months old.
After X-Rays showing the location of the three bullets in Abu-Hantash's head were published in the Israeli press, the Israeli military claimed that they will be investigating the incident.
The Israeli army invades Ramallah and kidnaps two Hamas leaders
Palestinian group claims attempted bombing inside Israel
Al-Aqsa Brigades fire homemade projectile at Ashkelon
7 jan 2008
Israeli airstrike leaves five Palestinians injured in Gaza City
Five Palestinians were injured on Monday when and Israeli warplane fired a missile at a house in the Ad-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City, Palestinian medical sources said.
Mu'awiya Hassanein, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry said that the injured Palestinians have been transferred to Ash-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. He said they suffered burns.
Witnesses in the area said they heard a deafening explosion in a house belonging to Al-Batsh family.
Mu'awiya Hassanein, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry said that the injured Palestinians have been transferred to Ash-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. He said they suffered burns.
Witnesses in the area said they heard a deafening explosion in a house belonging to Al-Batsh family.
Israeli forces kill Islamic Jihad activist near Jenin
n activist with the military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, was killed on Monday evening in armed clashes with Israeli forces in the village of Al-Yamun, near Jenin in the northern West Bank.
Palestinian medical sources said that 20-year-old Fawwaz Fraihat was killed by Israeli forces in the area of Wadi Hasan between Burqin and Al-Yamun.
They added that the corpse of the deceased arrined to Khalil Sulaiman hospital in Jenin.
Undercover Israeli forces kill a Palestinian resistance fighter near Jenin
Palestinian medical sources said that 20-year-old Fawwaz Fraihat was killed by Israeli forces in the area of Wadi Hasan between Burqin and Al-Yamun.
They added that the corpse of the deceased arrined to Khalil Sulaiman hospital in Jenin.
Undercover Israeli forces kill a Palestinian resistance fighter near Jenin
Sorrow and fury as Gaza buries its dead
Crowds of Palestinians angrily took to the streets in the Gaza Strip refugee camp on Monday for the funeral processions of three Palestinians who were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday.
In Al-Bureij refugee camp, Palestinians mourned Eiman Hamdan who was killed yesterday in front of her home in the camp, and Ahmad Khalaf who was killed by an Israeli artillery shell in front of her home. Her brother, sister, and mother were injured in the same attack.
In Gaza City, there was a funeral procession for 18-year-old Mahmoud Abid, an activist affiliated with Hamas armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, who killed while fighting Israeli forces invading Al-Bureij camp.
The mourners' mood was one of fury at an apparent Israeli policy of targeting civilians in their homes. On Saturday Israeli forces killed five members of the same family in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades claim projectile attack, shooting of Israeli soldier
In Al-Bureij refugee camp, Palestinians mourned Eiman Hamdan who was killed yesterday in front of her home in the camp, and Ahmad Khalaf who was killed by an Israeli artillery shell in front of her home. Her brother, sister, and mother were injured in the same attack.
In Gaza City, there was a funeral procession for 18-year-old Mahmoud Abid, an activist affiliated with Hamas armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, who killed while fighting Israeli forces invading Al-Bureij camp.
The mourners' mood was one of fury at an apparent Israeli policy of targeting civilians in their homes. On Saturday Israeli forces killed five members of the same family in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades claim projectile attack, shooting of Israeli soldier
Israeli forces invade Beit Hanoun, hold 30 Palestinians captive
Israeli military vehicles invaded the An-Nada area north of Beit Hanoun, at the northern end of the Gaza Strip on Monday, seizing several Palestinians including farmers, witnesses said.
The invading troops blindfolded 30 people and are holding them captive in a forested area, while releasing others.
Among those captured then released was the Mukhtar, or elder of the Abu Khusa family, Abu Hafidh, who has been held prisoner since yesterday.
Israeli said that Palestinians were in the area of Beit Hanoun, and that Palestinian medics could not reach them.
The invading troops blindfolded 30 people and are holding them captive in a forested area, while releasing others.
Among those captured then released was the Mukhtar, or elder of the Abu Khusa family, Abu Hafidh, who has been held prisoner since yesterday.
Israeli said that Palestinians were in the area of Beit Hanoun, and that Palestinian medics could not reach them.
Israeli forces raid Ramallah, fail to capture Palestinian activist
Israeli forces raided an apartment building the West Bank city of Ramallah in the pre-dawn hours of Monday but failed to detain a so-called "wanted" Palestinian activist.
At 3:30am local time, Palestinian security sources said, dozens of Israeli military vehicles surrounded the An-Nabali building in the At-Tira neighborhood. Israeli troops conducted a door-to-door search for an activist named Luay Qana, affiliated with the armed wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Brigades.
The Israeli forces later withdrew without detaining any Ramallah residents.
An-Nasser Brigades claim to have launched 14 projectiles at Israeli site
Palestinian military groups claim four attacks on Israeli targets
Israeli forces raided an apartment building the West Bank city of Ramallah in the pre-dawn hours of Monday but failed to detain a so-called "wanted" Palestinian activist.
At 3:30am local time, Palestinian security sources said, dozens of Israeli military vehicles surrounded the An-Nabali building in the At-Tira neighborhood. Israeli troops conducted a door-to-door search for an activist named Luay Qana, affiliated with the armed wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Brigades.
The Israeli forces later withdrew without detaining any Ramallah residents.
An-Nasser Brigades claim to have launched 14 projectiles at Israeli site
Palestinian military groups claim four attacks on Israeli targets
Islamic Jihad activists fight invading Israeli forces in Qabatia
Fierce fighting erupted on Monday morning in the northern West Bank town of Qabatia, near Jenin between Palestinian activists affiliated with Islamic Jihad Israeli forces who raided the city searching for so-called "wanted Palestinian activists," witnesses said.
Sources in the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, told our reporter that their fighters used machine guns and homemade explosive devices in clashes with the invading Israeli troops.
The Israeli forces later withdrew, and no casualties or detentions have been reported.
Sources in the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, told our reporter that their fighters used machine guns and homemade explosive devices in clashes with the invading Israeli troops.
The Israeli forces later withdrew, and no casualties or detentions have been reported.
Three Palestinians, including a woman, killed by Israeli army in central Gaza
Palestinian medics reported on Sunday that three Palestinian residents including a woman and a teen, have been killed by Israeli gunshots in the central Gaza Strip refugee camp of Buraij in a new Israeli attack on the coastal territory.
