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Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org for Tuesday August 8th, 2006
One child was shot and injured in Beit Lahia. Israel’s heavy artillery continued shelling northern parts of the Gaza Strip. Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in the southern Lebanese village of Labouna continued throughout the night, and the army continues to attack residents in the West Bank and take prisoners.
These stories and more coming up stay tuned.
The Gaza Update
One child was shot and injured in Beit Lahia, a town in the Gaza Strip Tuesday afternoon after being targeted by Israeli tanks. The boy, identified as Majdi Abu Jarad, was injured when army tanks open fired from their heavy machine guns towards his family’s home. He was immediately taken to Kamal Adwan hospital in the town, medical sources reported.
Israel’s heavy artillery continued shelling northern parts of the Gaza Strip Tuesday morning. The shelling targeted residential areas in Beit Lahia, Jabalia refugee camp and Beit Hanoun. No injuries were reported. Also Tuesday, 72-year-old Mohammad Salameh received notice to evacuate his home in southern Gaza Strip’s Khan Younis Refugee Camp. Israeli warplanes were overhead, intending to continue bombing the area. Determined neighbors stepped in to stand beside the family.
The elderly man is married with seven children, which include Nidal Salameh who was killed by Israeli forces years ago. His other children are grown and married and have a number of grandchildren. The three-story home, which was rebuilt in 1999, has nine apartments to house each family individually. In all, 40 children grew up in the home that was bombed and destroyed by the Israelis in 1980 during Nidal’s arrest.
Last Tuesday, the home was again threatened. This time Mohammad Salameh was informed via telephone. The Israelis called him and said they intended to destroy his home; therefore the family ought to vacate. Salameh told PNN this Tuesday, “I sit in the office near the family home. I wait and watch all of the aircraft flying in the skies over the camp. When I see the occupation planes, I do feel the impending destruction of our home.”
He also told PNN, “I was shocked at the news that we all were going to be forced from our home and then suddenly a large number of neighbors arrived from the camp and throughout Khan Younis. They came in solidarity and climbed up to the roof, creating a human chain in order to tell the Israeli warplanes that this house was not to be attacked." He added, “This shows the best in our people, in our feeling of togetherness, and the brave act deserves praise and appreciation. We are firm in our resolve to die in our home rather than give it up.
Lebanon Update
Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in the southern Lebanese village of Labouna continued throughout the night. Israeli soldiers killed seven Hezbollah fighters and captured five Lebanese believed to belong to Hezbollah.
Also in Labouna, two Israeli soldiers were killed and two were wounded, one slightly, in clashes with Hezbollah fighters early Tuesday.
Two Hezbollah fighters were killed in Bint Jbail and one soldier was seriously wounded Tuesday morning during intense fighting in the area between Eitroun and Bint Jbail. The fighting was a continuation from Monday night in which one Israeli soldier was killed and several others were wounded.
One person was killed and three were wounded in an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese village of Ghaziyeh while mourners were burying 15 relatives from the previous day’s attacks.
Another air strike buried three children, a teacher and the wife of Khalil Moussa after it hit a school in the village of Maaroub, east of Tyre in southern Lebanon.
Israeli military threatened Monday night to impose a 10 pm curfew on the residents living anywhere south of the Litani River.
Hezbollah rockets continue to hit targets in northern Israel, prompting the evacuation of 15,000 civilians from the most dangerous areas. Since the war started more than 1,000 Lebanese and 99 Israelis have died.
Dialogue on a ceasefire agreement continues at the United Nations Tuesday. Israel restated its demands that Hezbollah disarm, disband, and return the two soldiers it captured just before the conflict began. Olmert emphasized that there will be no limitations on the Israeli offensive as long as Hezbollah rockets continue to hit Israel. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government will not allow for an international peacekeeping force until Israel leaves the country. Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair expects that there will be an agreement by Wednesday.
The West Bank Update
Four residents, including the wife of a political prisoner, were taken prisoner during an Israeli invasion of the West Bank city of Nablus, Tuesday morning.
A massive army force stormed the city in the early hours of the morning and took Roaida Ewijan, wife of political prisoner Samer Ewijan, to an unknown location after surrounding her house in the old area of the city. Troops also searched several houses and took Maher Salam, 18, Azam Barakat, 22 and Maroof Dowekat, 23, to unknown locations.
Five residents were taken prisoner when Israeli army troops invaded the village of Taqua located east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem early Tuesday morning
All were taken to unknown destinations. Local residents said that troops conducted a wide scale search to the residents’ homes in the village before taking the five away.
Israeli army forces stormed Deheisha refugee camp, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem Tuesday morning and took one prisoner. Nader Abd Rabu, 24, who works as a security officer for the Palestinian Security Forces in the city, was taken to an unknown location when soldiers surrounded his house, stormed it and ransacked his family’s belongings.
Also The Israeli army conducted a wide scale military offensive in the village of Qabatia near the West Bank city of Jenin Tuesday morning, which led to the imprisonment of three residents and the injury of another two.
Meanwhile, Israeli army troops took Sami Ghawadra, 20, prisoner during an invasion to Bier Al Bash village near the West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday. Soldiers searched residents’ homes and their farms before arresting Ghawadra and taking him to an unknown location, eyewitnesses reported.
The Israeli army took one prisoner during an invasion of Qarowwit Beni Hasan village near Sulfit city in the West Bank late Monday night. The prisoner was identified as Aziz Marai, the General Secretary of Qarowwit Beni Hasan Charitable Educational Society.
Conclusion
Thanks for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today for the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org brought to you by Jacque Shoen, Stacie Miller & Ghassan Bannoura
