Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 4 m 0s || 3.66 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday April 16th, 2008.
15 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza, while in the West Bank Israeli troops kidnap 23 Palestinian civilians. These stories and more coming up stay tuned.
The News Cast
On Wednesday afternoon nine Palestinians including six children fighters were killed in an Israeli air strike targeting the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza strip, according to Palestinian sources.
The Israeli army conducted two attacks targeting the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiyia on Wednesday midday killing one Palestinian and injuring seven others. Witnesses said that the Israeli army shelled areas in Beit Lahiyia, and medics said that one man was killed and seven other civilians were injured.
Five Palestinian resistance fighters and three Israeli soldiers were killed during three different incidents in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
Palestinian sources said that four fighters of the al Qassam brigades the armed wing of Hamas were killed when the Israeli army invaded Al Shujaeyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City and clashed with Palestinian fighters on Wednesday at dawn.
Meanwhile Palestinian sources reported that a Palestinian man, said to be an Islamic Jihad fighter was killed by Israeli army fire near the southern part of the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Wednesday at dawn.
Three Israeli soldiers were killed when a group of Al Qassam Brigades managed to ambush them near Nahal OZ border crossing located at the central Gaza Israeli borders.
Avihay Adar’ie, a spokesperson of the Israeli army told IMEMC that three soldiers were killed during the attack; he added that the Israeli military and political leadership is preparing a response. Adar’ie blamed Hamas for attempting to inflame the situation on the ground.
Meanwhile Israeli government sources said that Israel will not resume providing the Gaza strip with of fuel needed to generate electricity and cooking gas today. Last week, Palestinian fighters attacked the Nahal-Oz terminal and killed two Israelis: in response Israel stopped fuel coming to Gaza via Nahal-Oz, on Tuesday the Israeli government said it will resume the fuel shipments into Gaza on Wednesday.
The Israeli army conducted a number of invasions targeting several parts of the West Bank on Wednesday at dawn. During the invasion, Israeli troops kidnapped 23 Palestinians civilians. Palestinian sources said that troops attacked and searched Palestinians homes in the cities of Nablus and Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank.
Kidnappings by the Israeli army today were also reported in Hebron and Bethlehem cities in the southern part of the West Bank. Israeli army sources stated that those kidnapped today are listed on what the army calls its ‘wanted list’.
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 has been brought to you by Fouad Al-Zir and Ghassan Bannoura.