Palestinian woman Eman Hamdan, another man Ahmad Khalaf, 29, and yet unknown teen, 14, have been identified as victims of Israeli gunfire on the aL-Buraij refugee camp, where Israeli army actions have been unabated since the early hours of Sunday, medics said.
The sources added that at least 50 others have been wounded by gun shots, warplanes' rockets and tanks' shells.
Among those wounded was Rawhiya Hamadan, a relative of killed Eman Hamadan, whose house has been shelled by an Israeli tank missile, as well as eight others in critical conditions, sources at the aL-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in middle Gaza, confirmed.
The sources added that most of the deadly injuries, received by the hospital, sustained burns in all over the bodies.
Earlier in the day, Ziyad Abu Rokba, a 17-year-old youth, was announced dead in the camp and three others injured, as the Israeli bulldozers, backed by a column of tanks, began razing Palestinian-owned arable lands.
Meanwhile, Israeli media sources said that two Israeli soldiers have been slightly injured following a trade of gun fire with Palestinians.
The Israeli army said that such an action on Buraij came to distance Palestinian resistance groups from the border fence with Israel, which is close to the Palestinian-owned lands.
Last week, Israeli army attacks on the coastal Strip claimed the lives of 11 people including a four-member family; a mother, her two sons and her daughter, as Palestinian death toll, due to such actions, is on the rise.
Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, announced Sunday his army will further strike Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza, in what Israel says a ' bid to stop homemade shells fire' onto nearby Israeli areas.
In September19, 2007, Israel declared Gaza a 'hostile entity', and began in October a series of measures, branded as ' collective punishment policy' by international human rights groups.
Gazas is currently suffering a sharp shortage of fuel supplies cut, which has drastically impacted the population's civil life, with prolonged hours of power outages and minimum use of gas and petrol.
In June2007, Israel placed Gaza's 1.5-million-storng population under a crippling closure of travel and commercial crossings, with high unemployment and poverty rates, as more than 90 percent of industrial facilities closed.
Palestinian medics reported on Sunday that three Palestinian residents including a woman and a teen, have been killed by Israeli gunshots in the central Gaza Strip refugee camp of Buraij in a new Israeli attack on the coastal territory.
Palestinian woman Eman Hamdan, another man Ahmad Khalaf, 29, and yet unknown teen, 14, have been identified as victims of Israeli gunfire on the aL-Buraij refugee camp, where Israeli army actions have been unabated since the early hours of Sunday, medics said.
The sources added that at least 50 others have been wounded by gun shots, warplanes' rockets and tanks' shells.
Among those wounded was Rawhiya Hamadan, a relative of killed Eman Hamadan, whose house has been shelled by an Israeli tank missile, as well as eight others in critical conditions, sources at the aL-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in middle Gaza, confirmed.
The sources added that most of the deadly injuries, received by the hospital, sustained burns in all over the bodies.
Earlier in the day, Ziyad Abu Rokba, a 17-year-old youth, was announced dead in the camp and three others injured, as the Israeli bulldozers, backed by a column of tanks, began razing Palestinian-owned arable lands.
Meanwhile, Israeli media sources said that two Israeli soldiers have been slightly injured following a trade of gun fire with Palestinians.
The Israeli army said that such an action on Buraij came to distance Palestinian resistance groups from the border fence with Israel, which is close to the Palestinian-owned lands.
Last week, Israeli army attacks on the coastal Strip claimed the lives of 11 people including a four-member family; a mother, her two sons and her daughter, as Palestinian death toll, due to such actions, is on the rise.
Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, announced Sunday his army will further strike Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza, in what Israel says a ' bid to stop homemade shells fire' onto nearby Israeli areas.
In September19, 2007, Israel declared Gaza a 'hostile entity', and began in October a series of measures, branded as ' collective punishment policy' by international human rights groups.
Gazas is currently suffering a sharp shortage of fuel supplies cut, which has drastically impacted the population's civil life, with prolonged hours of power outages and minimum use of gas and petrol.
In June2007, Israel placed Gaza's 1.5-million-storng population under a crippling closure of travel and commercial crossings, with high unemployment and poverty rates, as more than 90 percent of industrial facilities closed.
6 jan 2008
Gaza back to blackout due to Israel-imposed fuel supplies cut, say energy officials
Gaza Strip has begun to suffer a renewed blackout as power outages still go on due to shortage of fuel supplies after Israel has ruled large reduction of the fuel, it provides Gaza with, on daily basis.
Deputy-head of the Palestinian energy authority, Kan'an Obaid, cited large shortage of the fuel supplies needed to run the Gaza's sole power plant.
Obaid was quoted as saying " we have recently managed to bring one more power transformer from Egypt, however, the transformer can only generate half of the power supply due to cuts of fuel supplies".
"We need at least 450.000 liters of fuel to produce 75 megawatts so we can overcome the current blackout". Obaid maintained.
To deal with this emerging crisis, the power plant has set an operation schedule, to distribute the plant's production to the various parts of Gaza Strip, which are connected within a web network.
Obaid confirmed that the electricity cuts will range from 4 to 8 hours daily, in a proportionate way, making up about 25 to 35 percent of the regular daily usage of power.
Obaid called on the European Union, which funds power fuel supplies, to pressure Israel to allow more quantities of fuels in to the coastal territory.
Different parts of Gaza have recently suffered prolonged hours of power supply as winter in Palestine has already begun.
In October2007, Israel ruled large cuts of daily fuel supplies to Gaza, within what Israel say' measures to prevent Palestinians from firing homemade shells onto nearby Israeli towns'.
According to concerned petroleum authorities in Gaza, the cuts of fuel have been estimated at more than 60 percent of Gaza's daily needs'; from 70.0000 liters to 180.0000 liters.
Human rights groups worldwide branded the measure a ' collective punishment policy', as United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon have urged Israel to reconsider its actions against Gaza.
In June2006, Israeli air crafts struck the power plant, damaging four transformers out of six, which used to provide Gaza with 45 percent of electricity, as the remaining quantities are being provided by Israel.
Gaza Strip has begun to suffer a renewed blackout as power outages still go on due to shortage of fuel supplies after Israel has ruled large reduction of the fuel, it provides Gaza with, on daily basis.
Deputy-head of the Palestinian energy authority, Kan'an Obaid, cited large shortage of the fuel supplies needed to run the Gaza's sole power plant.
Obaid was quoted as saying " we have recently managed to bring one more power transformer from Egypt, however, the transformer can only generate half of the power supply due to cuts of fuel supplies".
"We need at least 450.000 liters of fuel to produce 75 megawatts so we can overcome the current blackout". Obaid maintained.
