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 Thursday March 22nd, 2007.
One Palestinian man is killed in renewed internal clashes, and the Israeli army abducts more civilians in the West Bank. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The Gaza Update
One Palestinian man was shot and killed on Thursday morning in the eastern side of Gaza city, during renewed clashes between the two rival Hamas and Fatah parties. This is the second fatality to arise from the clashes that started on Wednesday afternoon.
Medical sources in Gaza city stated that Samier Helles was dead on arrival at Gaza city hospital on Thursday at around 7:30 am. Palestinian security sources reported that the man was shot and killed during clashes between gunmen from his family, and Hamas affiliated executive forces.
The clashes started on Wednesday afternoon and lasted until Thursday morning. Local sources reported on Thursday morning that shortly after Helles’ death, a number of gunmen from his family seized two executive force cars containing seven of it’s members. The cars were set on fire in the city center, while the fate of the seven men remains unknown.
On Wednesday afternoon Palestinian media sources said that one Palestinian civilian named Ramez Serour was killed, and eleven other people were wounded during renewed Hamas-Fatah infighting in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Lahia.
Witnesses told IMEMC that the clashes erupted when members of Hamas pursued some acquaintances of Samih Almadhoun, a prominent local Fatah leader. Witnesses said that members of Hamas and Fatah are gathering in the Mashrou’ neighborhood of Beit Lahia and they voiced concern over a possible escalation on the ground.
On Wednesday two Palestinian security personnel were shot and wounded in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis when an unknown civilian car opened fire at a security outpost belonging to the Palestinian President’s Force 17, which is linked to Fatah.
The West Bank Update
On Wednesday night one Palestinian youth was shot and killed, and another civilian was injured by Israeli army gunfire in Aboud village, near Ramallah city in the northern part of the West Bank. The youth was identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Salayma, aged 17. Soldiers detained Salayma’s body but later handed it over to a Palestinian ambulance.
Also near Ramallah, Israeli soldiers shot and injured one civilian, and kidnapped him.
An Israeli military source claimed that “soldiers shot two armed Palestinians” and that the condition of the two remained unknown. The army also claimed to have shot and injured one resident of Dir Abu Mashal village, north of Ramallah, for apparently hurling a Molotov cocktail at a their jeep.
The Israeli army invaded several parts of the West Bank and abducted six Palestinian civilians on Thursday at dawn. Five of those abducted were taken from the city of Hebron and the nearby Surif village in the southern part of the West Bank. After they attacked and searched scores of homes in the Abu Sininah neighborhood and in the old city area, troops abducted five men and took them to unknown detention camps. During the abduction operation the Israeli forces assaulted three civilians.
A man known as Ibraheem Awad, aged 36, was abducted after Israeli forces stopped him and beat him up at a military checkpoint between the city of Hebron and the village of Surif.
In the meantime, Israeli forces invaded Deheisheh refugee camp located in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. They searched homes and abducted Abd Al Qader Al Zughari, aged 19, a student in Bethlehem University.
On Thursday at dawn Israeli forces invaded the West Bank city of Nablus and searched homes. Israeli troops installed a checkpoint on the main road north-east of Nablus and detained scores of civilians for several hours. Soldiers took people’s ID cards and held them for some time. They eventually gave them back after forcing transportation vehicles to leave the area so that the people would have to travel to the city on foot, eyewitnesses reported.
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 Polly Bangoriad and Ghassan Bannoura.
