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 Thursday May 17th, 2007.
The Israeli Army attack a building in Gaza and injure 30 civilians while in the West Bank 9 civilians are kidnapped, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.
The Gaza strip
On Thursday afternoon Palestinian media sources and medics reported that Israeli warplanes fired missiles on a Hamas outpost in Gaza City, killing one and wounding about 30 Palestinians. The targeted building belongs to the Hamas-controlled Executive Force. Witnesses said that nearby buildings and houses were damaged due to the heavy strike. Yesterday, Israeli air crafts targeted two Hamas posts in Rafah, killing four Hamas members and wounding about 20 others.
Israel threatened on Thursday that it would step up attacks on the Gaza Strip, as more homemade shells have been fired on nearby Israeli towns over the past couple of days. Furthermore, a group of the Islamic Jihad fighters escaped an Israeli air attack in northern Gaza. In a related development, witnesses in northern Gaza reported that a column of Israeli tanks has advanced some hundred meters into Beit Lahiya town.
On Thursday the Hamas Fatah infighting continued. Media reports and witnesses stated that two people were killed and several were wounded during a shootout between Hamas supporters and personnel of the Fatah-linked preventive security forces in Rafah city, in the south of the Gaza Strip. Local sources said that the shootout took place while crowds of civilians were taking part in the funeral procession of four Hamas members who were killed yesterday during an Israeli raid on a Hamas training outpost.
One Palestinian civilian was reported dead on Thursday midday due to wounds he sustained during Wednesday’s Hamas Fatah infighting in Gaza. On Wednesday’s clashes the number of Palestinians killed was 17, with infighting between Fatah and Hamas having claimed the lives of a total of 41 people so far this week. Medical sources have stated that at least 100 people currently lie injured in hospitals across Gaza due to the infighting. A tense calm returned to the Gaza Strip early on Thursday shortly after Prime Minister Hannya met with different leaders of Palestinian political groups who agreed to another ceasefire.
The West Bank
Nine Palestinian civilians were kidnapped during Israeli military invasions to several West Bank areas on Thursday morning. During the invasion of Nablus city and nearby Balata refugee camp Palestinian sources reported that local resistance men opened fire and hurled home made bombs at the invading Israeli force. The Israeli army told media sources that damage was caused to military jeeps, but reported no injures. Sources in the city added that the army kidnapped four civilians before leaving the city.
Scores of Palestinians took to the streets, on Thursday midday, in the old part of Hebron city in the southern West Bank, demanding that the Israeli army remove the road blocks that keep Palestinians away from their homes. The Israeli army has installed a network of military watchtowers and road blocks in the old city of Hebron near the illegal settlements, which are originally Palestinian homes that the settlers and the army took by force from their Palestinian owners. Today the local community in the old city protested near to one of the military roadblocks. The protesters chanted anti apartheid and military occupation slogans and also held a sign that said ‘no Peace with settlements’.
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 Eliza Sprout and Ghassan Bannoura.