To deal with this emerging crisis, the power plant has set an operation schedule, to distribute the plant's production to the various parts of Gaza Strip, which are connected within a web network.
Obaid confirmed that the electricity cuts will range from 4 to 8 hours daily, in a proportionate way, making up about 25 to 35 percent of the regular daily usage of power.
Obaid called on the European Union, which funds power fuel supplies, to pressure Israel to allow more quantities of fuels in to the coastal territory.
Different parts of Gaza have recently suffered prolonged hours of power supply as winter in Palestine has already begun.
In October2007, Israel ruled large cuts of daily fuel supplies to Gaza, within what Israel say' measures to prevent Palestinians from firing homemade shells onto nearby Israeli towns'.
According to concerned petroleum authorities in Gaza, the cuts of fuel have been estimated at more than 60 percent of Gaza's daily needs'; from 70.0000 liters to 180.0000 liters.
Human rights groups worldwide branded the measure a ' collective punishment policy', as United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon have urged Israel to reconsider its actions against Gaza.
In June2006, Israeli air crafts struck the power plant, damaging four transformers out of six, which used to provide Gaza with 45 percent of electricity, as the remaining quantities are being provided by Israel.
Woman, fourteen-year-old among six killed in 24 hours in Israeli assault on Gaza Strip
Sunday's funeral for Mohammad Abu Uda who was killed Saturday night, jan 5
Three people including a woman and a fourteen-year-old boy were killed and eight others were injured when an Israeli artillery shell hit a house in Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli forces targeted a house belonging to the Hamdan family in the eastern part of Al-Bureij camp. The dead women was identified as Eyman Hamdan.
Military sources also said that the eight injured people arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the central Gaza Strip. They described most of the injuries as "moderate."
Our correspondent in Gaza Strip reported that twenty-nine-year-old Ahmad Khalaf was killed in a separate shelling. Mu'awiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency service in the Palestinian health ministry said that Khalaf arrived dead at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Nails were found in his body.
Israeli strikes have left six Palestinians dead in less than 24 hours in the coastal Strip. On Saturday night and Sunday, three Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli strikes.
Israeli soldiers injured
Three Israeli soldiers were also injured after Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam brigades, launched rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) at invading Israeli forces the camp.
The Al-Qassam Brigades took responsibility for the operation in a press statement. Israeli media also reported that three soldiers had been wounded after a shell hit their tank in Al-Bureij.
Separately, the Al-Qassam Brigades said they launched mortar shells at Israeli military vehicles when they tried to enter At-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City.
Earlier, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian teenager named Ziad Abu Rukba by shooting him in the chest, witnesses in Al-Bureij said.
Israeli tanks entered the central Gaza Strip on Sunday morning. Witnesses said Israeli tanks bulldozed Palestinian farms.
***Updated at 17:35 local time
PFLP fighters claim to have injured two Israeli soldiers near Al-Bureij
Three people including a woman and a fourteen-year-old boy were killed and eight others were injured when an Israeli artillery shell hit a house in Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli forces targeted a house belonging to the Hamdan family in the eastern part of Al-Bureij camp. The dead women was identified as Eyman Hamdan.
Military sources also said that the eight injured people arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the central Gaza Strip. They described most of the injuries as "moderate."
Our correspondent in Gaza Strip reported that twenty-nine-year-old Ahmad Khalaf was killed in a separate shelling. Mu'awiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency service in the Palestinian health ministry said that Khalaf arrived dead at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Nails were found in his body.
Israeli strikes have left six Palestinians dead in less than 24 hours in the coastal Strip. On Saturday night and Sunday, three Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli strikes.
Israeli soldiers injured
Three Israeli soldiers were also injured after Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam brigades, launched rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) at invading Israeli forces the camp.
The Al-Qassam Brigades took responsibility for the operation in a press statement. Israeli media also reported that three soldiers had been wounded after a shell hit their tank in Al-Bureij.
Separately, the Al-Qassam Brigades said they launched mortar shells at Israeli military vehicles when they tried to enter At-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City.
Earlier, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian teenager named Ziad Abu Rukba by shooting him in the chest, witnesses in Al-Bureij said.
Israeli tanks entered the central Gaza Strip on Sunday morning. Witnesses said Israeli tanks bulldozed Palestinian farms.
***Updated at 17:35 local time
PFLP fighters claim to have injured two Israeli soldiers near Al-Bureij
Israeli forces occupy municipal council building in Azzun
Undercover Israeli forces occupied a building belonging to the municipal government of the West Bank village of Azzun, east of the city of Qalqilia on Sunday morning, sources in the Municipal Council told Ma'an.
The Israeli soldiers abducted twenty-year-old Tariq Swaidan. Swaidan remains in detention. The reasons for his detention are unknown.
The building is located in the centre of Azzun, and it includes offices of the Municipal Council and of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions.
Eyewitnesses also said that the Israeli soldiers attacked a twenty-year-old Palestinian man named Izzat Arar from the village of Masha bruising him on several parts of his body. He was taken by ambulance to the At-Tawari hospital in Qalqilia.
Palestinian medical sources said he suffered a nervous breakdown.
***Updated at 11:55 local time
Al-Quds Brigades claim shooting Israeli soldiers in Al-Bureij camp
Two Palestinian military groups fire mortars at Sufa crossing
The Israeli soldiers abducted twenty-year-old Tariq Swaidan. Swaidan remains in detention. The reasons for his detention are unknown.
The building is located in the centre of Azzun, and it includes offices of the Municipal Council and of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions.
Eyewitnesses also said that the Israeli soldiers attacked a twenty-year-old Palestinian man named Izzat Arar from the village of Masha bruising him on several parts of his body. He was taken by ambulance to the At-Tawari hospital in Qalqilia.
Palestinian medical sources said he suffered a nervous breakdown.
***Updated at 11:55 local time
Al-Quds Brigades claim shooting Israeli soldiers in Al-Bureij camp
Two Palestinian military groups fire mortars at Sufa crossing
Limited Israeli incursion in central Gaza Strip
Israeli forces conducted a limited incursion east of Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, witnesses said.
Israeli bulldozers were seen destroying farmers' groves amidst heavy gunfire.
No casualties have been reported.
Israeli bulldozers were seen destroying farmers' groves amidst heavy gunfire.
No casualties have been reported.
Palestinian activists survive Israeli attack in northern Gaza Strip
A group of Palestinian activists survived Israeli shelling on Sunday morning in the northern Gaza Strip, witnesses said.
