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Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org for Monday August 21st, 2006.
Four residents were injured including two children in Gaza, Two residents from the West Bank city of Tulkarem escaped an assassination attempt. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
Gaza update
Four residents were injured, including two children from an unknown explosion west of Rafah city in the Gaza Strip Monday afternoon. Local medical sources identified the four as; Yihia Aiash, 3, his older brother Mo’taz, 13, Adel Abu Al Owf, 40 and Khader AL Bel’awi, 32. Eyewitnesses said that the source of the explosion was an unidentified object found near the Israeli settlement of Badlowa, which had been evacuated in the disengagement plan.
Israeli army troops occupying the international Gaza airport installed surveillance cameras on Monday. Security sources said that by installing those cameras the army will tighten its hold on the airport area and could control a wide range of surrounding areas. Meanwhile army bulldozers continued today to bulldoze farm lands located around the airport area. The Israeli army occupied the airport last July. It has been out of service since the beginning of the second Intifada that started nearly six years ago due to Israeli shilling that targeted the runways and buildings of the airport.
Mager Hithem Sha’ban, a top officer of Palestinian security, was attacked by unknown gunmen who stole his car and injured two of his guards on Monday at noon. Palestinian security sources reported that the unknown gunmen ambushed him while he was on his way to work. Palestinian police chased the gunmen and clashed with them. After a short gun fight the police officers managed to retrieve the car, but the gunmen escaped unharmed and they left behind some machineguns, Palestinian police reported. The two injured were moved to a nearby hospital with moderate wounds; Mager Sha’ban escaped unharmed.
Also on Monday morning the Israeli army claimed that its troops stationed at Kitsofem border crossing in the eastern Gaza Strip injured four Palestinian resistors. The Israeli newspaper Yideot Ahranot reported that the army fired their heavy machine guns at a group of Palestinian resistors who were trying to fire homemade shells; four were injured. Palestinian medical sources said that Israeli tanks stationed at the borders of Gaza continued to shell residential areas on Monday in several parts of the Gaza strip, causing the injury of six civilians.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian resistance group belonging to Fatah claimed responsibility for firing three homemade Qassam shells at the Kitsofem border crossing. The group did not mention any injuries among its men in the press release issued Monday morning in the Gaza strip.
The West Bank Update
Two residents from the West Bank city of Tulkarem escaped an assassination attempt by the Israeli army while the army took 10 prisoners in several other areas of the West Bank on Monday.
The army attacked the house of these two residents, whose names remain unknown, in the early hours of the morning in an attempt to kill them. They managed to escape with no harm, local sources reported. The army clamed that they are Fatah activists Maan news reported.
Meanwhile, another force stormed residents’ homes in the city of Tulkarem and arrested five residents after searching and ransacking their houses, eyewitnesses reported. In separate invasions to the West Bank cites of Bethlehem, Ramallah, Hebron and Nablus the army took five residents calming that they are Intifada activists which razzed the total number of arrests by the Israeli army to 10 residents on Monday morning.
The Israeli army took two prisoners during g an invasion to the West Bank city of Nablus Monday at dawn. The invasion targeted Balata refugee camp and the nearby village of Rojeep in which troops stormed residents’ homes and ransacked their belongings, local sources reported. The two were known as Iesser Al Ka’bi, 18 and Ahmad Dowikat, 22. Both were taken to unknown locations and the army gave no reason for the abduction of the two civilians. Meanwhile, army troops closed, on Monday at noon, the main Nablus road which connects the southern West Bank cities.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli soldiers closed the road near the Howwara checkpoint and the intersection of Yetshar Israeli settlement in the area. Shouting and army movement in the area were heard, but difficult to identify due to the scores of cars and civilians forced to stop there, the eyewitnesses added. Yesterday Israeli soldiers chased and killed one Palestinian worker and injured three after shooting at their car when they were using the nearby farm road.
Eyad Sha’alan, a resident of Deheisha refugee camp in city of Bethlehem, was detained and attacked late Sunday evening by Israeli army troops stationed at the main checkpoint at the city entrance. Soldiers stopped him at the checkpoint as he returned from work in Jerusalem, checked his ID card, and started to beat him with clubs and rifle buts. Medical sources in the city said the man sustained several cuts and bruises all over his body and was moved to the public hospital in the city.
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 Ana Maria & Ghassan Bannoura
