16 jan 2008
Israeli settlers hurl molotov cocktail into Palestinian house in Hebron
Israeli settlers from the Beit Hadassah outpost in the centre of the southern West Bank city of Hebron hurled a molotov cocktail into a Palestinian home on Tuesday.
Abdul-Khaliq Sidir told Ma'an that he was in his house when he heard an explosion and fire broke out in the kitchen. He said that the fire was caused by settlers who had hurled a molotov cocktail into his kitchen. His home is overlooked by the Israeli settlement outpost.
Israeli settlers in Hebron attack Palestinian houses on a daily basis. The attacks have continued as the Israeli government is talking about removing settlement outposts. There has been an increase in the number of attacks since US President George W. Bush visited Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Abdul-Khaliq Sidir told Ma'an that he was in his house when he heard an explosion and fire broke out in the kitchen. He said that the fire was caused by settlers who had hurled a molotov cocktail into his kitchen. His home is overlooked by the Israeli settlement outpost.
Israeli settlers in Hebron attack Palestinian houses on a daily basis. The attacks have continued as the Israeli government is talking about removing settlement outposts. There has been an increase in the number of attacks since US President George W. Bush visited Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Fatah condemns Tuesday's attack on Gaza Strip
Fatah spokesperson Fahmi Za'arir on Tuesday condemned the Israeli escalation and "criminal acts" against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip which has left 15 dead. He described the assault on the Gaza Strip as "an ugly massacre."
Za'arir said that Fatah looks on Israel's criminal acts as "part of the Israeli occupation's racism which is aimed at frustrating every horizon or opportunity for achieving peace in the region."
Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip came immediately after the start of negotiations on the core issues began in Jerusalem on Monday. They also follow the Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council meeting during which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed his adherence to inalienable Palestinian rights, Za'arir explained.
He added that this latest demonstration of Israeli aggression clearly expresses Israel's intention to ignore the Road Map plan and the agreements reached during the Annapolis peace conference in November 2007.
Finally, he called on international organizations, including the UN Security Council and the international Quartet to abide by their duties and play a role in keeping peace and order by restraining Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. He called on the UN Security Council to reconsider deploying international peace-keeping forces in the Palestinian territories.
Palestinian Cabinet condemns Israeli assault on Gaza
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Cabinet has denounced the ongoing Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip that left 15 Palestinians and more than 50 wounded by midday on Tuesday. The cabinet labeled the incursion a "criminal act against the Palestinian people."
The Secretary General of the Palestinian Cabinet Sa'di Al-Krunz said: "These brutalities and the indiscriminate shelling of the Palestinian people can only be described as belittling the value of the Palestinian lives based on negligence to international law and human rights."
"Furthermore," he said "these criminal acts represent a slap to the face of the international efforts aimed at resuming the peace negotiations, especially that they came one day only after the negotiations over the coral issues have begun."
Barghouthi: Israel's attack on Gaza Strip demontration of hypocrisy
Secretary General of the Palestinian Initiative Mustapha Barghouthi described Israel's military attack on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, which left 16 dead and at least 45 injured, as a demonstration of Israel's hypocrisy.
In a statement Barghouthi condemned the killings and lambasted Israel for its hypocrisy in talking peace whilst maintaining a blatant on-the-ground policy of killings and attacks against the Palestinian people.
"Israel cannot talk peace whilst waging war. If Israel is serious about peace, then in terms of Gaza, there must be an immediate end to the seige, an end to Israeli aggression against the Gazan people, a retraction of the decision to declare Gaza a "hostile entity," and the implementation of a comprehensive, reciprocal ceasefire," Barghouthi said.
"What Israel is doing to the people of Gaza is a crime. The seige is collective punishment in direct violation of international humanitarian law, yet it is met with complete silence by the international community. Furthermore, Israel has escalated its military attacks on the Strip since Annapolis...Israel continued to bomb Gaza even before, during and after the visit of US President George Bush," he added.
Tuesday's killings by the Israeli military in a dawn attack on the Gaza Strip has brought the total number of Gazans killed since November's US-sponsored Annapolis summit to 114, with 53 killed since the beginning of 2008 alone.
A total of 122 Palestinians have been killed since Annapolis in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Qurei' condemns Tuesday's massacre in Gaza
The head of the Palestinian negotiation team, Ahmad Qurei', also known as Abu Ala, expressed his condemnation of the massacre carried out by Israeli forces on Tuesday morning in the Gaza Strip, that left 17 dead and scores injured.
He said that such massacres, along with the continuation of the siege on the impoverished coastal strip, and the daily Israeli incursions into the cities of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, are obstacles to the peace negotiations.
Qurei' called for the international Quartet and the United States to uphold their responsibilities and expedite the convening of the tripartite committee to follow up on these violations.
Fayyad condemns "heinous massacre" in Gaza Strip
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned what he described as "the heinous massacre committed by the occupation army in the Gaza Strip" on Tuesday, that left 19 Palestinians dead and more than 50 wounded.
"These criminal acts, which are a continuation of the bloody cycle of violence, are unjustified and have cultivated more hatred and hostility. They are contrary to all international norms and laws," Fayyad said.
He called on the international community to uphold its political, legal and moral responsibilities and provide immediate protection for innocent Palestinian civilians who are killed every day by "the continuous aggression and blockade, especially in the Gaza Strip."
He also sent his condolences to all the families of those killed on Tuesday, including Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, whose son Hussam was one of 17 people killed in an Israeli raid in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City.
He appealed to the Palestinian people to be patient and not to give the opportunity to "those who seek to destroy hope and opportunities to undermine the peace process and our right to live our lives in freedom and independence."
National Initiative calls for end to negotiations with Israel after Gaza massacre
The Palestinian National Initiative on Tuesday called for an end to peace negotiations with Israel after Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip left 19 dead and scores injured.
They said in a statement that it is humiliating for the Palestinian people to hold negotiations with the Israelis while they are massacring our people.
The statement said that the number of victims of Israeli aggression has risen by 100% after the US-sponsored Annapolis conference.
They called on the international community to move immediately to stop the massacres against the Palestinian people, adding that such Israeli atrocities underline the need for putting aside internal Palestinian differences and highlight the necessity of restoring national unity in the face of such Israeli aggression.
Za'arir said that Fatah looks on Israel's criminal acts as "part of the Israeli occupation's racism which is aimed at frustrating every horizon or opportunity for achieving peace in the region."
Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip came immediately after the start of negotiations on the core issues began in Jerusalem on Monday. They also follow the Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council meeting during which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed his adherence to inalienable Palestinian rights, Za'arir explained.
He added that this latest demonstration of Israeli aggression clearly expresses Israel's intention to ignore the Road Map plan and the agreements reached during the Annapolis peace conference in November 2007.
Finally, he called on international organizations, including the UN Security Council and the international Quartet to abide by their duties and play a role in keeping peace and order by restraining Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. He called on the UN Security Council to reconsider deploying international peace-keeping forces in the Palestinian territories.
Palestinian Cabinet condemns Israeli assault on Gaza
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Cabinet has denounced the ongoing Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip that left 15 Palestinians and more than 50 wounded by midday on Tuesday. The cabinet labeled the incursion a "criminal act against the Palestinian people."
The Secretary General of the Palestinian Cabinet Sa'di Al-Krunz said: "These brutalities and the indiscriminate shelling of the Palestinian people can only be described as belittling the value of the Palestinian lives based on negligence to international law and human rights."
"Furthermore," he said "these criminal acts represent a slap to the face of the international efforts aimed at resuming the peace negotiations, especially that they came one day only after the negotiations over the coral issues have begun."