Eyewitnesses told our reporter that the group was preparing to launch homemade projectiles at Israeli targets when the Israeli military fired a missile at them. No casualties have been reported.
A group of Palestinian activists survived Israeli shelling on Sunday morning in the northern Gaza Strip, witnesses said.
Eyewitnesses told our reporter that the group was preparing to launch homemade projectiles at Israeli targets when the Israeli military fired a missile at them. No casualties have been reported.
Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in Gaza Strip attacks; Olmert vows to escalate incursions
The aftermath of Israel's bombardment of Khan Younis on Thursday
Israeli forces invaded the Gaza Strip in several separate incursions on Saturday night and Sunday, killing three Palestinians and wounding at least 10 others.
On Sunday morning Israeli forces killed seventeen-year-old Ziad Abu Rukba during an invasion of Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Abu Rukba was shot in the chest, witnesses said.
At the Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said his military would 'increase its operations' in response to what the Israeli government sees as intensified projectile attacks emerging from the coastal Strip. He said the Israeli defense minister has already ordered an escalation.
During a ground incursion in Gaza City's Ash-Shuja'iyya neighborhood on Saturday night, Israeli forces killed Mahmoud Al-Rub'i, an activist with the armed wing of the Popular Resistance committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades. Two other activists were injured in that raid.
Earlier, Israeli artillery fired a shell near a school in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, killing Muhammad Abu Uda, an activist with Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. The shelling injured three others.
Mu'awiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency service in the Palestinian Health Ministry said that ambulances evacuated the torn corpse of Abu Uda and the three injured men to Kamal Udwan Hospital.
Over the past few days, at least 12 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks throughout the Gaza Strip.
Separately, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades claimed responsibility for firing eight homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, on the border with the Gaza Strip.
***Updated at 12:04 local time
Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades claim projectile attacks
Israeli forces invaded the Gaza Strip in several separate incursions on Saturday night and Sunday, killing three Palestinians and wounding at least 10 others.
On Sunday morning Israeli forces killed seventeen-year-old Ziad Abu Rukba during an invasion of Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Abu Rukba was shot in the chest, witnesses said.
At the Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said his military would 'increase its operations' in response to what the Israeli government sees as intensified projectile attacks emerging from the coastal Strip. He said the Israeli defense minister has already ordered an escalation.
During a ground incursion in Gaza City's Ash-Shuja'iyya neighborhood on Saturday night, Israeli forces killed Mahmoud Al-Rub'i, an activist with the armed wing of the Popular Resistance committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades. Two other activists were injured in that raid.
Earlier, Israeli artillery fired a shell near a school in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, killing Muhammad Abu Uda, an activist with Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. The shelling injured three others.
Mu'awiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency service in the Palestinian Health Ministry said that ambulances evacuated the torn corpse of Abu Uda and the three injured men to Kamal Udwan Hospital.
Over the past few days, at least 12 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks throughout the Gaza Strip.
Separately, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades claimed responsibility for firing eight homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, on the border with the Gaza Strip.
***Updated at 12:04 local time
Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades claim projectile attacks
5 jan 2008
40 million NIS the cost of the damage that was made by the Israeli army in Nablus
Shaher Sa'ed, the head of the Palestinian Workers Union, said on Saturday that the city of Nablus needs at least 40 million NIS to recover from the damage caused by the Israeli army in the city in the past three days.
The city of Nablus is located in the northern part of the West Bank. It is one of the largest Palestinian cities and is the home of many Palestinian factories.
The Israeli army invaded the city of Nablus on Thursday morning and by Saturday morning the military operation had left 38 Palestinians injured, among them 4 children and 2 disabled civilians. Of those 38 injured, 5 are in a critical condition.
The old part of the city is totally surrounded by the Israeli army, Sa'ed said, and the damage caused by the Israeli tanks in the old city, soldiers attacking local shops and businesses, in addition to a curfew being imposed in the city and workers not being allowed to reach their work, had cost the city at least 40 Million NIS ( the USD = 3.80 NIS).
At the end of his statement Sa'ed called upon the Palestinian government to convene this Monday in the city of Nablus in an act of solidarity with the city residents.
Shaher Sa'ed, the head of the Palestinian Workers Union, said on Saturday that the city of Nablus needs at least 40 million NIS to recover from the damage caused by the Israeli army in the city in the past three days.
The city of Nablus is located in the northern part of the West Bank. It is one of the largest Palestinian cities and is the home of many Palestinian factories.
The Israeli army invaded the city of Nablus on Thursday morning and by Saturday morning the military operation had left 38 Palestinians injured, among them 4 children and 2 disabled civilians. Of those 38 injured, 5 are in a critical condition.
The old part of the city is totally surrounded by the Israeli army, Sa'ed said, and the damage caused by the Israeli tanks in the old city, soldiers attacking local shops and businesses, in addition to a curfew being imposed in the city and workers not being allowed to reach their work, had cost the city at least 40 Million NIS ( the USD = 3.80 NIS).
At the end of his statement Sa'ed called upon the Palestinian government to convene this Monday in the city of Nablus in an act of solidarity with the city residents.
Cancer patient dies due to the Israeli army siege on Gaza
Medical sources in Gaza reported that a Palestinian cancer patient had died on Saturday morning; the aged woman was prevented by the Israeli army from leaving the Gaza Strip for treatment. The sources said that Aisha Al Jamal, 73, had lung cancer but the army refused to allow her to leave the Coastal Region to get treatment in Israel or the West Bank.
Another Palestinian cancer patient, Mohamed Abu Taha, 45, died late on Friday night; he also was not allowed by the Israeli army to leave the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army has imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip since June 2007, leaving the 1.5 million Palestinians living under severe conditions.
Al Jamal is the 63rd person who has died of a chronic illness since Israel placed the Gaza Strip under total siege. Among those 63 were children, the youngest was Doua Habib, who was five months old.
Medical sources in Gaza reported that a Palestinian cancer patient had died on Saturday morning; the aged woman was prevented by the Israeli army from leaving the Gaza Strip for treatment. The sources said that Aisha Al Jamal, 73, had lung cancer but the army refused to allow her to leave the Coastal Region to get treatment in Israel or the West Bank.
Another Palestinian cancer patient, Mohamed Abu Taha, 45, died late on Friday night; he also was not allowed by the Israeli army to leave the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army has imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip since June 2007, leaving the 1.5 million Palestinians living under severe conditions.
Al Jamal is the 63rd person who has died of a chronic illness since Israel placed the Gaza Strip under total siege. Among those 63 were children, the youngest was Doua Habib, who was five months old.
