Copy and paste the link in your browser or media player to play or download MP3 filehttp://portland.indymedia.org/media/media/2007/01/352787.mp3
|| 4.47 MB || 5m 0s
Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Thursday January 25th, 2007
One Palestinian is killed and several others injured when a large Israeli army force invades the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Palestinian resistance targets an Israeli force in southern Gaza strip. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The West Bank
One Palestinian was killed and several others were injured when a large Israeli army force invaded the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Thursday morning, Palestinian sources reported that Israeli troops invaded Tulkarem, blockaded all the roads leading to the city and surrounded a building claiming that \’wanted\’ Palestinians were hiding inside.
Soldiers opened fire at some residents, killing Fadel Balawna, 17, claiming he was an Islamic Jihad operative. The Israeli soldiers demanded that the residents of the surrounded building, in Al-Masalma area in the northern part of the city, leave the building and threatened to open fire if they refused. Medical sources said that the soldiers did not allow ambulances to enter the area for more than one hour.
Moreover, on Thursday at dawn Israeli forces stormed several West Bank cities and abducted at least 28 people, the army claimed that they were wanted.
17 of those abducted were from villages near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, among them were two women.
Palestinian sources in Hebron city reported that Israeli forces invaded the villages of Beit Awaa and Deir Samit south of Hebron, while also invading Halhoul village to the west of the city. Soldiers stormed residents\’ houses, forced families out, searched and ransacked their homes and assaulted family members verbally and physically.
In Beit Awaa, local sources reported that during the invasion Israeli soldiers abducted 12 men from the village. Among those 12 were Mohammad Al Haroub, Abdullah Al Haroub, Ahmed Al Haroub, and his brother Thiep.
In Halhoul village, soldiers abducted three men. Local sources identified them as Ali Akil, 43, a member of the village council, Maher Al Atrash, 35, and Raf\’a\’e Midiah, 27.
During the three-hour long military operation in Deir Samit village, forces abducted Taghrid Ibrahim Al-Suweti, 27, the wife of Mahmoud Muhammad Suweti, 30; and Muntaha \’Issa Al-Suweti, the wife of Musa Al-Suweti, 27.
Mahmoud was arrested seven years ago and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, while Musa was arrested two weeks ago.
Local media sources stated that according to a family member who witnessed the event; about 12 military vehicles broke into the village at 6 a.m. and besieged and damaged several houses of the Suweti family, before arresting the two women.
Taghrid is the mother of a seven year old child and Muntaha has two children, aged two and three.
All 17 detainees were taken to an unknown location. This wide-scale abduction campaign in Hebron city and nearby villages marks the largest Israeli campaign of this kind since the beginning of 2007.
The Gaza Update
The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, have claimed responsibility for targeting an Israeli engineering unit which was mending the electric fence east of the village of Al-Qarara, located north east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday. The group stated that this attack comes as retaliation for continuous Israeli army attacks on Palestinians in the Gaza strip and the West Bank.
Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Wednesday night that two members of the Palestinian national security forces were shot and injured by the under-cover forces of the Israeli army east of Gaza City. The sources stated that the under-cover forces infiltrated through an area near the Islamic School and the Juice factory, east of the city, and fired at members of the Palestinian security forces, moderately injuring two. The two were moved to a local hospital for treatment.
Also, late on Wednesday night the Israeli army released the Palestinian two teenagers who were kidnapped on Wednesday midday after Israeli troops fried at them and injured them east of Dir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. Another youth was killed during the attack.
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 Jane Smith and Ghassan Bannoura.
