Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org. For Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006.|| Click here to Download MP3 file 5.41MB || time:5m54s
The army continues its offensive in the Gaza Strip: the death toll in Gaza on Wednesday is two, while troops attack West Bank cities and takes more prisoners. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The Gaza Update
At least one Palestinian man was killed as a result of the Israel's ongoing shelling to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, Palestinian sources reported. The man was identified as Massad Abu Massiq, 25, from Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli sources said that Palestinian resistance fired homemade Qassam shells at the Israeli town of Sderot northwest of the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday morning.
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that a Palestinian was killed on Wednesday afternoon after being hit by an Israeli tank shell east of Jabaliya refugee camp, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Anwar Al Zubda, 22, was killed Wednesday afternoon by shrapnel from Israeli tank shelling into his neighborhood in Jabalia.
Several residents were injured on Wednesday morning, school children were among them. The Israeli army continued its invasion to the city that started last Monday. Bulldozers are destroying farm land while soldiers are occupying houses and shooting randomly at residents.
In Beit Hanoun, medical sources reported that three residents were critically injured on Wednesday morning after being targeted by army helicopters. Dr. Mo'awiah Hasanin, head of the Emergency Unit at the Palestinian Ministry of Heath in the Gaza Strip said that Waleed Abu Qumsan, 19, suffered critical wounds in the head, while Sharef Al Bakri, 17, was moved to an Israeli hospital due to critical wounds, and a third resident was hospitalized at the Shifa Hospital for treatment.
Three school girls were also injured today in the northern Gaza Strip after being fired at by the invading Israeli forces. They sustained moderate-to-severe injuries after soldiers opened fire at the UNRWA School in Jabalia town. The two were treated on the spot, and one was moved to a nearby hospital. Moreover, Israeli forces attacked the house Jamilia Al Shanti, a Palestinian Parliament member, located in the Ezbit Abed Rabbu area, east of Jabalia town in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning.
Army bulldozers and tanks stormed the village, fired intensively at residents' houses then attacked the house of Al Shanti. Soldiers searched and ransacked her house and forced Al Shanti and her family into one room during the search. Al Shanti's house was bombed by the Israeli army several months ago, killing her sister-in-law, a mother of eight.
Israeli army naval boats opened fire at Palestinian fishermen boats near the coast of Rafah beach, in southern Gaza and injured one on Wednesday at dawn.
The fishermen reported that the naval boats opened heavy fire on them while they were fishing and injured one, who was moved to Abu Yousif Al Najar Hospital in Rafah after receiving medium range wounds. Boats sustained some damage, the fishermen added.
Israeli military sources said that one soldier was moderately injured during exchanges of fire with resistance fighters; several Palestinians were also injured in the clashes.
The West Bank Update
The Israeli army injured five residents and took one prisoner after invading the northern West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp on Wednesday morning. At least 10 Israeli army vehicles stormed the city of Jenin and its refugee camp in the morning, surrounded one house in Jenin refugee camp and searched scores others in the refugee camp and the city of Jenin.
Local youth tried to stop the invading forces and threw stones at the soldiers who responded by firing live rounds, sound bombs and tear gas at the boys, injuring five, medical sources in the city reported. Soldiers targeted in their search houses belonging to resistance fighters. After searching them, soldiers warned their families that once captured, they would kill their sons, the families reported.
During the search Israeli forces took prisoner Firas Mir'eb, 20, after searching and ransacking his family's house. This invasion is the second one to the city of Jenin and its refugee camp in less than 24 hours, residents reported.
Elsewhere, the Israeli forces took prisoner five residents during a dawn invasion to the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank on Wednesday. Troops entered the city of Nablus from several directions, opened fire randomly at residents' homes using live rounds and sound bombs. Soldiers searched scores of houses and took five prisoners to unknown locations.
Moreover, the army invaded the West Bank city of Tulkarem and the nearby Nur Shams refugee camp, and took prisoner one resident on Wednesday morning.
In the meantime, Ayman Kur'an, 28, and Abd Allah Al Bakri, 40, were taken prisoner during and Israeli army invasion to Al Birah town near the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday morning. Another force invaded the village of Al Zababda near Jenin city in the northern part of the West Bank and took three children prisoners after searching some homes, 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.