Barghouthi: Israel's attack on Gaza Strip demontration of hypocrisy
Secretary General of the Palestinian Initiative Mustapha Barghouthi described Israel's military attack on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, which left 16 dead and at least 45 injured, as a demonstration of Israel's hypocrisy.
In a statement Barghouthi condemned the killings and lambasted Israel for its hypocrisy in talking peace whilst maintaining a blatant on-the-ground policy of killings and attacks against the Palestinian people.
"Israel cannot talk peace whilst waging war. If Israel is serious about peace, then in terms of Gaza, there must be an immediate end to the seige, an end to Israeli aggression against the Gazan people, a retraction of the decision to declare Gaza a "hostile entity," and the implementation of a comprehensive, reciprocal ceasefire," Barghouthi said.
"What Israel is doing to the people of Gaza is a crime. The seige is collective punishment in direct violation of international humanitarian law, yet it is met with complete silence by the international community. Furthermore, Israel has escalated its military attacks on the Strip since Annapolis...Israel continued to bomb Gaza even before, during and after the visit of US President George Bush," he added.
Tuesday's killings by the Israeli military in a dawn attack on the Gaza Strip has brought the total number of Gazans killed since November's US-sponsored Annapolis summit to 114, with 53 killed since the beginning of 2008 alone.
A total of 122 Palestinians have been killed since Annapolis in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Qurei' condemns Tuesday's massacre in Gaza
The head of the Palestinian negotiation team, Ahmad Qurei', also known as Abu Ala, expressed his condemnation of the massacre carried out by Israeli forces on Tuesday morning in the Gaza Strip, that left 17 dead and scores injured.
He said that such massacres, along with the continuation of the siege on the impoverished coastal strip, and the daily Israeli incursions into the cities of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, are obstacles to the peace negotiations.
Qurei' called for the international Quartet and the United States to uphold their responsibilities and expedite the convening of the tripartite committee to follow up on these violations.
Fayyad condemns "heinous massacre" in Gaza Strip
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned what he described as "the heinous massacre committed by the occupation army in the Gaza Strip" on Tuesday, that left 19 Palestinians dead and more than 50 wounded.
"These criminal acts, which are a continuation of the bloody cycle of violence, are unjustified and have cultivated more hatred and hostility. They are contrary to all international norms and laws," Fayyad said.
He called on the international community to uphold its political, legal and moral responsibilities and provide immediate protection for innocent Palestinian civilians who are killed every day by "the continuous aggression and blockade, especially in the Gaza Strip."
He also sent his condolences to all the families of those killed on Tuesday, including Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, whose son Hussam was one of 17 people killed in an Israeli raid in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City.
He appealed to the Palestinian people to be patient and not to give the opportunity to "those who seek to destroy hope and opportunities to undermine the peace process and our right to live our lives in freedom and independence."
National Initiative calls for end to negotiations with Israel after Gaza massacre
The Palestinian National Initiative on Tuesday called for an end to peace negotiations with Israel after Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip left 19 dead and scores injured.
They said in a statement that it is humiliating for the Palestinian people to hold negotiations with the Israelis while they are massacring our people.
The statement said that the number of victims of Israeli aggression has risen by 100% after the US-sponsored Annapolis conference.
They called on the international community to move immediately to stop the massacres against the Palestinian people, adding that such Israeli atrocities underline the need for putting aside internal Palestinian differences and highlight the necessity of restoring national unity in the face of such Israeli aggression.
DFLP fighter injured in 'assassination attempt'
The military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the National Resistance Brigades, said on Tuesday that a group of their fighters have survived an Israeli assassination attempt when the Israeli artillery fired a missile at the group in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.
One fighter was injured in the attack.
The Brigades vowed to continue resistance against Israeli incursions in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces impose curfew on Hawara
Israeli forces imposed a curfew on the village of Hawara, south of the city of Nablus, on Tuesday evening until further notice, claiming that youths threw stones at Israeli cars near the village.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an's correspondent in Nablus that a number of border patrol guards informed people of the curfew using loudspeakers, forcing people to return to their homes and shops to close.
Israeli forces last imposed a curfew on the village three days ago.
The military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the National Resistance Brigades, said on Tuesday that a group of their fighters have survived an Israeli assassination attempt when the Israeli artillery fired a missile at the group in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.
One fighter was injured in the attack.
The Brigades vowed to continue resistance against Israeli incursions in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces impose curfew on Hawara
Israeli forces imposed a curfew on the village of Hawara, south of the city of Nablus, on Tuesday evening until further notice, claiming that youths threw stones at Israeli cars near the village.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an's correspondent in Nablus that a number of border patrol guards informed people of the curfew using loudspeakers, forcing people to return to their homes and shops to close.
Israeli forces last imposed a curfew on the village three days ago.
The Consent of Silence: Israelis Hear No Objections
By Ahmed Yousef
We, the representatives of the Palestinian people, write as we mourn the victims of another massacre in our midst. The Israeli Defense Forces committed a crime against humanity on Tuesday January 15th, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians as well as the loss of limbs among many others.
We reach out to all those of conscience to denounce the atrocious disregard of civilized conduct by an invading army; and to demand that the Israeli government end its military incursions into the sovereign Palestinian territories. We ask that all NGOs, aid organizations, and governments as well as business leaders urge members of the International Community to demand that the Israelis withdraw their soldiers and end their attack against the civilian population.
These acts of violence followed a state visit by U.S. President George Bush; and it is reasonable to assume that tacit approval was given for the Israeli leadership to attack Gaza's inhabitants whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Israeli security services have killed in excess of 4,350 Palestinians since September 2000, according to the Israeli human rights group, B'tselem. Today's murders add more lives to a statistic that mutes the horrors that thousands of families must face each day with their loved ones executed.
The weaponry used by the Israelis violate the United State's own Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act, which stipulate that military hardware must be used for legitimate self-defense and internal policing, and not to enforce collective punishment or prolong occupation.
If the International Community, represented by such organizations as the United Nations, European Union, ASEAN and others is to achieve its goal of making the civilized world operate under the auspices of international law and basic human civility, it is incumbent upon each and every responsible person within that community to sanction the Israelis for their heretofore unbridled aggression, including the use of internationally condemned weapons such as cluster bomb, "direct energy" weapons, and chemical as well as biological agents.
The shameless, arbitrary acts of violence that respect neither aged nor infirm, neither diplomat nor policeman, neither child nor adult are an insult to our people, a slur against our politicians and an affirmation that peace is not a language the Israeli government intends to learn.
We look to you, members of the International Community, to take the first step towards halting the escalating tyranny that is Israel, in order to avoid the inevitable cycle of war that looms on the horizon.
Dr. Ahmed Yousef is the senior Political Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the de facto government in the Gaza Strip.
We, the representatives of the Palestinian people, write as we mourn the victims of another massacre in our midst. The Israeli Defense Forces committed a crime against humanity on Tuesday January 15th, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians as well as the loss of limbs among many others.
We reach out to all those of conscience to denounce the atrocious disregard of civilized conduct by an invading army; and to demand that the Israeli government end its military incursions into the sovereign Palestinian territories. We ask that all NGOs, aid organizations, and governments as well as business leaders urge members of the International Community to demand that the Israelis withdraw their soldiers and end their attack against the civilian population.
These acts of violence followed a state visit by U.S. President George Bush; and it is reasonable to assume that tacit approval was given for the Israeli leadership to attack Gaza's inhabitants whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Israeli security services have killed in excess of 4,350 Palestinians since September 2000, according to the Israeli human rights group, B'tselem. Today's murders add more lives to a statistic that mutes the horrors that thousands of families must face each day with their loved ones executed.
