Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 4.57MB || Time 5m 0sWelcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday March 14th, 2007.
Civil unrest continues in the Gaza strip, while in the West Bank the Israeli army continues to abduct civilians. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The Gaza Update
Palestinian media sources reported that on Wednesday morning, members of the Hamas-formed executive force of the interior ministry, attacked electricians working for the Palestinian electricity company who were mending power cables in Beit Hanoun city, in the northern Gaza Strip.
WAFA News Agency reported Wednesday that the force opened fire at the electricians while they were attempting to reconnect electricity in the area. Medical sources reported no injures in the attack. Meanwhile, unknown gunmen bombed early on Wednesday a Palestinian-owned shop in the city.
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Tuesday night that a Hamas fighter was killed and nine others were injured during internal clashes that took place in Gaza City. Dr. Jom’a Al Saqqa, head of the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza reported that Ala’ Al Haddad, 35, was killed after he was hit by several rounds of live ammunition.
Al Saqqa added that four members of the Executive Force, formed by Hamas, were injured after shots were fired at them as they were patrolling Asqoula area, in Gaza City. Two of them are in a serious condition. Five Palestinian civilians were injured during further clashes that took place in Gaza.
The Jerusalem Update
Israeli army bulldozers destroyed one Palestinian house in the Sur-Bahir area, south-east of the city of Jerusalem on Wednesday morning. The house is privately owned by Atta Sarhan and is the home of two families with 40 members in total. The bulldozers have finished leveling the first house and have started to demolish another nearby house that belongs to Mussa Atton, eyewitnesses reported.
Local sources reported that this morning a massive force of Israeli troops and police surrounded the area and forced families out of their homes, then started to demolish the first house. Residents of Sur-Bahir are afraid that these two houses will not be the only homes targeted, considering the fact that last week the Israeli municipality of the occupied city of Jerusalem issued demolition orders to at least 20 homes in the area. The reason given by the Municipality is the standard excuse: that the houses are ‘built without permits’.
Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967, the Israeli authorities have refused to give building permits to Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, but have approved thousand of homes in Jewish Settlements in and around the city.
The West Bank Update
The Israeli forces launched their daily abduction campaign throughout the West Bank on Wednesday at dawn. Today the army abducted 11 civilians.
Those civilians were members of Fateh and Hamas and were ‘wanted’, as claimed by the Israeli security agencies. In the Ramallah district one man was abducted at a military checkpoint in Rimonim, east of the city, for having a weapon in his car, Israeli medical sources reported.
In Nablus, Israeli forces took 22 year old Nasser and 21 year old Muhammad Sadiq from their homes after attacking and searching a number of houses, mainly on Yazin Street. Soldiers forced residents out into the streets to stand in the cold winter weather, local sources reported.
Also in Nablus, Israeli forces stormed Askar Refugee Camp and the neighboring village of Awarta, southeast of the city. An Israeli military vehicle came under fire during the attack. Israeli forces searched houses in both regions, opened fire and detonated sound bombs randomly at the residents.
In the meantime, Israeli forces abducted 24 year old Iyad Issa, Mohamed Mussa, 19, and Issa Subieh, 20, from the village of Al Kadier west of Bethlehem after searching a number of houses in the village. In the southern West Bank city of Hebron, the Israeli army abducted two civilians on Wednesday morning.
Mohamed Abu I’ram, 30, was taken prisoner at an Israeli army post near the city after finishing an interview in the civil administration office. Meanwhile Issam Quqz, 24, was taken from his home located in Beit Omer village, north of Hebron.
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.
