Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 4.57 MB|| Time 5m0s ||Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Thursday May 10th, 2007.
In the West Bank, the Israeli army kills an unborn baby after shooting the mother, while in the Gaza Strip, the army kidnaps two residents. Those stories and more, coming up: stay tuned.
The West Bank update
A massive Israeli army force invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus and nearby refugee camps on Thursday morning. During the invasion, the army opened fire randomly at residents’ homes and killed an unborn baby after shooting and injuring the mother.
Maha Al Katoumi, 29, a pregnant Palestinian woman, was in her house during the Israeli army attack on Al Ein refugee camp near Nablus. During the incursion, local resistance fighters clashed with the invading troops and Israeli soldiers opened fire randomly at residents’ homes. One of their rounds hit Al Katoumi in her abdomen, killing her 7 month fetus.
The Katoumi family has stated that Maha was in her room when she was injured. The family called a Palestinian ambulance and as soon as the ambulance arrived at the house, soldiers surrounding the house stopped the ambulance and did not allow the medical teams to enter the Al Katoumi home, leaving Maha to bleed for more than one hour.
Medical sources reported that Maha was injured in her abdomen and as soon as she arrived at Rafidia hospital in Nablus, she was admitted to the surgery room; doctors delivered her baby, discovering that he had been shot in the head by the round that hit the mother.
Eyewitnesses reported that the army conducted a wide-scale house-to-house search in several parts of Nablus city and kidnapped at least thee Palestinian civilians. Witnesses added that clashes erupted between the invading troops and local resistance fighter in several parts of Nablus on Thursday at midday.
Also on Thursday, in a pre-dawn invasion into Qabatiya town near Jenin in the West Bank, two Palestinians were injured by the Israeli army. The two were injured when clashes erupted between the invading troops and a joint force of resistance fighters from the Al-Quds Brigade, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Brigade, the armed wing of Fatah in the town.
In other news, the Israeli army invaded other West Bank cities and kidnapped at least 8 Palestinian civilians on Thursday morning.
The Gaza Strip update
Palestinian sources reported that an undercover Israeli army force invaded the coastal Gaza Strip city of Rafah and kidnapped two civilians on Thursday at dawn. The sources stated that the force entered the Sufa area in Rafah, located near the Gaza-Israel border, searched a number of homes, and then kidnapped Othman Mo’amer, 25, and his brother Mussa Mo’amer, 20. The Israeli forces then left, taking them to an unknown location.
On Wednesday, the Israeli army shot and wounded two Palestinian residents in eastern Gaza, as army tanks rolled about 500 meters into the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical sources confirmed that one Palestinian resident received gunshot wounds to his legs after the Israeli army opened a hole in the barbed-wire fence on the eastern Gazan-Israeli border.
Unknown gunmen also set a clothes shop on fire in northern Gaza, shortly after the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) forces began deployment on Thursday morning throughout the streets of Gaza upon orders by President Mahmoud Abbas, the higher commander of the Palestinian security forces. Joint forces, comprised of those loyal to President Abbas and others loyal to the interior minister, Hani Al-Qawasmi, belonging to Hamas, lined the streets as part of a long-awaited security campaign to restore order to the unruly region.
After midnight yesterday, policemen were seen stopping and inspecting cars, while security officials said deployment of the forces will be completed in 48 hours.
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 Ghassan Bannoura and Goerge Rishmawi.