The weaponry used by the Israelis violate the United State's own Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act, which stipulate that military hardware must be used for legitimate self-defense and internal policing, and not to enforce collective punishment or prolong occupation.
If the International Community, represented by such organizations as the United Nations, European Union, ASEAN and others is to achieve its goal of making the civilized world operate under the auspices of international law and basic human civility, it is incumbent upon each and every responsible person within that community to sanction the Israelis for their heretofore unbridled aggression, including the use of internationally condemned weapons such as cluster bomb, "direct energy" weapons, and chemical as well as biological agents.
The shameless, arbitrary acts of violence that respect neither aged nor infirm, neither diplomat nor policeman, neither child nor adult are an insult to our people, a slur against our politicians and an affirmation that peace is not a language the Israeli government intends to learn.
We look to you, members of the International Community, to take the first step towards halting the escalating tyranny that is Israel, in order to avoid the inevitable cycle of war that looms on the horizon.
Dr. Ahmed Yousef is the senior Political Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the de facto government in the Gaza Strip.
Senior Islamic Jihad leader killed by Israeli forces near Jenin
Israeli forces killed a senior Al-Quds Brigades leader on Wednesday in clashes near the West Bank city of Jenin.
Forty-year-old Walid Al-'Ubaidy was killed and four of his fellow combatants were seized, after two of them were injured in the clashes in the northern West Bank town of Qabatia south of Jenin.
Ma'an's reporter said that more than 60 Israeli military vehicles, bulldozers and helicopters raided the town and and besiged Al-'Ubaidy and a group nof fighters in a house in the Damun mountain area. Fierce clashes erupted for a few hours before he was killed and the others were arrested.
The owner of the house, Mahmoud Kameel, said that Israeli forces surrounded the house and called used a loudspeaker to call on 'Ubaidy to surrender. But he refused and fired at the Israeli troops from inside the house, before going outside and engaging them in hand to hand combat.
Kameel named the two activists who were wounded as Muhammad Kameel and Ibrahim Abu Ar-Rub, both in their twenties. He said they were hit in the legs before they were arrested.
Al-'Ubaidy is the top leader of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, in the West Bank. The Israelis have been pursuing him for seven years, accusing him of being responsible for several bombing operations inside Israel.
The military wing of the Islamic Jihad, Al-Quds Brigades threatened a strong response to 'Ubaidy's assassination.
Immediately after Al-'Ubaydi's death, fierce clashes erupted between Al-Quds Brigades fighters and Israeli troops. No casualties were reported.
In July 2006, Israeli forces arrested Al-'Ubaidy's wife, Abeer Mansour, in an attempt to exert pressure on him to surrender.
In August 2006, he was moderately wounded when an Israeli helicopter launched two missiles at a house where he was stationed along with the general commander of the Al-Quds Brigades Husam Jaradat in Jenin. Both survived but Jaradat was later assassinated.
The Israeli authorities accuse Al-'Ubaidy of being behind the bombing in Neve Shan in Tel Aviv on 17 November 2006, which left 11 Israelis dead and dozens injured. They also accuse him of sending another Palestinian to blow himself up in an Israeli city on 21 March 2006, but Israeli intelligence were able to prevent the attack.
In the same regard, Israeli forces apprehended 25 Palestinians on Tuesday night, claiming that they were "wanted."
DFLP's military wing clashes with undercover Israeli force
The military wing affiliated to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the National Resistance Brigades claimed on Wednesday that their fighters clashed with an undercover Israeli force as it attempted to infiltrate east of Al-Karara in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
They said in a statement that the Israeli force was blocked and forced to retreat by the DFLP's fighters at 6:10 am local time.
Forty-year-old Walid Al-'Ubaidy was killed and four of his fellow combatants were seized, after two of them were injured in the clashes in the northern West Bank town of Qabatia south of Jenin.
Ma'an's reporter said that more than 60 Israeli military vehicles, bulldozers and helicopters raided the town and and besiged Al-'Ubaidy and a group nof fighters in a house in the Damun mountain area. Fierce clashes erupted for a few hours before he was killed and the others were arrested.
The owner of the house, Mahmoud Kameel, said that Israeli forces surrounded the house and called used a loudspeaker to call on 'Ubaidy to surrender. But he refused and fired at the Israeli troops from inside the house, before going outside and engaging them in hand to hand combat.
Kameel named the two activists who were wounded as Muhammad Kameel and Ibrahim Abu Ar-Rub, both in their twenties. He said they were hit in the legs before they were arrested.
Al-'Ubaidy is the top leader of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, in the West Bank. The Israelis have been pursuing him for seven years, accusing him of being responsible for several bombing operations inside Israel.
The military wing of the Islamic Jihad, Al-Quds Brigades threatened a strong response to 'Ubaidy's assassination.
Immediately after Al-'Ubaydi's death, fierce clashes erupted between Al-Quds Brigades fighters and Israeli troops. No casualties were reported.
In July 2006, Israeli forces arrested Al-'Ubaidy's wife, Abeer Mansour, in an attempt to exert pressure on him to surrender.
In August 2006, he was moderately wounded when an Israeli helicopter launched two missiles at a house where he was stationed along with the general commander of the Al-Quds Brigades Husam Jaradat in Jenin. Both survived but Jaradat was later assassinated.
The Israeli authorities accuse Al-'Ubaidy of being behind the bombing in Neve Shan in Tel Aviv on 17 November 2006, which left 11 Israelis dead and dozens injured. They also accuse him of sending another Palestinian to blow himself up in an Israeli city on 21 March 2006, but Israeli intelligence were able to prevent the attack.
In the same regard, Israeli forces apprehended 25 Palestinians on Tuesday night, claiming that they were "wanted."
DFLP's military wing clashes with undercover Israeli force
The military wing affiliated to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the National Resistance Brigades claimed on Wednesday that their fighters clashed with an undercover Israeli force as it attempted to infiltrate east of Al-Karara in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
They said in a statement that the Israeli force was blocked and forced to retreat by the DFLP's fighters at 6:10 am local time.
Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia and Beit Hanoun injure four
Four Palestinians were injured in two Israeli raids on the Jabalia refugee camp and in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
Palestinian medical sources said that two people were injured in Beit Hanoun when Israeli artillery fired at the area of Al-Kashif mount.
Muawiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry told Ma'an that two of the injured were taken to Kamal Udwan hospital.
Two Palestinians were also injured in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Hassanein said.
He added that the wounded were taken to hospital with moderate injuries.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter that at least one missile hit the car.
Palestinian medical sources said that two people were injured in Beit Hanoun when Israeli artillery fired at the area of Al-Kashif mount.
Muawiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry told Ma'an that two of the injured were taken to Kamal Udwan hospital.
Two Palestinians were also injured in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, Hassanein said.
He added that the wounded were taken to hospital with moderate injuries.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter that at least one missile hit the car.
Death of Hamas leader's son casts doubt on deal to free Gilad Shalit
Israeli politicians are concerned that the killing of Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar's son in an Israeli raid on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday may have jeopardized any deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Israeli sources said on Wednesday.
The Israeli worries stem from the possibility that contact between both sides may be halted after the death of Husam Zahhar, who was killed by Israeli tank fire in an attack on the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City.
The Israeli daily newspaper Maariv's website quoted Israeli security sources as saying last week that the prisoners swap should be expedited as they feared Israeli military action against the Gaza Strip might thwart the deal.
Israeli officials now believe this may have become a reality as Zahhar was likely to have been one of the Hamas leaders involved in brokering the deal.
