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Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org for Tuesday September 12th, 2006
The Palestinian Resistance killed an Israeli soldier in the Gaza strip today, while the Israeli army attacked West Bank cities taking scores of prisoners as well as killing a twelve year old child. These stories and more, coming up stay tuned.
The Gaza Update
Palestinian resistance fighters killed one Israeli soldier in the Gaza strip, and injured several others in clashes that erupted in the central Gaza Strip today.
The soldier was killed in the early morning in an exchange of gunfire with a group of Palestinian resistance fighters east of Deir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, when the Israeli forces invaded the area. Local sources reported that several army vehicles and bulldozers, backed up by a helicopter, stormed the town and had been bulldozing the land when the attack took place.
Israeli sources confirmed the killing of the soldier and said that he was transferred by helicopter to Soroka Hospital in the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva. The Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the operation.
Also on Tuesday, Eyad Abu Lilah, 17, was injured by Israeli army fire in Beit Lahia town, in the northern part of the Gaza strip in the morning. Sources at Kamal Adwan hospital reported that Abu Lilah sustained an injury in his right leg when Israeli tanks opened fire at residential areas near the security fence on the Israeli- Gazan border, located near the town.
Meanwhile on Tuesday at dawn, Israeli war planes destroyed a deserted house in Gaza city after targeting it with missiles. Local sources reported that an F16 jet fighter fired several missiles at the house, located in Al Thalathini neighborhood in central Gaza city, totally destroying the house. Medical teams and fire brigades rushed to the scene, no injuries were reported.
The Israeli army has been targeting civilian houses since the beginning of the 'Operation Summer Rain' offensive two months ago, killing at least 150 civilians in the last two months through the use of this tactic.
The West Bank Update
A large Israeli military force invaded the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Tuesday afternoon. Eyewitnesses said at least ten military vehicles entered the city from its northern entrance and moved towards the Church of the Nativity square, in the center of the city. Residents said the force included an army ambulance which is a sign that they were planning to abduct someone. Clashes erupted between the residents and the invading soldiers who fired sound bombs, rubber bullets, tear gas and live ammunition. Israeli soldiers killed Mohammad Shawariya 12, from the village of Rakhma near Bethlehem and injured two others.
Dr Rauf Azar, the director of the Beit Sahour medical center who supervised Shawariya's case:
"The boy arrived dead to the hospital, however, we tried to do a ressusitation, however there was a very strong hemorrhage. We expect his liver, and lung was penetrated by the bullet."
25-year-old Najah Bouja is currently in a critical condition suffering serious wound in his neck and shoulders.
Israeli troops invaded on Tuesday the village of Kafer Ni'ma, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, took five residents including two female university students, after breaking into several houses and searching them. Local sources in the village reported that soldiers broke into the houses of Effat Fakhri Khalifa, 21, a student at the Al Quds Open University, and Tahreer Jamil Thiab, 22, and took them to an unknown destination. Effat is the sister of Riyadh Fakhri Khalifa who was assassinated by Israeli troops last year.
The previous day Israeli troops broke into dozens of homes in the village, especially in the Old Neighborhood and conducted military searches of homes and took five other prisoners.. The army is still operating the village while soldiers are breaking into more homes and searching them, the village remains sealed and surrounded from all directions.
Amjad Al Tmeizy, 33, from Ithna village west of the West Bank city of Hebron, was taken prisoner by Israeli troops in a pre-dawn invasion of the village. Al Tmeizy, who is also a Palestinian security officer in Hebron, was taken to an unknown location after troops invaded the village, searched and ransacked several houses including his house, eyewitnesses reported.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Israeli forces invaded the village of Husan, near Bethlehem, and took four residents prisoners,. Local sources reported that troops invaded the village from several directions, then searched and ransacked several houses before taking the four to unknown locations. Three of the residents were identified as Ibrahim Al Arbadi, 23, Mohammed Shosha, 21, and his brother Ala' of 20 years.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today of the International Middle East Media Centre, imemc.org brought to you by James Brown, Dina Awwad & Ghassan Bannoura.
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