Palestine Today

Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre www.imemc.org for Tuesday August 2nd, 2006

The Israeli army conducted air, sea and land attacks on several areas in the Gaza strip. Residents of the southern Lebanon areas bordering Israel are still facing heavy artillery shelling and F16 fighter jet missiles as part of Israel’s continued ground assault, and the army continues to attack West Bank residents.

These stories and more coming up stay tuned

The Gaza Update

The Israeli army conducted air, sea and land attacks on several areas in the Gaza strip Wednesday at dawn.

In Al Boraj refugee camp, central Gaza, F-16 fighter jets fired one missile on the house of Issa Al Boutran, which completely destroyed the house and damaged several buildings around it. No casualties have been reported. The residents said that the Israeli army warned them half an hour before bombing the house. The Israeli army claimed that the house was being used by Hamas fighters as a place to store weapons.

Israeli war ships shelled a Palestinian naval police station west of Gaza City. Meanwhile Israeli heavy artillery shelled northern areas of the Strip. In a separate incident, the family of Nidal Salama, previously a leader in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and killed in 2003, said that the army told them to evacuate because they are going to shell their house.

Gaza residents are receiving phone calls from the army ordering them to leave their homes. This appears to be a new procedure implemented by the army to create more chaos and damage to residents’ lives and property in the Gaza strip.

Even with army orders, some of the families have no choice but to remain in their homes and risk being killed by Israeli shelling as they have no where else to go and there is a shortage of available shelters. It has also been reported that the Israeli army does not give enough time for families to evacuate.

Also on Wednesday, Israeli fighter jets fired several missiles at areas west of Gaza city. Two of the missiles hit a Palestinian police station in the Sudaniya area north west of the Gaza Strip, causing damage to the building but no injuries. Meanwhile Soliman Amran, 65, was injured Wednesday afternoon after being hit by an Israeli army tank shell fired at a residential area in Al Shoka village east of Rafah city in the Gaza strip. Also, since Wednesday morning, Israeli tanks continued shelling areas in Al Farahen east of Khan Younis.

Lebanon update

Residents of southern Lebanon areas bordering Israel are still facing heavy artillery shelling and F16 fighter jet missiles as part of Israel’s ground assault.

At least 11 residents have been killed and many were injured in a dawn attack by the Israeli army on the village of Ba'lbak Wednesday. Hezbollah resistance fighters clashed with the invaders, but were unable to prevent the army from kidnapping five residents in addition to two more who are missing. The Israeli army targeted a hospital in the village believed to be a hiding place for Hezbollah leaders.

Meanwhile on Wednesday Al Quds newspaper said that the death toll in Lebanon since the start of the war has reached 872 and an increase of injuries to 2,300.

For nearly three weeks the UN World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross have had to delay delivery of supplies to residents of southern Lebanon because they have been unable to get Israel’s and Hezbollah’s consent due to security concerns.

Eleven Israeli soldiers were injured in clashes on Wednesday with Hezbollah fighters as the army expanded its ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Several Israelis were injured by Katusha rockets fired into Haifa, Kiryat Shmona and property damages were incurred in Tiberias, Rosh Pina, and Akko.

On Wednesday morning, three Israeli soldiers from the Golani Brigade were injured, one seriously, after exchanging fire with Hezbollah fighters on the eastern side of the borders with Lebanon. The clashes took place close to the boundaries of a settlement in the area. Israeli sources reported that soldiers invaded Mheiba village in southern Lebanon and exchanged fire with Hezbollah fighters there. Three soldiers were injured and transferred to Rambam Hospital in Haifa. Sources claimed that Hezbollah gunmen fired several Katusha rockets into Israel from the village over the past two
weeks causing a large number of injuries.

Moreover, two Israeli soldiers were injured in Al Taiba village in Lebanon after an anti-tank shell hit their tank. Three more soldiers were injured in Eita Al Sha'ab village in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah gunmen fired a Katusha rocket that struck Kibbutz Sa'ar north of Nahariya, killing one man riding a bicycle in the kibbutz. Hezbollah claimed that its fighters fired more than 300 missiles into Israel today.

West Bank Update

The Israeli army invaded the Al Fa'a village and its refugee camp, south of the West Bank city of Tubas, Wednesday at dawn.

Israeli soldiers in army hummers chased local residents who were using hilly farm roads in order to bypass the army checkpoint set up on the main road between the West Bank cities of Nablus and Tulkarem Wednesday morning.

Also on Wednesday, the Israeli army invaded the village of Qabatia, south of the West Bank city of Jenin. During house searches, soldiers handed a military order to the family of Yousef Nazal, saying that Nazel has less than 30 hours to surrender to the Israeli army or risk being killed.

Zakaria Hammad, 25, was taken prisoner at Bel’a checkpoint east of the West Bank city of Tulkarem Wednesday afternoon. Eyewitnesses reported that Hammad was in a taxi trying to pass the checkpoint on his way home in Bel’a village. Soldiers stopped and searched the taxi, checked IDs and took Hammad to an unknown location.

Also Wednesday, right wing Israeli settlers continued their attacks against people’s land and property in northern areas of the Jordan Valley. According to local residents, settlers attacked their ranches and houses and damaged some of their property. They also burned piles of hay used to feed the cattle.

Israeli army troops took two prisoners on Wednesday as part of a pre-dawn invasion into the West Bank city of Hebron and nearby Dora village. The two were identified as Anass Abu-Markhiya, 18, and Assad Allah ‘Awowde, 22.

Conclusion

Thanks for joining us from Occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today for the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org brought to you by Jacque Shoen, Stacie Miller & Ghassan Bannoura