Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 4.56MB || Time 5m 0sWelcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Tuesday April 3rd, 2007.
A Palestinian child was injured by Israeli army fire in central Gaza strip and seven are injured in the West Bank during an army invasion to Nablus, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.
The Gaza Update
Palestinian medical sources reported that a Palestinian child was shot and wounded by the Israeli army in the Johr Eldeik village in central Gaza Strip. The sources said that Hani Almodamer, 13, was hit with shrapnel in his head after having come under Israeli army fire.
Almodamer was admitted to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the central town of Deir Elbalah and his condition is stable. Johr Eldeik village is situated close to the Gaza-Israel border.
A group of Gunmen from the same family took over the municipality building belonging to Al Fokharia town near Khan Younis city in the southern part of the Gaza strip on Tuesday morning. The group stormed the building then forced all employees out; the gunmen then took over the roof and threatened to open fire at anyone who tries to approach the building. The gunmen stated that they want some of their relatives to be assigned jobs in the Palestinian Authority security forces.
On Monday night, undercover forces from the Israeli army invaded Al Atatra area, west of Beit Lahia town, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The invasion came after several Israeli leaders, including Israeli Defense Ministers, started talking about “limited operations in the Gaza Strip”.
The sources stated that undercover forces were deployed near Al Waha tourist resort at the Beit Lahia beach, while military helicopters were seen flying over the area. No attacks or abductions were reported during the invasion, the sources added. The invasion came as the Israeli Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, authorized the army to carry military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The West Bank Update
Six civilians and one Palestinian resistance fighter were injured when Israeli troops invaded Balata refugee camp, located in the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday morning.
Ahmad Sanaqra, 22, from the Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, was injured with several live rounds in different parts of his body during clashes between the invading Israeli troops and local resistance fighters. He was moved to a hospital in Nablus with critical wounds, the six civilians sustained light wounds, medical sources reported.
Palestinian journalists’ protests over the continued abduction of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston in Gaz,a continues for the third consecutive week. In Ramallah today, the journalists boycotted a meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and the president of the U.S Congress, Nanci Pelosi, complying with the journalist’s union call not to cover the Palestinian government’s activities.
Veteran BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, was kidnapped at a gunpoint in Gaza 21 days ago. Protesters demanded the Palestinian Authority to secure Johnston’s release and prevent future abductions. The Palestinian journalists union has urged Palestinian reporters to boycott the Palestinian government’s activities for three days, starting from Monday.
The union said that the kidnappers demanded a ransom in return for the release of Johnston, yet Palestinian government officials denied any demands have been made and said they would employ all means at their disposal to secure the release of the BBC correspondent.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the abduction and said this would harm the Palestinian people’s image. They also voiced willingness to work on freeing the BBC correspondent.
Protests in Gaza and Ramallah have been taking place over the past three weeks, demanding the immediate release of Johnston. According to the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights, 55 international journalists or workers have been kidnapped and released unharmed over the past three years.
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.
