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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Thursday, January 7, 2016.
Three Palestinians killed by Israeli troops and army bulldozers destroy homes in Jerusalem. Theses stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.
Three Palestinians – two brothers and their cousin – were killed by Israeli soldiers on Thursday evening at At Gush Etzion checkpoint near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Although the Israeli military claimed that the three men were ‘armed with knives’ and were ‘threatening’, no Israeli soldiers were injured.
The Israeli military has come under fire in recent months for its practice of pre-emptively shooting any Palestinian it deems ‘threatening’ – including children. In addition, soldiers have been captured on camera on several occasions planting knives next to the bodies of unarmed Palestinian civilians who were killed by Israeli gunfire.
In this case, the three young relatives were shot dead with multiple rounds by Israeli soldiers when they were near the checkpoint. the Israeli military has stated that all three were from Seir village, located near the checkpoint.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has reported that their ambulances and medical personnel were prevented from reaching the men by Israeli troops, who blocked their access.
In other news, Israeli police, Thursday, demolished two Palestinian-owned homes in Ein el-Lawza neighborhood in Jerusalem, citing construction without a permit as a pretext, according to local sources.
An Israeli police contingent accompanied by bulldozers broke into and cordoned off Ein el-Lawza neighborhood in the early morning, before they proceeded to demolish the two buildings.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities demolished a house and a building under construction in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem. The two structures belong to Abu Diab family from Jerusalem.
Issuance of construction permits by Israeli authorities for Palestinians in Jerusalem, unlike for Jewish settlers, requires unreasonable fees that most families cannot afford to pay.
Also on Thursday, Israeli soldiers have kidnapped, overnight and at dawn at least fourteen Palestinians in different parts of the occupied West Bank.
Moreover, Israeli sources said the army located guns, magazines and rocket launchers in Abu Sneina neighborhood in the southern West bank city of Hebron. The soldiers also invaded and searched many homes in Hebron city, and several nearby villages and towns, and interrogated dozens of residents.
And that’s all for today from the IMEMC News; this was the Thursday, January 7, 2016, news round-up from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. From 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.