During a trip to Egypt in late December, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian officials achieved progress towards a potential prisoner exchange agreement, which was to have included the release of Shalit
Egyptian mediators convinced Israeli authorities to release 200 long-term Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are leaders in Palestinian military organizations.
However Tuesday's Israeli military raids on the Gaza Strip that left 19 dead and scores injured is now casting doubt on whether such a deal can be reached.
Shalit was captured by armed Palestinian groups during fighting in the summer of 2006. Israel responded to the abduction by seizing hundreds of Palestinians, including dozens of members of the Palestinian Legislative Council who remain in Israeli prisons to this day.
The Israeli worries stem from the possibility that contact between both sides may be halted after the death of Husam Zahhar, who was killed by Israeli tank fire in an attack on the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City.
The Israeli daily newspaper Maariv's website quoted Israeli security sources as saying last week that the prisoners swap should be expedited as they feared Israeli military action against the Gaza Strip might thwart the deal.
Israeli officials now believe this may have become a reality as Zahhar was likely to have been one of the Hamas leaders involved in brokering the deal.
During a trip to Egypt in late December, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian officials achieved progress towards a potential prisoner exchange agreement, which was to have included the release of Shalit
Egyptian mediators convinced Israeli authorities to release 200 long-term Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are leaders in Palestinian military organizations.
However Tuesday's Israeli military raids on the Gaza Strip that left 19 dead and scores injured is now casting doubt on whether such a deal can be reached.
Shalit was captured by armed Palestinian groups during fighting in the summer of 2006. Israel responded to the abduction by seizing hundreds of Palestinians, including dozens of members of the Palestinian Legislative Council who remain in Israeli prisons to this day.
Hamas leader Zahhar buries his second son killed by Israeli forces
The Gaza-based daily newspaper Palestine Today published on Wednesday an image of senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar with tears in his eyes, as he bid farewell to his son Husam, who was killed in an Israeli raid on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
Husam was the second of Zahhar's son to be killed by the Israeli forces. His elder son, Khalid, was killed in 2003.
Husam Zahhar had undergone military training inside Palestine and abroad. He joined the Al-Qassam's elite unit who protect Hamas leaders.
Sources close to Mahmoud Zahhar said that after he heard the news of his son's death, he headed directly to the mortuary to kiss him for the last time. Isma'il Haniyeh, and other Hamas leaders were waiting at Zahar's house to offer condolences.
During Husam's funeral, Zahhar delivered a short speech to thousands of mourners, saying, "We do not send those young men to death for entertainment, or because we are hard-hearted. We are fathers and we realize very well what it means to lose a son. However, Palestine is dear and paradise is dearer, and liberation and dignity are much better than remaining under occupation."
"As I bid my most beloved one farewell, as I did with my elder son Khalid and other leaders before, I say that departure is very hard, yet what helps us remain patient is our prayers that God helps us remain steadfast. My vows to my sons and other 'martyrs' are that we will never give up until all of Palestine is free and we enter Jerusalem," he added.
Husam was the second of Zahhar's son to be killed by the Israeli forces. His elder son, Khalid, was killed in 2003.
Husam Zahhar had undergone military training inside Palestine and abroad. He joined the Al-Qassam's elite unit who protect Hamas leaders.
Sources close to Mahmoud Zahhar said that after he heard the news of his son's death, he headed directly to the mortuary to kiss him for the last time. Isma'il Haniyeh, and other Hamas leaders were waiting at Zahar's house to offer condolences.
During Husam's funeral, Zahhar delivered a short speech to thousands of mourners, saying, "We do not send those young men to death for entertainment, or because we are hard-hearted. We are fathers and we realize very well what it means to lose a son. However, Palestine is dear and paradise is dearer, and liberation and dignity are much better than remaining under occupation."
"As I bid my most beloved one farewell, as I did with my elder son Khalid and other leaders before, I say that departure is very hard, yet what helps us remain patient is our prayers that God helps us remain steadfast. My vows to my sons and other 'martyrs' are that we will never give up until all of Palestine is free and we enter Jerusalem," he added.
Two dead, number of injured in new Israeli strike on car in central Gaza City
Two Palestinians were killed and a number of others were injured in a second Israeli airstrike on a car in central Gaza City on Wednesday evening, bringing the total number of those killed in two Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday to five.
Israeli planes launched a missile at the Subaru as it was being driven along Salah Ad-Din Street in the city.
The director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry, Muawiya Hassanain, named those killed as Mohammed As-Safadi and Wael Ahl, both members of the An-Nasser Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees. He described the condition of some of the wounded as moderately serious.
Earlier on Wednesday, three Palestinians, including a fourteen-year-old boy, were killed and five others injured, two of them seriously, when Israeli forces targeted a car in central Gaza City on Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter that an Israeli helicopter fired missiles at a white car, destroying it completely.
Ma'an's reporter said the three victims are members of the same family. Palestinian medical sources named the victims as thirty-six-year-old 'Aamir Al-Yaziji, his twenty-four-year-old brother Muhammad and 'Aamir's fourteen-year-old son Amir.
Dr Hassanain said that two of the five people injured are in a serious condition.
The airstrike was a failed assassination attempt on the Brigades' missile command unit, according to the military spokesman of the An-Nasser Brigades.
He said that the missile command unit was targeted by Israeli aircraft, while they were undertaking a jihad mission in the Gaza Strip but that "almighty God's protection prevents them from being killed," when the Israeli missile hit the wrong target.
He threatened that the brigades would respond to the attack, calling on all brigades and resistance groups to attack Israeli forces in all Palestinian areas.
The latest attacks takes the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip to 24 in the past two days.
Israeli planes launched a missile at the Subaru as it was being driven along Salah Ad-Din Street in the city.
The director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian health ministry, Muawiya Hassanain, named those killed as Mohammed As-Safadi and Wael Ahl, both members of the An-Nasser Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees. He described the condition of some of the wounded as moderately serious.
Earlier on Wednesday, three Palestinians, including a fourteen-year-old boy, were killed and five others injured, two of them seriously, when Israeli forces targeted a car in central Gaza City on Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses told Ma'an's reporter that an Israeli helicopter fired missiles at a white car, destroying it completely.
Ma'an's reporter said the three victims are members of the same family. Palestinian medical sources named the victims as thirty-six-year-old 'Aamir Al-Yaziji, his twenty-four-year-old brother Muhammad and 'Aamir's fourteen-year-old son Amir.
Dr Hassanain said that two of the five people injured are in a serious condition.
The airstrike was a failed assassination attempt on the Brigades' missile command unit, according to the military spokesman of the An-Nasser Brigades.
He said that the missile command unit was targeted by Israeli aircraft, while they were undertaking a jihad mission in the Gaza Strip but that "almighty God's protection prevents them from being killed," when the Israeli missile hit the wrong target.
He threatened that the brigades would respond to the attack, calling on all brigades and resistance groups to attack Israeli forces in all Palestinian areas.
The latest attacks takes the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip to 24 in the past two days.
