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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Tuesday October 4th, 2011

Palestinians organize activities in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and the Israeli military demolish a house in Hebron, these stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.

A special military forces of the Israeli Army broke into the Asqalan and Nafha prisons on Tuesday in an attempt to stop the ongoing hunger strike declared by Palestinian prisoners 8 days ago.

Palestinian detainees in several Israeli prisons started their hunger strike demanding the internationally guaranteed rights of prisoners and an end to Israeli attacks and solitary confinement policy used against them.

Palestinians in numerous West Bank cities and villages organized activities to support the prisoners in their demands. Palestinian official sources said that more events will be held during the coming days to support the prisoners in Israeli jails.

On his part, Palestinian Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs, Issa Qaraqe’, expected an increased Israeli response, especially in light of Netanyahu’s threats and calls to the Israeli prison administration to escalate measures against the Palestinian prisoners.

In the meantime, Hamas believes that the only way to release the Palestinian prisoners is by swapping them with Israeli prisoners. A Hamas senior leader called on the Palestinian resistance factions to abduct more Israeli soldiers and settlers in order to trade them for Palestinian political prisoners.

Khalil Al-Hayya, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau said on Monday, ‘The one and only solution is more resistance against the Israeli oppression, and more abduction of Israeli soldiers and settlers.’

In other news, two Palestinian sisters were injured on Tuesday when an Israeli settler hit them with his vehicle at the Huwwara Road, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Eyewitnesses said the settler was driving a pick-up truck hit the two sisters, Ahlam and Saja Hamad while they were on their way to school and sped up fleeing the scene.

Palestinian medical sources said the victims suffered bruises and fractures in addition to external wounds, that were described as moderate.

The Israeli military invaded the town of Halhoul north of Hebron and the town of ad-Dahreyeh south of Hebron and kidnapped three Palestinians Tuesday morning. The three were identified as, Hamouda al-Baw, Ali al-Sa’di, and Wa’el al-Arja.

In related news, a number of Israeli settlers stoned the house of the resident Mohammad Sadeq in the old city of Hebron, under cover of the Israeli army. In addition, the Army erected many military blockades in the city of Hebron and at the entrances of a number of villages, stopping the residents’ cars and checking their identities

Moreover, the Israeli army demolished a house and cowshed, bulldozed an olive orchard, and confiscated two mobile homes in the village of Beit Ola, northwest of Hebron.

Staying in Hebron, the Israeli military has also closed the Ibrahimi mosque, also known as the Tomb of the patriarchs and prevented Muslim worshipers from praying there, while allowed the Jewish settlers to enter freely.

Israeli soldiers control all entrances of the mosque and have placed metal detectors on the only entrance used by the Muslims in Hebron after the Israeli settler Dr. Baruch Goldshtein killed 29 muslim worshipers while praying in the mosque in 1995.

That was just some of the news from Palestine Today, for more updates; please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. This report has been brought to you by Hussam Qassis and me, George Rishmawi.