Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday January 17th, 2007|| Copy and Paste this link http://portland.indymedia.org/media/media/2007/01/352360.mp3

One Palestinian inured in the Gaza strip and another in the West Bank, these stories and more coming up, stay tuned.

 

The Gaza Update

 

Ibrahiem Hassan, 16, was injured when an unidentified object exploded near him in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern part of the Gaza strip on Wednesday. 

 

The boy sustained critical wounds in his right hand, medical sources reported, and added that he was moved to Kamal Adwan hospital for treatment. A group of unknown gunmen threw a hand grenade at a shop in downtown Gaza city on Wednesday morning. The shop, which is a cell phone shop, was badly damaged. No injures were reported.

 

Israeli army tanks stationed at the Gaza/Israel borders fired one tank shell into the eastern side of Beit Hannoun in the northern part of the Gaza strip on Wednesday at midday. The shell landed in farming lands and caused damage but no injures, Palestinian sources reported. The residents of Beit Hannoun said that Israeli tanks have fired several shells since Wednesday morning at different areas in Beit Hannoun, but reported no injuries.    

The West Bank Update

Mohamed Rabai'ah, 18, sustained bone fractures and cuts after an Israeli border police force attacked him in his workplace in Jerusalem. He was moved to the public hospital in Bethlehem city south of the West Bank for further treatment, medical sources reported.

 Mohamed is originally from the village of Obadiyah, east of Bethlehem city, and he works in Jerusalem to support his family, local sources said.

 On Wednesday morning, Israeli forces invaded Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank and the nearby villages of Yata, Doura, and Halhol. Eight Palestinian men were abducted in the operation. In Yatta village south of Hebron, Israeli jeeps and troops stormed and searched a number of houses and ransacked them. During the operation the Israeli army abducted five villagers, eyewitnesses reported. 

Among those abducted were; Mohamed Makhamrah, 33, Fahid Awad, 35. In downtown Hebron city, and the nearby village of Halhol, Israeli forces attacked and searched residents' homes, and took three Palestinian men prisoner. 

Local sources identified the three as; Abed Al Zama'rah, 23, from Halhol, Rami Al Shahaniet, 19, from Doura, and Mohamed Al Rijbi, 28, form Hebron city.

The sources added that soldiers gave military orders for another six men in the city to be interviewed at the secret service office in the Kufar Atzion military post east of the city.

The Israeli army abducted four family members of Mohamed Abu Obeid, a leader in the Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, from Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday morning. Palestinian sources reported that at least 20 armored Israeli army vehicles stormed the camp and closed all exits and entrances.

The mother of Obeid stated that more that 50 Israeli soldiers and a number of dogs attacked the house and forced the family out, then searched and ransacked the family home causing a lot of damage. Soldiers left taking with them Abu Obeid's father Ibrahiem, 55, and three of his brothers, Shadi, 22, Ala, 18, and Hamudah, 19. All four were taken to an unknown military detention camp. 

"Soldiers threatened that if Mohamed did not turn himself in to the army, the Israeli army will kill him and destroy the family house", Abu Obied's mother said. On Tuesday night Israeli soldiers attacked the house of Abu Obied's family but did not manage to abduct Mohamed, who also survived an assassination attempt 6 months ago when an Israeli army undercover unit ambushed him in the camp, he escaped but lost a leg due to injuries.  

Also on Wednesday morning the Israeli army invaded the eastern side of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, and abducted one Palestine man.  

Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities have announced a one-day hunger strike on Wednesday after a detainee died of medical neglect on Tuesday afternoon.

Palestinian detainees went on strike after holding the Israeli Prison Administration responsible for the death of Jamal Al Saraheen, who died at the Negev prison, of medical neglect. Clashes took place between dozens of detainees and soldiers at the Negev detention camp after they heard the news of the death of Al Saraheen.

Head of the Hebron office of the Palestinian Prisoner Society, Amjad Al Najjar, stated that the prison administration at the Negev detention camp cancelled all visitations until further notice. Al Saraheen, 38, from Tarqoumia village, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, died at the Soroka hospital in Be’er Shiva; the prison administration refused to transfer him to hospital until after his health condition had sharply deteriorated.

Conclusion

Thank you for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org brought to you by Jake Talhami and Ghassan Bannoura.