Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3.66 MB|| Time 4m0s ||Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday May 16th, 2007.
In the Gaza strip, an Israeli air strike leaves seven dead and infighting leaves 16 others dead. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues to attack West Bank cites. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
The Gaza strip Update
On Wednesday, Israeli warplanes bombarded a building belonging to the executive force of Hamas, formed by the former interior minister, Saed Siyam of Hamas, killing seven executive force members and wounding 30 others in Rafah city. In the meantime, Palestinian sources have reported the arrival of seven new dead bodies to several hospitals as clashes in the Gaza Strip intensify. The number of people killed on Wednesday now stands at 16, with infighting between Fatah and Hamas having claimed the lives of a total of 33 people so far this week.
There are still no concrete figures on the number of injuries caused due to the difficulty that ambulances are facing in reaching certain areas of the region, but medical sources have stated that at least 100 people currently lie injured in hospitals across Gaza.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, six Palestinian security guards were killed as internal clashes renewed in several parts of Gaza city, the deadliest being in the Tal Al Hawa neighborhood where gunmen surrounded the house of Rashid Abu Shubak, the director of the internal security forces in the Palestinian Authority.
Later in the day, a nurse traveling in an ambulance was shot in the head after being caught in the crossfire, hospital officials said. The officials reported that she had died, but the woman’s family later said she was brain dead and being kept alive by a respirator. Shortly after this, a Palestinian security officer was shot and killed while standing at his post near the UNRWA building in Gaza city. Several others were injured in this attack. Also on Wednesday, medical sources reported the death of Hassan Swedan after he was hit by sniper fire from the Al Noor tower in Gaza city .
The streets of central Gaza City still echoed with the rattle of machine gun fire, even after the Palestinian Prime Minister Isma’l Hannia met with different Palestinian factional leaders and declared a truce in the clash.
The West Bank update
In a protest organized by local Palestinian peace groups against Israeli road blocks and checkpoints, Israeli troops detained five Israeli peace activists and injured a number of Palestinians on Wednesday in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Earlier in the day a massive Israeli force invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus and a nearby refugee camp, kidnapping five civilians. During a military operation on Wednesday morning to kidnap activists also from the Islamic Jihad group, Israeli forces destroyed a civilian car and kidnapped the parents of the activist Saleh Karkor to force him to surrender himself. The operation took place in Atteel village near Jenin in the West Bank.
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 John Smith and Ghassan Bannoura.