Bedouins in Egypt angered after man shot by Israeli border guards
After 40-year old Hamdan Suleiman Attaya was shot and killed outside his home Thursday, just 300 meters from the Israeli border, 1,000 friends and family attended his funeral Friday, shouting angry slogans against Israel. Eyewitnesses say that Attaya was shot and killed by Israeli border guards stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing just a few hundred meters from his home. Egyptian security officials investigating the death confirmed that the shot came from across the border, but would give no further details.
Egyptian officials called for calm, while Attaya's family and friends rallied in his name to demand an end to Israeli violence against Bedouins.
The Bedouin population are Arabs, traditionally shepherds, that are not considered legitimate by the Israeli authorities. The Bedouin population inside Israel is targeted by a number of discriminatory laws that prevent them from building permanent structures, and consider their villages 'unrecognized' and subject to demolition by Israeli authorities. The Bedouins living in the Sinai peninsula, near the Israeli border, have long been subjected to cross-border attacks by Israeli forces – in 1967, the Sinai was attacked and occupied by Israeli troops for a short while. Unlike the West Bank and Gaza, however, Israel withdrew from the Sinai, leaving it in Egyptian control.
Egypt's government, afraid of creating any waves with its close ally, Israel, has blown over the affair with little investigation and no call for the Israeli side to investigate.
"We cannot risk creating an international crisis on the borders”, said Hisham Shaheen, representative for north Sinai in Egypt's parliament. “We told them (the Bedouins) not to go out in massive rallies," he told The Associated Press, adding, “We are working on controlling our angry sons and people.”
Neither Shaheen nor any other Egyptian politician has responded to the pleas of the Sinai Bedouin population to find the perpetrator of the cross-border shooting that killed Attaya. Instead, they have focused on quelling any discontent or unrest that may result from the incident.
After 40-year old Hamdan Suleiman Attaya was shot and killed outside his home Thursday, just 300 meters from the Israeli border, 1,000 friends and family attended his funeral Friday, shouting angry slogans against Israel. Eyewitnesses say that Attaya was shot and killed by Israeli border guards stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing just a few hundred meters from his home. Egyptian security officials investigating the death confirmed that the shot came from across the border, but would give no further details.
Egyptian officials called for calm, while Attaya's family and friends rallied in his name to demand an end to Israeli violence against Bedouins.
The Bedouin population are Arabs, traditionally shepherds, that are not considered legitimate by the Israeli authorities. The Bedouin population inside Israel is targeted by a number of discriminatory laws that prevent them from building permanent structures, and consider their villages 'unrecognized' and subject to demolition by Israeli authorities. The Bedouins living in the Sinai peninsula, near the Israeli border, have long been subjected to cross-border attacks by Israeli forces – in 1967, the Sinai was attacked and occupied by Israeli troops for a short while. Unlike the West Bank and Gaza, however, Israel withdrew from the Sinai, leaving it in Egyptian control.
Egypt's government, afraid of creating any waves with its close ally, Israel, has blown over the affair with little investigation and no call for the Israeli side to investigate.
"We cannot risk creating an international crisis on the borders”, said Hisham Shaheen, representative for north Sinai in Egypt's parliament. “We told them (the Bedouins) not to go out in massive rallies," he told The Associated Press, adding, “We are working on controlling our angry sons and people.”
Neither Shaheen nor any other Egyptian politician has responded to the pleas of the Sinai Bedouin population to find the perpetrator of the cross-border shooting that killed Attaya. Instead, they have focused on quelling any discontent or unrest that may result from the incident.
In ongoing Israeli invasion of Nablus, 38 Palestinian civilians injured
According to local medical sources, 38 Palestinians, including a blind teenager, have been injured by Israeli gunfire thus far, during the two-day invasion of the city of Nablus. Khaldoun Salem, 16, who is blind, was seriously injured by Israeli gunfire when soldiers shot him in front of his home.
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.
Dr Ghassan Hamdan, director of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, said on Friday afternoon that in the two days that Israeli forces have been inside the city, medical personnel have treated 38 people for gunshot wounds. There have been no fatalities, but some of the injuries have been quite serious.
Dr. Hamdan 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,"
Israeli forces have prevented ambulances from reaching many of the wounded, and have stopped other ambulances at checkpoints as they attempt to bring the wounded to the hospital.
updated from:
The Israeli army attack in Nablus continues for the second consecutive day
Ameen Abu Wardeh
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:45:40
The Israeli army attack continued on Friday morning in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. In the second consecutive day of the military attack they continued to assault medical crews obstructing them from doing their work.
In the old city of Nablus a Palestinian with special needs was injured, the army claimed that he had broken the curfew imposed by the Israeli army in the city. After they injured him the army then helped transfer him to a hospital outside of the old city.
According to reports from the residents in the old city, the army is carrying out ransacking operations in civilians' homes based on maps in their possession. Scores of poor families who live in the old city of Nablus have appealed for Human Rights organizations to provide them with their basic needs as they were not prepared for the curfew.
Israeli sources claimed that the objective of the operation is to kidnap what Israel call "wanted Palestinians" and to find weapons. They claim they have found a weapons cache containing home-made missiles and explosive devices. The also kidnapped at least six Palestinians.
The medical care committee in Nablus reported that military forces captured the head of the voluntary work department who is also a medic, they handcuffed and blindfolded him, leaving him for more than five hours in the very cold weather. They then moved the man to an unknown detention center claiming that he is a "wanted Palestinian". Another two medics were also injured while they were working.
The offensive started on Thursday at dawn as Israeli troops, supported by dozens of armored vehicles and jeeps, invaded Nablus and imposed a curfew in the Old City and the surrounding neighborhoods. By Thursday midday the Israeli army had injured 33 Palestinian civilians among them four critically injured. Of the 33 Palestinians injured, 4 are children and 1 is an ambulance driver.
According to local medical sources, 38 Palestinians, including a blind teenager, have been injured by Israeli gunfire thus far, during the two-day invasion of the city of Nablus. Khaldoun Salem, 16, who is blind, was seriously injured by Israeli gunfire when soldiers shot him in front of his home.
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.
Dr Ghassan Hamdan, director of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, said on Friday afternoon that in the two days that Israeli forces have been inside the city, medical personnel have treated 38 people for gunshot wounds. There have been no fatalities, but some of the injuries have been quite serious.