Israeli army kidnaps at least 24 from Nablus
Israeli military kidnaps 8 from Balata refugee camp
Israel destroys 40 dunams of land, 6 wells west of Hebron
Israel demolishes homes of 30 Palestinian Bedouins near Jerusalem
Israeli military kidnaps 8 from Balata refugee camp
Israel destroys 40 dunams of land, 6 wells west of Hebron
Israel demolishes homes of 30 Palestinian Bedouins near Jerusalem
Dr. Erekat calls on Israel to stop its offensives against the Palestinian People
Brigades bombard Israeli towns bordering Gaza Strip
Hamas calls for general strike in Palestinian territories on Wednesday in condemnation of Israeli attack in Gaza
Rocket attack on Sderot injures four, causes widespread power outage
Al-Aqsa Brigades launch projectile at Erez Crossing
Al-Aqsa Brigades claim projectile attack in response to Israeli invasion
DFLP's military wing confronts Israeli forces in Gaza
Al-Qassam Brigades 'shell Israeli position'
Brigades bombard Israeli towns bordering Gaza Strip
Hamas calls for general strike in Palestinian territories on Wednesday in condemnation of Israeli attack in Gaza
Rocket attack on Sderot injures four, causes widespread power outage
Al-Aqsa Brigades launch projectile at Erez Crossing
Al-Aqsa Brigades claim projectile attack in response to Israeli invasion
DFLP's military wing confronts Israeli forces in Gaza
Al-Qassam Brigades 'shell Israeli position'
15 jan 2008
Death toll in Gaza rises to 19 after new Israeli raid on Gaza City
Victim of Tuesday's massacre
The death toll in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday has risen to 19 after two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli raid into northern Gaza City on Tuesday evening.
Just hours after the Israeli withdrawal from the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, eyewitnesses said an Israeli rocket attack near the agricultural school left two people dead and several others injured.
Mu'awiyah Hassanein, the head of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry, said the injured were transferred to Beit Hanoun Hospital for treatment.
Earlier in the day Israeli tank fire killed 17 Palestinians, including five civilians and the son of senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar, in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City within four hours on Tuesday, witnesses and medics said. 13 of the dead are thought to be members of Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades.
An estimated 50 Palestinians were injured.
Eyewitnesses said that Palestinian fighters exchanged fire with Israeli tanks and armored vehicles as they slowly pushed towards the eastern Gaza City neighborhoods of Ash-Shuja'iyya and Zeitoun.
Witnesses also said that Israeli bulldozers destroyed farmers' groves in the area.
Separately, witnesses said that Israeli military vehicles invaded the industrial zone near the Erez border crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.
Civilian deaths
The Gaza-Based Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said that five Palestinian civilians were killed by what they called "indiscriminant" tank fire. According to PCHR, three farmers were killed: sixty-six-year-old As'ad Eissa Radwan Tafesh, twenty-two-year-old Marwan Sameer Ouda, and fifty-year-old Sa'id Mustafa al-Sammouni.
A Thirty-five-year-old car trader named Ayman Fadel Malaka, and a nineteen-year-old student named Abdul Salam Atiya Abu Laban, were also killed by Israeli fire, PCHR said.
Palestinian medics at Ash-Shifa hospital identified some of the dead resistance fighters: Rami Farahat, Ahid Ashur, Muhamad Abu Laban Badwan Auda, Khalil Mudallal, Mustafa Salim, Mustafa Yahya Silmi, and Khamis Abu Sawaween.
Zahhar reacts
Mahmoud Zahhar is one of Hamas' founders and served as Palestinan foreign minister from 2006 to 2007. In September 2003, Zahhar's other son Khaled was killed in an Israeli airstrike that completely destroyed Zahhar's home in Zeitoun.
"This is one of the results of the Bush visit. He encouraged the Israelis to kill our people," Zahhar told reporters.
"What is going on in Gaza today is a shame for all of those who cooperated with [US President George W.] Bush, the criminal, and with the Zionists," Zahar said. "I am talking about all kings, presidents and ministers," he said, in an apparent criticism of Arab leaders who met with Bush.
"We are telling them, today they are killing our sons, tomorrow they are going to kill yours."
PA condemns attack
The official spokesperson of the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil Abu Rdainah, condemned the Israeli attack in the name of the Palestinian Authority (PA), calling the incursion "brutal" and "a criminal act." He said that such attacks will weaken the position of Palestinian negotiators in talks with Israeli officials. He called on the Israeli government to stop impeding the peace process.
Meanwhile Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for shooting and killing a person in the Israeli kibbutz of Ein Hashlosha east of Al-Qarara in in the southern Gaza Strip.
PLO Central Council urges UN to stop Israeli aggression
The Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) concluded its two-day meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday night by calling on the larger PLO to stop Israeli aggression in the Palestinian territories and urging the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution in opposition to Israel's attacks.
The final statement of the "nationalist inalienable principles" meeting was read by Fatah spokesperson Ahmad Abdul-Rahman.
The Central Council welcomed, during the session, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' call for resuming dialogue with Hamas and "turning a new page in intra-Palestinian relations." It also called on Hamas to respond "positively" and relinquish control of the Gaza Strip as a step towards dialogue. Abbas also called on Hamas to accept early elections under a proportional representation framework.
The Council also called for reactivating the PLO's long-dormant institutions, reaffirming the PLO as the "sole legitimate representative" of the Palestinian people. They also stated their rejection of what they called "opposition conspiracies," including the Hamas-orgnized Damascus conference scheduled to begin on January 23rd.
The groups attending the Damascus meeting, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Resistance Committees, are not members of the PLO.
The Central Council also reaffirmed the decision from their last meeting in July to hasten the formation of a comprehensive Palestinian committee comprising the PLO's Executive Committee, the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian political factions.
It was also declared at the meeting that the recently held international conferences represent "a starting point" to bring the Palestinian question back to the top of the international agenda.
Israeli Settlers burn a Palestinian house and the Army up-root trees in Hebron
Israeli Settlers and troops attacked farmers and journalists in Bili'n village near Ramallah
Israeli military kidnaps at least 12 Palestinians from Nablus
The death toll in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday has risen to 19 after two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli raid into northern Gaza City on Tuesday evening.
Just hours after the Israeli withdrawal from the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, eyewitnesses said an Israeli rocket attack near the agricultural school left two people dead and several others injured.
Mu'awiyah Hassanein, the head of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry, said the injured were transferred to Beit Hanoun Hospital for treatment.
Earlier in the day Israeli tank fire killed 17 Palestinians, including five civilians and the son of senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar, in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City within four hours on Tuesday, witnesses and medics said. 13 of the dead are thought to be members of Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades.
An estimated 50 Palestinians were injured.
Eyewitnesses said that Palestinian fighters exchanged fire with Israeli tanks and armored vehicles as they slowly pushed towards the eastern Gaza City neighborhoods of Ash-Shuja'iyya and Zeitoun.
Witnesses also said that Israeli bulldozers destroyed farmers' groves in the area.
Separately, witnesses said that Israeli military vehicles invaded the industrial zone near the Erez border crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.
Civilian deaths
The Gaza-Based Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said that five Palestinian civilians were killed by what they called "indiscriminant" tank fire. According to PCHR, three farmers were killed: sixty-six-year-old As'ad Eissa Radwan Tafesh, twenty-two-year-old Marwan Sameer Ouda, and fifty-year-old Sa'id Mustafa al-Sammouni.
A Thirty-five-year-old car trader named Ayman Fadel Malaka, and a nineteen-year-old student named Abdul Salam Atiya Abu Laban, were also killed by Israeli fire, PCHR said.
Palestinian medics at Ash-Shifa hospital identified some of the dead resistance fighters: Rami Farahat, Ahid Ashur, Muhamad Abu Laban Badwan Auda, Khalil Mudallal, Mustafa Salim, Mustafa Yahya Silmi, and Khamis Abu Sawaween.
Zahhar reacts
Mahmoud Zahhar is one of Hamas' founders and served as Palestinan foreign minister from 2006 to 2007. In September 2003, Zahhar's other son Khaled was killed in an Israeli airstrike that completely destroyed Zahhar's home in Zeitoun.
"This is one of the results of the Bush visit. He encouraged the Israelis to kill our people," Zahhar told reporters.
