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Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org for Wednesday November 1st, 2006.
Army kills six residents and injures 50 in air and ground attacks in the northern Gaza Strip, while in the West Bank Israeli troops invade Tulkarem Refugee Camp, injures four civilians and takes three prisoners. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The Gaza Update
An undercover Israeli army force invaded Beit Hannoun town in the northern Gaza Strip, shot and killed seven residents and injured another 50 by ground and air attacks on Wednesday morning. Sources in Kamal Adwan Hospital reported that four of the killed arrived to the hospital. They were identified as: Hussam Abu Harbeed, 24, who works as a bodyguard for a Palestinian minister, Ahmad Sa'adat, 23, said to belong to Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas and Faiez Al Zuweidi, 25, who works as a Palestinian security officer. All arrived to the hospital dead on Wednesday at dawn after receiving fatal gun shot wounds, sources in the hospital added.
Later during the early hours of the morning, another two residents died from wounds sustained during aerial and ground attacks on residents' houses in Beit Hannoun. The two were known as Ahmad Adwan, 24 and Mohamed Al Masri, 23, medical sources reported. The sources added that 50 residents, including resistance fighters, were injured during clashes when Israeli ground troops invaded Beit Hannoun. According to Palestinian sources, most of the residents were injured by Israeli air force jet fighters and drones firing missiles at residential targets.
The ground invasion involved scores of tanks and army bulldozers who fired heavily and randomly at residents' houses in the town. Bulldozers leveled a number of houses, eyewitnesses reported. Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, reported that a group of its fighters ambushed an Israeli army undercover force that was planning to attack resistance fighters. The Brigades said that they killed a number of soldiers and injured several others.
Israeli army sources stated that one Israeli soldier was killed during the clashes between the local resistance fighters and the invading troops. Eyewitnesses in the town of Beit Hannoun said that they saw an army helicopter land in the town and evacuate a number of injured Israeli soldiers.
Israeli forces are currently surrounding the Beit Hannoun Hospital and not allowing patients in or out. Even patients with severe cases, who need to be transferred to outside hospitals for surgery, are being trapped inside. Doctors are being forced to release the personal information of the patients. Here is Dr. Jameel Isliman from the besieged Beit Hannoun Hospital.
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"They asked us to give them our full names and identity card numbers so they can know everything about everyone present at the hospital, besides that, we tried to transfer injured residents twice but, and in spite that we had coordination with the DCO office, the army refused to allow the patients through, and they had to go back to the hospital for surgery although there is not enough blood, not enough tools and equipment, the staff has been working since yesterday without any break"
According to eyewitnesses, ambulances are taking longer to arrive to the hospital because Israeli forces have refused to let them through, increasing the chance of death among the injured. On Wednesday afternoon troops shot and killed Khalil Hamad, 21, while he stood in his house in the town of Beit Hannoun. Hamad died after being shot in the head by a sniper bullet, rising the death toll today in Gaza to seven, medical sources reported.
The West Bank Update
Israeli forces invaded the West Bank city of Tulkarem and its refugee camp on Wednesday morning, attacked residents' homes, injured four residents and took three prisoners. Soldiers and army vehicles entered the city in the early dawn hours then proceeded to the refugee camp where the campaign was concentrated. Soldiers attacked residents’ houses and searched and ransacked them. During the invasion, the army opened fire at residents and injured Abd Al Aziz Al Jab'e, 16, in the head, Awad Al Dush, 15, in his right leg, Wa'el Jubali, 15, in the shoulder and Omer Ramadan in the head, medical sources reported.
Residents said that troops also took Abd Al Fatah Yousif, Mohamed Baraka, and Yousif Abu Tahoun to unknown locations after troops searched and ransacked their homes.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army invaded the West Bank city of Jenin and the nearby villages of Kofer Dan and Yaboud on Wednesday morning and took prisoner nine residents. In the village of Yaboud, west of Jenin city, troops stormed residents' homes and forced families out before searching and ransacking scores of them. Local sources reported that troops took seven residents prisoner before leaving the village.
Moreover, in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, troops attacked residents' homes and searched them. The campaign took place primarily on the east side of the city and in the refugee camp. The army took Rami Al Shalapi, 26 and Ala’ Briki, 28 to unknown destinations, eyewitnesses reported. In the meantime, another Israeli force entered the village of Kofer Dan, west of Jenin, on Wednesday morning, surrounded the local graveyard and fired heavily into it and at the neighboring houses. Damage was reported.
Israeli forces invaded the city of Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank and took eight residents prisoner on Wednesday morning. The invasion targeted residents' homes in the old town area of the city and some homes in Balata and Askar refugee camps.
Troops attacked residents' homes and searched and ransacked them before taking the eight to unknown locations. Among them was Nidal Abu Issa, the general secretary of Fatah, who was taken from his home in Askar Refugee Camp.
Residents said that army bulldozers and Hummers damaged some of the civilian cars parked on the streets as well as the front doors of shops before leaving and taking the eight to unknown locations.
Also on Wednesday, the Israeli army took three residents: two from Hebron and one form the nearby village of Ithna. The Israeli army also took two children prisoner at Tayasser military checkpoint near the West Bank city of Tubass on Wednesday afternoon. Palestinian sources reported that Yasser Abu Mihesen, and Kamal Abu Mihesen, both 16 yeas old, were taken prisoner after soldiers stationed at the checkpoints stopped them, handcuffed them and took them to the nearby military base.
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.