Dr. Hamdan 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,"
Israeli forces have prevented ambulances from reaching many of the wounded, and have stopped other ambulances at checkpoints as they attempt to bring the wounded to the hospital.
updated from:
The Israeli army attack in Nablus continues for the second consecutive day
Ameen Abu Wardeh
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:45:40
The Israeli army attack continued on Friday morning in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. In the second consecutive day of the military attack they continued to assault medical crews obstructing them from doing their work.
In the old city of Nablus a Palestinian with special needs was injured, the army claimed that he had broken the curfew imposed by the Israeli army in the city. After they injured him the army then helped transfer him to a hospital outside of the old city.
According to reports from the residents in the old city, the army is carrying out ransacking operations in civilians' homes based on maps in their possession. Scores of poor families who live in the old city of Nablus have appealed for Human Rights organizations to provide them with their basic needs as they were not prepared for the curfew.
Israeli sources claimed that the objective of the operation is to kidnap what Israel call "wanted Palestinians" and to find weapons. They claim they have found a weapons cache containing home-made missiles and explosive devices. The also kidnapped at least six Palestinians.
The medical care committee in Nablus reported that military forces captured the head of the voluntary work department who is also a medic, they handcuffed and blindfolded him, leaving him for more than five hours in the very cold weather. They then moved the man to an unknown detention center claiming that he is a "wanted Palestinian". Another two medics were also injured while they were working.
The offensive started on Thursday at dawn as Israeli troops, supported by dozens of armored vehicles and jeeps, invaded Nablus and imposed a curfew in the Old City and the surrounding neighborhoods. By Thursday midday the Israeli army had injured 33 Palestinian civilians among them four critically injured. Of the 33 Palestinians injured, 4 are children and 1 is an ambulance driver.
The family of Karim Dadouh, who was extrajudicially assassinated by Israeli forces several months ago, has been made homeless by the Israeli airforce, which fired a targeted missile at the family home Thursday, destroying most of the home. Local medical sources reported that the house was empty at the time that it was struck, but nine bystanders were wounded by shrapnel. Cars parked nearby were also destroyed, and several neighboring homes were damaged.
The Israeli airforce confirmed that an airstrike had taken place, but would not give details regarding the target.
Witnesses reported that the Israeli plane fired missiles at the home, blasting large holes through the second floor and into the first floor, while neighbors in the crowded neighborhood began to panic, fearing their homes woulf be next. They ran out into the streets, where some were injured by shrapnel.
Israeli forces often target the homes of Palestinian fighters, in an effort to further punish the families of those Palestinians who fight against the Israeli military occupation. An estimated 10% of the home demolitions carried out by Israeli forces are said to be 'punishment' demolitions, according to the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions - the only group to have done a tally of demolitions. The other 90%, according to the group, are 'administrative demolitions', in which Israeli forces destroy the homes for allegedly not having a permit to build. Israel has not issued these permits for Palestinians since 1967.
Israel's provocative Nablus invasion
Just two days ago, there were several articles that came out in the Israeli and Palestinian media about the calm that had settled over the Nablus area since Palestinian security forces were deployed there last month.
Hours after the articles were published, Israeli forces invaded Nablus in a large-scale, full-on invasion. The troops have remained there for two days, with no end in sight. Why did the Israeli military choose to invade now -- after having made such a big show in the November 'peace summit' about the Palestinian Authority being required to "restore law and order" in the Palestinian Territories.
The Palestinian Authority, under Mahmoud Abbas, immediately began implementing its 'security plan', despite one block after another by Israeli forces, who prevented the security forces and their vehicles from crossing checkpoints on multiple occasions, and openly attacked and even killed commanders of the Palestinian security forces.
Nablus was the first city to receive a deployment of Palestinian police, followed by Tulkarem, then Bethlehem, two days before Christmas. And the Israeli commentaries that came out on Monday were amazed at how the Palestinian Authority was able to bring a calm to those cities.
So why invade now?
Could it be, perhaps, that Israeli authorities do NOT want calm in Nablus? Could it be, perhaps, that they may actually be trying to provoke the Palestinians of Nablus into fighting again, into fighting the Israeli occupation?
Well, obviously it is in Israel's 'strategic interest' to make sure the Palestinian resistance keeps up -- it gives them an excuse to keep up the occupation, to keep up the attacks, to keep up the missile strikes, the extrajudicial assassinations, the checkpoints, the closures, the invasions, abductions, interrogation and torture -- all in the name of 'fighting terrorism'.
So if Abbas manages to keep the people of Nablus calm, well, Israeli authorities haven't got that excuse.
But if they invade Nablus, as they have done this week, no one will report it in the major media worldwide…..but what WILL happen is that the young guys in Nablus will get more resentful, more angry, and sooner or later, one or another of them is going to fight back.
If they do, you can be sure that that attack will be splattered all over the world's headlines, and will be used to justify Israel's 'response' -- when in fact it will have been Israel's actions that provoked the attack to begin with.
The Israeli airforce confirmed that an airstrike had taken place, but would not give details regarding the target.
Witnesses reported that the Israeli plane fired missiles at the home, blasting large holes through the second floor and into the first floor, while neighbors in the crowded neighborhood began to panic, fearing their homes woulf be next. They ran out into the streets, where some were injured by shrapnel.
Israeli forces often target the homes of Palestinian fighters, in an effort to further punish the families of those Palestinians who fight against the Israeli military occupation. An estimated 10% of the home demolitions carried out by Israeli forces are said to be 'punishment' demolitions, according to the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions - the only group to have done a tally of demolitions. The other 90%, according to the group, are 'administrative demolitions', in which Israeli forces destroy the homes for allegedly not having a permit to build. Israel has not issued these permits for Palestinians since 1967.
Israel's provocative Nablus invasion
Just two days ago, there were several articles that came out in the Israeli and Palestinian media about the calm that had settled over the Nablus area since Palestinian security forces were deployed there last month.
Hours after the articles were published, Israeli forces invaded Nablus in a large-scale, full-on invasion. The troops have remained there for two days, with no end in sight. Why did the Israeli military choose to invade now -- after having made such a big show in the November 'peace summit' about the Palestinian Authority being required to "restore law and order" in the Palestinian Territories.
The Palestinian Authority, under Mahmoud Abbas, immediately began implementing its 'security plan', despite one block after another by Israeli forces, who prevented the security forces and their vehicles from crossing checkpoints on multiple occasions, and openly attacked and even killed commanders of the Palestinian security forces.
Nablus was the first city to receive a deployment of Palestinian police, followed by Tulkarem, then Bethlehem, two days before Christmas. And the Israeli commentaries that came out on Monday were amazed at how the Palestinian Authority was able to bring a calm to those cities.