"What is going on in Gaza today is a shame for all of those who cooperated with [US President George W.] Bush, the criminal, and with the Zionists," Zahar said. "I am talking about all kings, presidents and ministers," he said, in an apparent criticism of Arab leaders who met with Bush.
"We are telling them, today they are killing our sons, tomorrow they are going to kill yours."
PA condemns attack
The official spokesperson of the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil Abu Rdainah, condemned the Israeli attack in the name of the Palestinian Authority (PA), calling the incursion "brutal" and "a criminal act." He said that such attacks will weaken the position of Palestinian negotiators in talks with Israeli officials. He called on the Israeli government to stop impeding the peace process.
Meanwhile Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for shooting and killing a person in the Israeli kibbutz of Ein Hashlosha east of Al-Qarara in in the southern Gaza Strip.
PLO Central Council urges UN to stop Israeli aggression
The Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) concluded its two-day meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday night by calling on the larger PLO to stop Israeli aggression in the Palestinian territories and urging the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution in opposition to Israel's attacks.
The final statement of the "nationalist inalienable principles" meeting was read by Fatah spokesperson Ahmad Abdul-Rahman.
The Central Council welcomed, during the session, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' call for resuming dialogue with Hamas and "turning a new page in intra-Palestinian relations." It also called on Hamas to respond "positively" and relinquish control of the Gaza Strip as a step towards dialogue. Abbas also called on Hamas to accept early elections under a proportional representation framework.
The Council also called for reactivating the PLO's long-dormant institutions, reaffirming the PLO as the "sole legitimate representative" of the Palestinian people. They also stated their rejection of what they called "opposition conspiracies," including the Hamas-orgnized Damascus conference scheduled to begin on January 23rd.
The groups attending the Damascus meeting, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Resistance Committees, are not members of the PLO.
The Central Council also reaffirmed the decision from their last meeting in July to hasten the formation of a comprehensive Palestinian committee comprising the PLO's Executive Committee, the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian political factions.
It was also declared at the meeting that the recently held international conferences represent "a starting point" to bring the Palestinian question back to the top of the international agenda.
Israeli Settlers burn a Palestinian house and the Army up-root trees in Hebron
Israeli Settlers and troops attacked farmers and journalists in Bili'n village near Ramallah
Israeli military kidnaps at least 12 Palestinians from Nablus
14 jan 2008
Israeli officer: claim of 65 Palestinian deaths from Israeli siege "lies"
After Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip last June, Israel shut down all of the territory's border crossings, and the Palestinian Presidential Guards, who were the Israeli's counterparts in administering the crossings, withdrew.
A million and a half Gaza Strip residents have been trapped inside for over six months now. In September the Israeli tightened it's grip even further after branding the Strip an "enemy entity." Imports of food, medicine, commercial goods, and even fuel and electricity, have been severely curtailed. Denied access to Israeli hospitals, 65 Gazans have died as a result of inadequate medical treatment, Palestinian media have reported.
Ma'an's reporter went to Erez checkpoint, the main terminal connecting the Gaza Strip with Israel, to speak with Nir Press, the director of the Liaison office for the Gaza Strip.
Press disputed reports that Israeli Authorities have denied sick and wounded Gazans access to medical treatment. "Part of these allegations is lies," he said.
Press said that Gaza Strip residents, including medical patients can be granted travel permits, except those involved in what he called "terrorism." He called on the Palestinian media to address this issue and let the residents of the Gaza Strip know "the truth," and realize that their situation will not improve as long as "terrorism" prevails in the Strip.
Press said that of the 65 reported deaths of patients turned away from Erez crossing, 20 received medical treatment in Israeli hospitals and several did not apply for permits at all.
The Israeli official accused Muawiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry and PLC member Jamal Al-Khudari, chief of the Palestinian Committee for Countering the Siege on Gaza Strip, of spreading false information.
A million and a half Gaza Strip residents have been trapped inside for over six months now. In September the Israeli tightened it's grip even further after branding the Strip an "enemy entity." Imports of food, medicine, commercial goods, and even fuel and electricity, have been severely curtailed. Denied access to Israeli hospitals, 65 Gazans have died as a result of inadequate medical treatment, Palestinian media have reported.
Ma'an's reporter went to Erez checkpoint, the main terminal connecting the Gaza Strip with Israel, to speak with Nir Press, the director of the Liaison office for the Gaza Strip.
Press disputed reports that Israeli Authorities have denied sick and wounded Gazans access to medical treatment. "Part of these allegations is lies," he said.
Press said that Gaza Strip residents, including medical patients can be granted travel permits, except those involved in what he called "terrorism." He called on the Palestinian media to address this issue and let the residents of the Gaza Strip know "the truth," and realize that their situation will not improve as long as "terrorism" prevails in the Strip.
Press said that of the 65 reported deaths of patients turned away from Erez crossing, 20 received medical treatment in Israeli hospitals and several did not apply for permits at all.
The Israeli official accused Muawiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry and PLC member Jamal Al-Khudari, chief of the Palestinian Committee for Countering the Siege on Gaza Strip, of spreading false information.
Israeli bombing leaves three Palestinians dead in Gaza
Monday's funeral for Nidal Al-Amudi
Three Palestinian activists were killed on Sunday evening when Israeli warplanes bombed a car near the home of deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Isma'il Haniyeh in Ash-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Palestinian sources at Ash-Shifa hospital said.
According to the sources, two other activists were seriously injured in the same attack, sustaining massive burns.
The spokesperson of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, Abu Al-Walid identified the deceased as thirty-five-year-old Nidal Al-Amudi, who was the main target of the raid, and Mahir Al-Mabhuh who was affiliated to the Army of Islam and twenty-five-year-old Hammuda Rizqa.
The Al-Aqsa Brigades are the armed wing of Fatah.
While leaders talk peace, three Palestinians killed by Israeli missile
Three Palestinians were killed early Monday morning when Israeli army jet fighters attacked a car near the house of Hamas leader and deposed Palestinian Primer Isma'il Haniyya, located in Gaza city. The attack came just as Palestinian and Israeli leaders were set to meet and discuss peace terms in Jerusalem. Witnesses said that they saw three men driving a car near Haniyya's home when jet fighters fired two missiles at the car.
Medical sources stated that one of the men died in the attack while the other two died later in the hospital. The medical sources identified two of the men as; Nidal Al Amodi, 35, Maher Al Mabhoh, while the identity of the third man is still unknown due to the severe burns on his face .
Palestinian sources in Gaza announced on Monday morning that the three men killed were resistance fighters from Al Islam, a new Islamic resistance group in the Gaza strip.
Three Palestinian activists were killed on Sunday evening when Israeli warplanes bombed a car near the home of deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Isma'il Haniyeh in Ash-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Palestinian sources at Ash-Shifa hospital said.
According to the sources, two other activists were seriously injured in the same attack, sustaining massive burns.
The spokesperson of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, Abu Al-Walid identified the deceased as thirty-five-year-old Nidal Al-Amudi, who was the main target of the raid, and Mahir Al-Mabhuh who was affiliated to the Army of Islam and twenty-five-year-old Hammuda Rizqa.
The Al-Aqsa Brigades are the armed wing of Fatah.
While leaders talk peace, three Palestinians killed by Israeli missile
Three Palestinians were killed early Monday morning when Israeli army jet fighters attacked a car near the house of Hamas leader and deposed Palestinian Primer Isma'il Haniyya, located in Gaza city. The attack came just as Palestinian and Israeli leaders were set to meet and discuss peace terms in Jerusalem. Witnesses said that they saw three men driving a car near Haniyya's home when jet fighters fired two missiles at the car.
