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Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org for Wednesday September 20th, 2006
One killed and a child dies of wounds sustained last month in the Gaza Strip, while in the West Bank the army attacks Palestinian financial institutions, stealing millions. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.
The Gaza update
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Wednesday that one resident was killed and another was injured after the Israeli army fired a tank shell at a group of residents who were gathered together at the border line in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The sources stated that the body of resident Omar Abu Jarad, 23, was severely mutilated as a result of the blast. One resident was moderately injured in the blast. An Israeli military source claimed that the two residents came close to an area used by resistance fighters as a launching pad for homemade shells.
Sources added that troops fired in response to the firing of a homemade Qassam shell towards the Western Negev, which hit a Kibbutz, moderately injuring a 15-year-old Bedouin from Rahat. Another homemade shell hit a farm in the Eretz area. Earlier on Wednesday, a 15-year old child from Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, succumbed to wounds she suffered last month. Hanan Abu Odah was injured when the Israeli army open fired at her and her family, killing her father and brother. Her younger sister was injured by three bullets while Hanan was hit by eight rounds of live ammunition.
Wednesday at dawn Israeli jet fighters fired several missiles at the home of Fatehi Jaradat leveling it to the ground. Jaradat said that the army called him and told him to leave the house. The houses was attacked several minutes after the phone call. Israeli army sources claimed that the house was being used to store weapons.
The West Bank Update
The Israeli army invaded several cities in the West Bank and broke into money changers' shops and banks, confiscating some 1.5 million USD, on Wednesday morning. The seizure of cash comes after months of siege by the Israeli authorities, who are attempting to 'starve out' the Palestinian people for the results of their democratic election in January. The army invaded the West Bank cities of Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem and Ramallah at about the same time.
In Jenin, at least 30 military vehicles invaded the city and surrounded a money exchange shop that belongs to Mohammad Nasser. Nasser told Palestine News Network that troops also took him by force from his house to his shop and blew up the door of the shop and took all the money from the vault. He added that the soldiers took almost 1.2 million shekels (nearly 250 thousand USD).
Troops also invaded two other exchange shops, taking money and computers. In Nablus, Israeli soldiers backed by more than 25 military vehicles, invaded the National Jordanian Bank and five money exchange shops. Local sources said that troops destroyed the contents of the bank and the shops and took all the money from the shops and took prisoner one of the workers. The man was identified as 40-year-old Ghaleb Sweidan. Abdullatif Nassif, the manager of the bank said they will sue the Israeli army for damaging the bank's property. He added that the damage is estimated to be five hundred thousand dollars.
Troops also blew up the vault in one of these shops. The shop along with its contents caught fire as a result of the explosion. Palestinian fighters arrived at the scene after the army pulled out and stopped the fire. Resistance fighters in Nablus clashed with Israeli troops and blew up an explosive device in Al-Salam street. No injuries were reported.
In Tulkarem, the Israeli army took money from exchange shops and took prisoner three residents, identified as Ibrahim and Qassem Haseeb and Kamal Thiab.
Meanwhile, in Ramallah, troops invaded Al-Ajouli money exchange shop and other shops, taking all of the money. The Israeli army declared that they invaded the 24 money exchange shops in the West Bank because they apparently provide money for what they called “terrorist groups.”
Wednesday morning Bashar Bsharat, 24, was taken to an unknown location by the Israeli army troops after invading Tamon village near the West Bank city of Tubas. Israeli troops and army jeeps invaded the village and searched several homes before leaving the village, taking Basharat with them.
In Bethlehem on Wednesday Siraj Yousif, 23, was taken prisoner by the Israeli army during an incursion in Al Doha town west of Bethlehem at dawn. A number of army vehicles stormed the town, surrounded the Al Radidah building and then searched and ransacked Yousif 's home before taking him to an unknown location. Yousif works as a police officer in Bethlehem, local sources reported.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org brought to you by Caysha Cay & Ghassan Bannoura.
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