Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org for Wednesday November 15, 2006..|| Click here to Download MP3 file 4.25MB || time:4m38s
In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers take five prisoners, including two mothers, while in the Gaza Strip Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and resistance fighters continue to launch homemade Qassam rockets into Israel, killing one and injuring another.
West Bank Update
The Israeli army invaded Dora Village and Al Fuwar Refugee Camp, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, on Wednesday morning and took two prisoners. Troops attacked residents' houses and searched and ransacked them before taking Andaleeb Al Hroub, 28, a mother of five from Dora and Najah Abu Rabi'e, 33, a mother of eight from Al Fuwar Refugee Camp to unknown locations. Both were taken in order to persuade their wanted husbands to surrender, Palestinian sources reported.
The Israeli army invaded the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, searched and ransacked residents' homes and took two brothers prisoner on Wednesday at dawn. Residents said that more than 17 army vehicles stormed the city and the nearby refugee camp, opened fire randomly at residents' homes, searched a number of them and ransacked family belongings. Soldiers were also reported to force family members out of their homes before searching them. The forces left the city after taking Hitham Saleh, 21, and his brother Ra'fat to unknown locations.
Israeli forces invaded the town of Al Doha west of Bethlehem, in the southern part of the West Bank, and took prisoner one resident on Wednesday morning. Troops stormed the town, searched several houses, including the houses of Kifah Al Ja'fari, 33. Soldiers ransacked the houses before taking Al Ja'fari to an unknown location, the family reported.
Later on Wednesday afternoon the Israeli army invaded Al Doha town, for the second time and took another prisoner. Soldiers attacked the house of Mohamed Al Zaghari and searched and ransacked it before taking him to an unknown location.
The Gaza Update
Wednesday morning, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met in Cairo with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and discussed the ongoing efforts to revive the Peace Process in the Middle East and the formation of a National Unity Government. The two leaders also discussed efforts to stop the Israeli military aggression and escalation in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the Palestinian occupied territories.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, President Abbas met with US Assistant Secretary of State of Near Eastern Affairs, David Welch, for an update on the meeting held between the US President George W. Bush and Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. During the meeting Abbas told Welch that he will not meet Olmert as long as Israel continues its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, a group of Palestinian resistance fighters fired on Wednesday morning seven homemade Qassam shells into the western Israeli Negev town of Sederot. One 57 year old woman was killed and another 24 year old man was seriously injured. Both were moved to Barzilai Medical Center in the nearby Israeli town of Ashkelon for treatment. The women was pronounced dead upon arrival while the man was admitted with a critical wound. Israeli media sources said that the injured man is the security guard of the Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz.
The Israeli online daily Haartz reported that seven homemade shells were fired at Sederot on Wednesday morning; three hit residential areas including the house of Peretz, while the remaining four hit open lands.
Also on Wednesday morning a group of resistance fighters targeted an Israeli army vehicle, north of the Gaza Strip with a homemade mortar shell, army sources reported. There was damage to the vehicle, but no injuries among the troops. This attack by the local resistance in Gaza comes in response to the Autumn Clouds Israeli military offensive last week that claimed the lives of 95 civilians including 18 residents from the same family, mostly women and children.
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.