Medical sources stated that one of the men died in the attack while the other two died later in the hospital. The medical sources identified two of the men as; Nidal Al Amodi, 35, Maher Al Mabhoh, while the identity of the third man is still unknown due to the severe burns on his face .
Palestinian sources in Gaza announced on Monday morning that the three men killed were resistance fighters from Al Islam, a new Islamic resistance group in the Gaza strip.
Israeli army issues demolition order for Palestinian water well
Army attack villages near Nablus and kidnaps three civilians
Jihad Jibril Brigades claim projectile attack
Al-Qassam Brigades 'shell Israeli vehicles'
Army attack villages near Nablus and kidnaps three civilians
Jihad Jibril Brigades claim projectile attack
Al-Qassam Brigades 'shell Israeli vehicles'
13 jan 2008
Shin Bet chief: Israel has killed 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza since 2005
The Israeli military has killed approximately 1,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the last two years, Israeli internal intelligence chief Yuval Diskin told the Israeli cabinet on Sunday.
Diskin, who heads the Shin Bet intelligence agency claimed that all 1,000 victims were "terrorists," or about 5% of an estimated 20,000 Palestinian fighters.
Diskin urged the government to "change the method of action so that the attrition warfare against Sderot and the Gaza vicinity communities will cease."
The Israeli military frequently bombs and invades the Gaza Strip in response to a constant barrage of homemade Palestinian projectiles that are fired from the Gaza Strip into neighboring Israeli towns and military positions, rarely causing any casualties. Between 2004 and 2006, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem reported, 14 Israeli civilians were killed by Palestinian projectiles.
Diskin, who heads the Shin Bet intelligence agency claimed that all 1,000 victims were "terrorists," or about 5% of an estimated 20,000 Palestinian fighters.
Diskin urged the government to "change the method of action so that the attrition warfare against Sderot and the Gaza vicinity communities will cease."
The Israeli military frequently bombs and invades the Gaza Strip in response to a constant barrage of homemade Palestinian projectiles that are fired from the Gaza Strip into neighboring Israeli towns and military positions, rarely causing any casualties. Between 2004 and 2006, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem reported, 14 Israeli civilians were killed by Palestinian projectiles.
Report: Israel plotting to assassinate top Hamas leaders
The London-based Al-Hayat newspaper quoted an anonymous Palestinian official saying that a European country had told Hamas leaders that Israel decided to assassinate Hamas' three top leaders, Isma'il Haniyeh, Khalid Mash'al and Mahmoud Az-Zahhar.
According to the source, Israel had delayed the assassination until the end of US president George Bush's visit to the region. He also said that Hamas and the de facto government in the Gaza Strip are taking the issue seriously, imposing intensive security to protect their leaders.
In the same regard, Al-Hayat quoted Hamas security sources as saying that they thwarted an explosion in the park where deposed Prime Minister Haniyeh was honoring the Gazan hajj pilgrims. They said a young Palestinian man was arrested holding a bag containing three kilograms of TNT, which was designed to kill Haniyeh.
According to the source, Israel had delayed the assassination until the end of US president George Bush's visit to the region. He also said that Hamas and the de facto government in the Gaza Strip are taking the issue seriously, imposing intensive security to protect their leaders.
In the same regard, Al-Hayat quoted Hamas security sources as saying that they thwarted an explosion in the park where deposed Prime Minister Haniyeh was honoring the Gazan hajj pilgrims. They said a young Palestinian man was arrested holding a bag containing three kilograms of TNT, which was designed to kill Haniyeh.
12 jan 2008
Israeli airstrike kills two Palestinians, injures six
Israeli warplanes killed two Hamas fighters and wounded at least six other Palestinians during an air raid on a military installation belonging to Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, near the Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Saturday evening.
Witnesses said the Israeli aircraft fired three missiles at the military site.
Mu'awiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the deaths of Mansour Albraim, and Ayed Abu Abed, both fighters with the Al-Qassam Brigades. They had been taken to Nasser hospital.
Witnesses said the Israeli aircraft fired three missiles at the military site.
Mu'awiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the deaths of Mansour Albraim, and Ayed Abu Abed, both fighters with the Al-Qassam Brigades. They had been taken to Nasser hospital.
Israeli army vehicle ran over a Palestinian child near Nablus city
Local sources in the northern West Bank city of Nablus reported that an Israeli army vehicle ran over a Palestinian child at the southern entrance of the city.
Jihan Samara was crossing the street with her mother when an Israeli army jeep ran her over, witnesses said.
Medical sources said that the girl sustained fractures to her legs and bruises all over her body.
Witnesses added that the Israeli army jeep rushed at the child and her mother without any reason, the soldier did not stop the jeep but rushed away from the incident area. Bystanders called an ambulance which arrived and took the child to the hospital in Nablus city.
Local sources in the northern West Bank city of Nablus reported that an Israeli army vehicle ran over a Palestinian child at the southern entrance of the city.
Jihan Samara was crossing the street with her mother when an Israeli army jeep ran her over, witnesses said.
Medical sources said that the girl sustained fractures to her legs and bruises all over her body.
Witnesses added that the Israeli army jeep rushed at the child and her mother without any reason, the soldier did not stop the jeep but rushed away from the incident area. Bystanders called an ambulance which arrived and took the child to the hospital in Nablus city.
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian family in Hebron, wounding 12
12 Palestinians were injured and four detained in the West Bank city of Hebron after Israeli settlers invaded and attacked a private Palestinian home on Saturday.
Witnesses said that 70 settlers from the Kiryat Arba colony broke into the Abu S'eifan family home, beating the residents with clubs and other objects.
Jamal Abu S'eifan said that the family attempted to defend itself before Israeli soldiers arrived, deploying tear gas. Abu S'eifan said that this only made it easier for the settlers to attack.
According to Abu S'eifan, three children were injured. He said the Israeli military blocked Palestinian ambulances from reaching the house.
Settlers open fire on international human right activists near Hebron
Sources in the city of Hebron told IMEMC that a group of international human rights activists were working near an illegal Jewish settlement outpost called Ma'on when a group of armed settlers opened fire at them at midday on Saturday.
According to the sources none of the international workers were injured or harmed and the armed settlers fled from the area shortly after the attack.
The southern West Bank city of Hebron and adjacent Palestinian villages are totally surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements around and inside the old city of Hebron.
Israeli human rights groups say that the Israeli settlers in Hebron are armed and dangerous; they are also provided with protection by the Israeli army.
In related news, a group of Israeli human rights activists and Palestinian villagers held a peaceful protest near the illegal Israeli settlement of Karmah Sur, located near the Palestinian village of Beit Omer near Hebron city.
The protest took place at the main gate of the settlement; Israeli troops arrived there and forced the protesters away using rifle butts and tear gas. No injuries were reported.
Witnesses said that 70 settlers from the Kiryat Arba colony broke into the Abu S'eifan family home, beating the residents with clubs and other objects.
Jamal Abu S'eifan said that the family attempted to defend itself before Israeli soldiers arrived, deploying tear gas. Abu S'eifan said that this only made it easier for the settlers to attack.
According to Abu S'eifan, three children were injured. He said the Israeli military blocked Palestinian ambulances from reaching the house.
Settlers open fire on international human right activists near Hebron
Sources in the city of Hebron told IMEMC that a group of international human rights activists were working near an illegal Jewish settlement outpost called Ma'on when a group of armed settlers opened fire at them at midday on Saturday.
According to the sources none of the international workers were injured or harmed and the armed settlers fled from the area shortly after the attack.
The southern West Bank city of Hebron and adjacent Palestinian villages are totally surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements around and inside the old city of Hebron.