So why invade now?
Could it be, perhaps, that Israeli authorities do NOT want calm in Nablus? Could it be, perhaps, that they may actually be trying to provoke the Palestinians of Nablus into fighting again, into fighting the Israeli occupation?
Well, obviously it is in Israel's 'strategic interest' to make sure the Palestinian resistance keeps up -- it gives them an excuse to keep up the occupation, to keep up the attacks, to keep up the missile strikes, the extrajudicial assassinations, the checkpoints, the closures, the invasions, abductions, interrogation and torture -- all in the name of 'fighting terrorism'.
So if Abbas manages to keep the people of Nablus calm, well, Israeli authorities haven't got that excuse.
But if they invade Nablus, as they have done this week, no one will report it in the major media worldwide…..but what WILL happen is that the young guys in Nablus will get more resentful, more angry, and sooner or later, one or another of them is going to fight back.
If they do, you can be sure that that attack will be splattered all over the world's headlines, and will be used to justify Israel's 'response' -- when in fact it will have been Israel's actions that provoked the attack to begin with.
Bedouins in Egypt angered after man shot by Israeli border guards
After 40-year old Hamdan Suleiman Attaya was shot and killed outside his home Thursday, just 300 meters from the Israeli border, 1,000 friends and family attended his funeral Friday, shouting angry slogans against Israel.
Eyewitnesses say that Attaya was shot and killed by Israeli border guards stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing just a few hundred meters from his home. Egyptian security officials investigating the death confirmed that the shot came from across the border, but would give no further details.
Egyptian officials called for calm, while Attaya's family and friends rallied in his name to demand an end to Israeli violence against Bedouins.
The Bedouin population are Arabs, traditionally shepherds, that are not considered legitimate by the Israeli authorities. The Bedouin population inside Israel is targeted by a number of discriminatory laws that prevent them from building permanent structures, and consider their villages 'unrecognized' and subject to demolition by Israeli authorities. The Bedouins living in the Sinai peninsula, near the Israeli border, have long been subjected to cross-border attacks by Israeli forces – in 1967, the Sinai was attacked and occupied by Israeli troops for a short while. Unlike the West Bank and Gaza, however, Israel withdrew from the Sinai, leaving it in Egyptian control.
Egypt's government, afraid of creating any waves with its close ally, Israel, has blown over the affair with little investigation and no call for the Israeli side to investigate.
"We cannot risk creating an international crisis on the borders”, said Hisham Shaheen, representative for north Sinai in Egypt's parliament. “We told them (the Bedouins) not to go out in massive rallies," he told The Associated Press, adding, “We are working on controlling our angry sons and people.”
Neither Shaheen nor any other Egyptian politician has responded to the pleas of the Sinai Bedouin population to find the perpetrator of the cross-border shooting that killed Attaya. Instead, they have focused on quelling any discontent or unrest that may result from the incident.
Eyewitnesses say that Attaya was shot and killed by Israeli border guards stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing just a few hundred meters from his home. Egyptian security officials investigating the death confirmed that the shot came from across the border, but would give no further details.
Egyptian officials called for calm, while Attaya's family and friends rallied in his name to demand an end to Israeli violence against Bedouins.
The Bedouin population are Arabs, traditionally shepherds, that are not considered legitimate by the Israeli authorities. The Bedouin population inside Israel is targeted by a number of discriminatory laws that prevent them from building permanent structures, and consider their villages 'unrecognized' and subject to demolition by Israeli authorities. The Bedouins living in the Sinai peninsula, near the Israeli border, have long been subjected to cross-border attacks by Israeli forces – in 1967, the Sinai was attacked and occupied by Israeli troops for a short while. Unlike the West Bank and Gaza, however, Israel withdrew from the Sinai, leaving it in Egyptian control.
Egypt's government, afraid of creating any waves with its close ally, Israel, has blown over the affair with little investigation and no call for the Israeli side to investigate.
"We cannot risk creating an international crisis on the borders”, said Hisham Shaheen, representative for north Sinai in Egypt's parliament. “We told them (the Bedouins) not to go out in massive rallies," he told The Associated Press, adding, “We are working on controlling our angry sons and people.”
Neither Shaheen nor any other Egyptian politician has responded to the pleas of the Sinai Bedouin population to find the perpetrator of the cross-border shooting that killed Attaya. Instead, they have focused on quelling any discontent or unrest that may result from the incident.
Nablus intelligence chief: Israeli incursion targeted PA, Fatah forces
Israel's three-day military campaign in the West Bank city of Nablus targeted members of Fatah and the Palestinian security forces, the director of the Palestinian intelligence service in the city, Abdullah Kamil, said on Saturday.
Kamil said the invasion has thwarted the recent success of the newly-deployed Palestinian security forces in restoring order in the city. Israel and the United States had previously supported a decision to move hundreds of Palestinian officers into the city in order to clean up crime and crack down on armed resistance groups.
According to Kamil, the Israeli military has detained 22 Palestinians in the operation so far. Of these, 19 are members of Fatah and Fatah's armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, who had been integrated into the Palestinian security forces. He said three of the detainees are Hamas members.
The Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority has been pursuing peace negotiations with Israel since last summer.
Kamil said the invasion has thwarted the recent success of the newly-deployed Palestinian security forces in restoring order in the city. Israel and the United States had previously supported a decision to move hundreds of Palestinian officers into the city in order to clean up crime and crack down on armed resistance groups.
According to Kamil, the Israeli military has detained 22 Palestinians in the operation so far. Of these, 19 are members of Fatah and Fatah's armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, who had been integrated into the Palestinian security forces. He said three of the detainees are Hamas members.
The Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority has been pursuing peace negotiations with Israel since last summer.
Three more injured in ongoing Nablus incursion
Three Palestinians have been injured near the eastern graveyard in the West Bank city of Nablus Saturday afternoon after clashes erupted between Palestinian youth and Israeli forces during an ongoing incursion.
Palestinian medical sources said that twenty-three-year-old Wasfi Maqbul and twenty-year-olds Muhammad Mirshid and Muhammad Salhub were hit with rubber-coated metal bullets.
All three were evacuated to Rafidia hospital in Nablus.
Palestinian medical sources said that twenty-three-year-old Wasfi Maqbul and twenty-year-olds Muhammad Mirshid and Muhammad Salhub were hit with rubber-coated metal bullets.
All three were evacuated to Rafidia hospital in Nablus.
