Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3.67 MB || Time 4m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday January 23rd, 2008.
The Israeli army kills two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and kidnaps 12 civilians in the West Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.
The News Cast
The Israeli army killed two Palestinians on Wednesday in two separate attacks in the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday midday a Palestinian farmer, Isma’el Al Attar, 50, was killed when Israeli army tanks stationed North West of Beit Lahiya town located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, opened fire at him while he was working on his land.
Earlier on Wednesday morning Israeli forces invaded the border area east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, during the invasion that lasted for three hours Israeli troops killed one Palestinian and injured another four. Medical sources reported that Yahia al Beyok, 24 had been shot with several rounds in different parts of his body, after massive clashes broke out between a group of resistance fighters and the invading troops.
Israeli sources announced on Wednesday that the Israeli army had stopped all fuel and food supply shipments from entering the Gaza strip on Wednesday. The Israeli government said that its decision comes as a response to the Palestinian resistance destroying the Wall separating the southern part of the Gaza strip from Egypt. On Wednesday at dawn the Palestinian resistance destroyed part of the Wall separating the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah from Egypt using five home made bombs, shortly afterwards thousands of Palestinians flocked through and started to buy food and fuel supplies from Egypt to bring back to the Coastal region
The Rafah crossing, located in the southern side of the Gaza strip, is the only way for Palestinians to leave or enter the region, sine June 2007; the crossing has been closed by the Israeli and Egyptian troops. On Friday last week Israel declared all Gaza’s crossings completely closed, with a total ban of fuel and supplies to the coastal region. By Sunday Gaza had no electricity since the Solo Gaza power plant depends on Israeli Fuel. After a widespread international outcry following Israel cutting off all fuel into Gaza, the Israeli authorities agreed to allow fuel and medicine into the Palestinian coastal region on Tuesday for one day only.
Today in the West Bank Ahmad Abu Hantash,33 from Nablus city died of wounds sustained during the Israeli invasion of the city last Friday. Abu Hantash was on his way to Friday prayer when the Israeli army was invading the area and randomly opened heavy fire, leaving Hantash critically wounded. Hantash was then moved to hospital for treatment but died early Wednesday morning. During the invasion last Friday, Israel killed a senior leader of the al Aqsa brigades after clashes broke out between the army and a group of the al Aqsa brigade resistance fighters.
The Israeli army kidnapped 12 Palestinians on Wednesday during pre dawn invasions targeting several parts of the West Bank, Palestinian sources said those kidnapping took place in Jenin, Hebron, and Bethlehem and Ramallah cities.
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. This report brought to you by Caroline Johns and Ghassan Bannoura.