Israeli human rights groups say that the Israeli settlers in Hebron are armed and dangerous; they are also provided with protection by the Israeli army.
In related news, a group of Israeli human rights activists and Palestinian villagers held a peaceful protest near the illegal Israeli settlement of Karmah Sur, located near the Palestinian village of Beit Omer near Hebron city.
The protest took place at the main gate of the settlement; Israeli troops arrived there and forced the protesters away using rifle butts and tear gas. No injuries were reported.
UK officials concerned over the Israeli fuel cuts on Gaza
Israel bars international peace activists from entering the Palestinian territories
Patient number 70 dies due to the Israeli siege on Gaza
Israel bars international peace activists from entering the Palestinian territories
Patient number 70 dies due to the Israeli siege on Gaza
Al-Aqsa Brigades claim projectile attack
Abu Ali Mustafa brigades launch 10 projectiles at Sderot
An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades target Sderot
Abu Ali Mustafa brigades launch 10 projectiles at Sderot
An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades target Sderot
11 jan 2008
Israeli gunboats and apache aircraft bomb targets in southern Gaza
Israeli gunboats shelled a Palestinian boat near the shores of Tel Sultan, south of the Gaza Strip, on Friday.
Mu'awiyah Hassanain, director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry said there were no casualties in the incident, but the bombing resulted in the total destruction of the boat.
Apache aircraft also launched two missiles at an open area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported.
Mu'awiyah Hassanain, director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry said there were no casualties in the incident, but the bombing resulted in the total destruction of the boat.
Apache aircraft also launched two missiles at an open area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported.
Peace activist injured in anti-separation wall demonstration south of Bethlehem
An international peace activist was injured on Friday during a demonstration in the village of Mu'asara south of Bethlehem, against the separation wall.
Muhammad Briggieh, campaign coordinator, said the activist was wounded when Israeli soldiers began beating him with batons.
About 150 people - local Palestinians and peace activists took part in the demonstration organized in condemnation at US President George W. Bush's visit to the Palestinian territories.
Mazen Al-Arra, the coordinator of the Palestinian National Initiative in Bethlehem, stressed the need to continue the struggle to remove the Israeli separation wall that prevents families from visiting their relatives and farmers from tending their land.
He added that Bush and his administration are one of the key supporters of Israel, accusing them of providing financial support for the construction of settlements.
Muhammad Briggieh, campaign coordinator, said the activist was wounded when Israeli soldiers began beating him with batons.
About 150 people - local Palestinians and peace activists took part in the demonstration organized in condemnation at US President George W. Bush's visit to the Palestinian territories.
Mazen Al-Arra, the coordinator of the Palestinian National Initiative in Bethlehem, stressed the need to continue the struggle to remove the Israeli separation wall that prevents families from visiting their relatives and farmers from tending their land.
He added that Bush and his administration are one of the key supporters of Israel, accusing them of providing financial support for the construction of settlements.
Israeli troops take over airwaves of local Gaza radio station; broadcast threats
The Israeli army stormed the studios of a local radio station in Gaza City on Friday and broadcast threats that military operations against the people of the Gaza Strip will continue as long as Palestinian rockets continue to be fired at towns in southern Israel.
An Israeli army spokesman said, "the Palestinian factions continue firing rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel and the Israeli army will not keep silent."
He also added that the troops will capture all those who are involved in launching such rockets.
An Israeli army spokesman said, "the Palestinian factions continue firing rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel and the Israeli army will not keep silent."
He also added that the troops will capture all those who are involved in launching such rockets.
Al-Quds brigades fire on Israeli military checkpoint south of Jenin
Al-Aqsa brigades launch two projectiles at Israeli kibbutz
Brigades attack Israeli military base
An-Nasser brigades launch projectile at Israeli military base
Al-Aqsa brigades launch two projectiles at Israeli kibbutz
Brigades attack Israeli military base
An-Nasser brigades launch projectile at Israeli military base
10 jan 2008
Israeli artillery fire on northern Gaza leaves two Palestinians dead
Two Palestinians including a woman have been reportedly killed and three others wounded Wednesday when the Israeli artillery opened heavy fire towards a gathering of Palestinians near a house in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoun. Witnesses said that the Israeli fire hit Palestinian-owned house in the city, where a group of people were gathering just close to the house.
Medical sources confirmed the death of Khadra Wahdan, a woman of her twenties and Mohammad aLkafarna, a 16-year-old teen, as well as the injury of three others in the latest Israei shelling.
Earlier in the day , the Israeli army fire claimed the life of one Palestinian fighter and injured six others during an attack on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahya.
Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahyia are the closest destinations to the northern Gaza-Israel border line, where Israeli army claims Palestinian resistance groups launch homemade shells onto nearby Israeli towns.
Israeli army , over the past week, has killed more than twenty Palestinians, a number of whom were civilians inside homes, during attacks on different parts of the Hamas-run coastal territory.
The latest deaths come as Gorge W. Bush of the United States, has just started a visit to the region in a bid to push stalled Palestinian-Israeli peace process, relaunched by Washington in November 2007.
In September, 2007, Israel declared Gaza a 'hostile entity' and in October it began a series of 'apparently' punitive measures, including fuel supplies cut, Israel says are intended at stopping homemade shells fire.
In June2007, Israel imposed a complete closure on Gaza, right after Hamas took over the coastal region amidst a power struggle with Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas who favors peace with Israel.
According to Palestinian media sources, Palestinian death toll is estimated at 5.500 men, women and children, since the outbreak of Palestinian uprising
(Intifada) in September,2000, as the peace process deadlocked.
Two Palestinians including a woman have been reportedly killed and three others wounded Wednesday when the Israeli artillery opened heavy fire towards a gathering of Palestinians near a house in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoun. Witnesses said that the Israeli fire hit Palestinian-owned house in the city, where a group of people were gathering just close to the house.
Medical sources confirmed the death of Khadra Wahdan, a woman of her twenties and Mohammad aLkafarna, a 16-year-old teen, as well as the injury of three others in the latest Israei shelling.
Earlier in the day , the Israeli army fire claimed the life of one Palestinian fighter and injured six others during an attack on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahya.
Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahyia are the closest destinations to the northern Gaza-Israel border line, where Israeli army claims Palestinian resistance groups launch homemade shells onto nearby Israeli towns.
Israeli army , over the past week, has killed more than twenty Palestinians, a number of whom were civilians inside homes, during attacks on different parts of the Hamas-run coastal territory.
The latest deaths come as Gorge W. Bush of the United States, has just started a visit to the region in a bid to push stalled Palestinian-Israeli peace process, relaunched by Washington in November 2007.
In September, 2007, Israel declared Gaza a 'hostile entity' and in October it began a series of 'apparently' punitive measures, including fuel supplies cut, Israel says are intended at stopping homemade shells fire.
In June2007, Israel imposed a complete closure on Gaza, right after Hamas took over the coastal region amidst a power struggle with Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas who favors peace with Israel.
According to Palestinian media sources, Palestinian death toll is estimated at 5.500 men, women and children, since the outbreak of Palestinian uprising
(Intifada) in September,2000, as the peace process deadlocked.
Israeli military issues demolition orders to residents of Kherbet Taweel
Israeli military kidnaps three Palestinians in the West Bank
Israeli military kidnaps three Palestinians in the West Bank
Israeli military jams Palestinian radio with propaganda
Hamas fighters active in Gaza Strip
Al-Quds Brigades fire two mortars at Israeli military post
Palestinian military groups launch mortars at Israeli targets
Hamas fighters active in Gaza Strip
Al-Quds Brigades fire two mortars at Israeli military post
Palestinian military groups launch mortars at Israeli targets