Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Tuesday January 9th, 2007|| Click the link to download MP3 File <a href="http://portland.indymedia.org/media/media/2007/01/351848.mp3">http://portland.indymedia.org/media/media/2007/01/351848.mp3</a> || Time:4m 45s ||
The Israeli army critically injures one Palestinian youth on the eastern side of Gaza city, and abducts scores of Palestinians in the West Bank, those stories and more coming up stay tuned.
The Gaza Update
Samir Al Madhon, 17, was critically wounded after Israeli soldiers opened fire at him near the border in the eastern side of Gaza city on Tuesday afternoon.
Medical sources reported that the young man was moved to a nearby hospital were he's in critical condition due to live round hits to his knees.
Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers stationed in an army post near to Beit Hanoun crossing east of Gaza opened fire at Al Modhon while standing near the concrete wall of the crossing and injured him.
Also in the Gaza strip, the Israeli army closed the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza strip after opening it for a few days during the holidays, the Rafah Border crossing was closed shortly after the Palestinian resistance took prisoner the Israeli soldier Gli'ad Shalet on June 2006. The Rafah crossing is the only way for Palestinians to get in or out of the Gaza strip.
The West Bank Update
Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli army has abducted 29 Palestinians from several parts of the West Bank on Tuesday morning, among them several children. In the villages of Abu Dis and Al Azariah, east of Jerusalem, the central West Bank Israeli army attacked residents' houses, searched and ransacked them before leaving and abducting six residents on Tuesday at dawn.
Residents identified those abducted as, Montaser Dandan, 15, Ahmad Dandan, 15, Murad Rabi'e, 18, Tha'er Rabi'e, 18 Samih Rabi'e, 18; all five from Abu Dis village, while Ala Al Omreen, 25, was abducted from his house in Al Azariah village.
The families of the detainees said that soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded their sons and beat them up before abducting them and moving them to unknown Israeli military detention camp. Elsewhere, in the northern part of the West Bank, south of Nablus city, Israeli soldiers stationed at the Howara military checkpoint attacked and beaten up a 15 year-old Palestinian boy and abducted him.
Also in the northern part of the West Bank the Israeli army abducted eight Palestinian men from the city of Tulkarem. Israeli soldiers and vehicles stormed Al Shuka neighborhood in the eastern side of Tulkarem on Tuesday at dawn. Near Jenin city in the northern part of the West Bank, Israeli troops invaded the town of Qabatiya. Backed with an army bulldozer; soldiers stormed and ransacked a number of houses including the house of Mohamed Nazal.
Eyewitnesses stated that soldiers destroyed the front wall of Nazal's home before entering and searching it, then abducted Nazal. Also during the invasion, troops abducted Samier Nazal, 13, after searching and ransacking his family's house.
At lest 15 Israeli army vehicles invaded Al Saf Street in down town Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank, surrounded one house and abducted three brothers, on Tuesday midday. Local sources told IMEMC that the surrounded house belongs to Eyad Kamel, said to be Aqsa brigades of Fatah activist, soldiers searched the houses along with neighboring houses and abducted Eyad 30, and two of his brothers Ra'ed, 32 and Mohamed, 22 and moved them to an unknown military detention camp.
The Israeli forces abducted, also on Tuesday morning, seven Palestinian men among them three from the same family during a house to house search campaign in several parts of the southern West Bank city of Hebron and neighboring villages.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org brought to you by Jane Smith and Ghassan Bannoura.