Two Palestinians shot as Israeli forces invade Qalqilia
Two Palestinians were injured on Saturday when Israeli forces raided the northern West Bank town of Azzun east of Qalqilia, amid heavy gunfire.
He named the victims as twenty-year-old Muhammad Faisal, who was hit by a bullet in his thigh, and sixteen-year-old Uthman Radwan, who suffered a gunshot wound to his leg. Both were evacuated to the UN hospital in Qalqilia.
The invading forces have imposed a curfew in the town.
Two Palestinians were injured on Saturday when Israeli forces raided the northern West Bank town of Azzun east of Qalqilia, amid heavy gunfire.
He named the victims as twenty-year-old Muhammad Faisal, who was hit by a bullet in his thigh, and sixteen-year-old Uthman Radwan, who suffered a gunshot wound to his leg. Both were evacuated to the UN hospital in Qalqilia.
The invading forces have imposed a curfew in the town.
Palestinian Red Crescent: 520 Israeli assaults on medics and ambulances in 2007
Palestinian medical staff were subject to 520 assaults by Israeli forces and settlers during 2007, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Saturday.
They said in a statement that the assaults ranged from being shot to verbal abuse. The Red Crescent Society also reported numerous incidents of Israeli soldiers preventing Palestinian medical staff from evacuating injured Palestinians.
The statement said that all 520 assaults were violations of international law.
36 incidents of direct shooting and physical attacks on medics and ambulances in cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, resulted in the injury of 13 medics. A Palestinian citizen died at the Tunnels checkpoint near Bethlehem in the southern West Bank on June 29th after the Israeli soldiers manning the checkpoint denied him entry to hospital in Jerusalem. Sixteen ambulances were damaged in 2007 and one was completely destroyed.
The overall number of assaults on medics and ambulances in 2007 has almost doubled compared with 2005 and 2006.
They said in a statement that the assaults ranged from being shot to verbal abuse. The Red Crescent Society also reported numerous incidents of Israeli soldiers preventing Palestinian medical staff from evacuating injured Palestinians.
The statement said that all 520 assaults were violations of international law.
36 incidents of direct shooting and physical attacks on medics and ambulances in cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, resulted in the injury of 13 medics. A Palestinian citizen died at the Tunnels checkpoint near Bethlehem in the southern West Bank on June 29th after the Israeli soldiers manning the checkpoint denied him entry to hospital in Jerusalem. Sixteen ambulances were damaged in 2007 and one was completely destroyed.
The overall number of assaults on medics and ambulances in 2007 has almost doubled compared with 2005 and 2006.
Israeli military operation in Nablus enters third day
The Israeli military operation in Nablus and its refugee camps in the northern West Bank continued for the third consecutive day on Saturday.
Israeli forces have intensified their activity in the centre of Nablus city, the Ad-Duwwar neighbourhood and the area of Al-Kindi school as well as the old city. They also raided Balata refugee camp east of Nablus on Saturday morning.
Ma'an's correspondent said that the invading Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians including twenty-year-old Jawad Shakhshir, an activist within the Al-Awda Brigades - a minor group within Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades.
The invading forces used explosives to blast their way into shops in An-Nasr street, the Onion market and the Blacksmiths market in the old city. They then searched the premises. They also set fire to a shoe shop and ransacked several homes using them as monitoring towers and military stations after detaining each resident family in one room.
The Israeli army has been conducting a major incursion into Nablus since dawn on Thursday. More than 45 Palestinians have been injured in the past 24 hours and the Israeli army has arrested 20 Palestinians.
The old city of Nablus has been under curfew since the start of the Israeli invasion at dawn on Thursday. Israeli forces extended the curfew to the whole of the city on Friday.
Israeli forces have intensified their activity in the centre of Nablus city, the Ad-Duwwar neighbourhood and the area of Al-Kindi school as well as the old city. They also raided Balata refugee camp east of Nablus on Saturday morning.
Ma'an's correspondent said that the invading Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians including twenty-year-old Jawad Shakhshir, an activist within the Al-Awda Brigades - a minor group within Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades.
The invading forces used explosives to blast their way into shops in An-Nasr street, the Onion market and the Blacksmiths market in the old city. They then searched the premises. They also set fire to a shoe shop and ransacked several homes using them as monitoring towers and military stations after detaining each resident family in one room.
The Israeli army has been conducting a major incursion into Nablus since dawn on Thursday. More than 45 Palestinians have been injured in the past 24 hours and the Israeli army has arrested 20 Palestinians.
The old city of Nablus has been under curfew since the start of the Israeli invasion at dawn on Thursday. Israeli forces extended the curfew to the whole of the city on Friday.
Fayyad cancels visit to Cairo because of Israeli aggression in Nablus
A reliable source in Salam Fayyad's office revealed on Friday that the Palestinian Prime Minister has cancelled a visit to Cairo, where he was scheduled to take part in the Arab foreign ministers' conference, because of the ongoing Israeli aggression in Nablus and the Gaza Strip.
The source told Ma'an, "It has become evident that the Israeli aggression aims at thwarting the efforts of the Palestinian government to restore order and stability in the West Bank cities."
"The Israeli escalation is also meant to create a bad impression and a bad atmosphere within the Palestinian government at a time when the government has achieved and is still achieving remarkable successes," the source added.
He went on to say: "Israel has counted during the past years on distorting the image of the Palestinian government and giving the world an impression that the government can not rule the Palestinian territories, as it suffers sometimes from security chaos, and from administrative corruption. Israel was never happy with the international confidence in the Palestinian government lead by Salam Fayyad and its ability to maintain security and create horizons for development, and so they turned to incursions in order to damage that image."
Cancer patient dies due to the Israeli army siege on Gaza
Al-Qassam Brigades fire 21 mortars at Israeli forces in Gaza City
The source told Ma'an, "It has become evident that the Israeli aggression aims at thwarting the efforts of the Palestinian government to restore order and stability in the West Bank cities."
"The Israeli escalation is also meant to create a bad impression and a bad atmosphere within the Palestinian government at a time when the government has achieved and is still achieving remarkable successes," the source added.
He went on to say: "Israel has counted during the past years on distorting the image of the Palestinian government and giving the world an impression that the government can not rule the Palestinian territories, as it suffers sometimes from security chaos, and from administrative corruption. Israel was never happy with the international confidence in the Palestinian government lead by Salam Fayyad and its ability to maintain security and create horizons for development, and so they turned to incursions in order to damage that image."
Cancer patient dies due to the Israeli army siege on Gaza
Al-Qassam Brigades fire 21 mortars at Israeli forces in Gaza City