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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Thursday January 23, 2014.
Israeli tanks attack residents’ homes in Gaza, and settlers invade holy site in Jerusalem. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.
Israeli tanks stationed at the southern Gaza borders opened fire at residents’ homes and farm lands located in the town of Khan Younis on Thursday evening.
Witnesses told local media that a number of tanks invaded the border area and fired live ammunition at nearby homes and farm lands causing damage but no injuries.
In the meantime Palestinian fighters said that fired three home-made shells at nearby Israeli areas. No damage or injuries was reported by Israeli sources.
In the West Bank, Israeli extreme right wing group under the protection of Israeli troops invaded on Thursday Al Aqsa mosque in old city Jerusalem.
According to Palestinian groups, the settlers and troops toured the third holiest site for Muslims world wide and then left. No clashes were reported.
At the political level, the Israeli Defence Ministry approved plans to build 381 new homes in the Givat Ze’ev settlement, north of Jerusalem. This is the third such announcement in three weeks.
The Alternative Information Center (AIC) reports that, on January 6, Israel approved plans for the construction of 272 housing units in various West Bank settlements and that, only four days later, it unveiled plans for the construction of 1,800 housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Following the announcement of new constructions in Givat Ze’ev, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told AFP that ‘this decision confirms that Netanyahu’s government only wants to continue settlement building, which will destroy any possible peace.’
And that’s all for today from the IMEMC News; this was the Thursday January 23, 2014 news round-up from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me Ghassan Bannoura.
