Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org for Tuesday November 21st, 2006.|| Click here to Download MP3 file 5.78 || time:6m19s
Two were killed in southern Gaza City, raising the death toll in Gaza overnight to four, while in the West Bank city of Jericho; an Israeli soldier shoots and kills a boy holding a toy gun near the checkpoint. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
Gaza Update
Israeli army tanks and bulldozers invaded Al Zaytoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City. Troops opened fire randomly at residents and killed two, including one 70 year old woman, on Tuesday morning. Palestinian medical sources said that the two were killed when troops invaded Al Zaytoun neighborhood and surrounded one house there. The two were known as Sa'diah Harraz, 70, and Ayman Hassanin, who is said to be member of the Qassam Brigades of Hamas.
Eyewitnesses reported that the invasion started when army tanks and bulldozers stormed Al Zaytoun neighborhood and opened fire at residents' houses randomly. Soon after, the army convoy surrounded a house said to belong to a Hamas activist. In the meantime, an Israeli drone fired several missiles at electricity generators, cutting off electricity for the whole area of Al Zaytoun.
With the two killed the death toll in the Gaza Strip since Monday night until Tuesday morning stands at five. On Monday night two fighters from Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, were killed in an Israeli air strike in Al Shujeyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City; at least four residents, including two infants and their father, were injured in the attack. Dr Jum'a Al Saka of Al Shifa Hospiatal in the Gaza strip worns of Health crises if sige continues and army continues to attack residents:
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"Al-Shifa hospital and other hospitals have medical supplies for emergency situations, but because of the ongoing Israeli attacks, we are rapidly consuming the available supplies. We warn of a medical catastrophe if the Israeli aggression continues; soon we will be unable to help the injured.
On Tuesday at dawn, Israeli soldiers ordered a number of resistance fighters' families to evacuate their homes located in Al Zaytoun neighborhood in order to shell them. This time the residents of Gaza City did not allow the army to attack the houses as local organizers mobilized the community to protect the families. Residents used their bodies as human shields and stayed on the roof tops of the threatened houses in an attempt to nonviolently resist Israel's illegal policy of targeting civilians' houses.
On Tuesday afternoon Palestinian sources reported that 15 residents were injured in the northern part of the Gaza Strip after the Israeli air force fired two missiles at residents in Jabal Al Kashef area. Some of the injured residents are in serious conditions.
In the meantime Palestinian security sources reported that two Italian Red Cross workers were kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Dir Al Balah town in central Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon.
Iyad Nasser, a spokesperson for the Red Cross relief agency working in Gaza stated to the press that the two Italians were stopped near Dir Al Balah town by a group of unknown gunmen, who took them to unknown locations. Nasser demanded the kidnapers to release the Italians without any conditions, adding that kidnapping people coming to help Palestinians is unjustified.
West Bank Update
Seventeen-year-old Rakan Al-Nusairat was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers Monday evening near the Jericho checkpoint. According to eyewitnesses, the boy had a plastic gun in his hand when he was shot. Medical sources said that the Israeli army prevented ambulances from approaching Al-Nusairat or offering first aid, and he was left to bleed to death. Kids with toy guns are often shot and killed by Israeli soldiers. Two thirteen-year olds were killed last January: 12-year-old Mujahed Al Samadi was killed last year…and the numbers continue to increase.
Israeli forces invaded the village of Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem on Tuesday morning and took prisoner four children. Several border police and intelligence jeeps stormed the Palestinian village of Abu Dis, attacked, searched and ransacked residents' homes and forced families into one room of the house while conducting the search. Officers left the village but took the four children prisoner, local residents reported.
Israeli forces invaded the village of Obadiya located east of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank and took prisoner seven residents on Tuesday morning. Army vehicles entered the village from several directions, troops searched houses that belong to Al Hassasnah family, forced residents, including children, out of their homes and took seven youth to unknown locations. Soldiers gave their families no reason for taking them away, families reported.
In the meantime on Tuesday, the Israeli army conducted a wide scale search campaign to residents’ homes during a predawn invasion of the West Bank city of Jenin, its refugee camp and the nearby Qabatiya town, and took prisoner one resident.
Army jeeps and troops stormed the town of Qabatiya, searched some houses then took Jihad Zakarnah, 24, to an unknown location. In the meantime, another force opened fire at school boys going to school; students retaliated by throwing stones at the soldiers, who left the town shortly after the clashes erupted. No injuries were reported.
In Jenin City and its refugee camp, troops searched and ransacked scores of residents' homes; troops left in the morning taking no prisoners, local sources reported.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today for the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org brought to you by Caysha Cay and Ghassan Bannoura.
