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for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel News Archives - June 2007 Select News by subject: Conflict • Diplomacy • Government • Human Rights • Economy • People • International |
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Palestinian killed in Balata refugee camp John Smith - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/29/2007 Following Thursday’s invasion of Nablus, the Israeli army on Friday killed a member of the al-Aqsa brigades in Balata refugee camp. Israeli military vehicles backed by monstrous bulldozers stormed the West Bank city of Nablus from all sides and took over the city center, the old city outskirts and several neighborhoods in the area in the early hours of Thursday morning. Palestinian security sources stated that the invasion was carried out by at least 100 military vehicles and jeeps, and that the soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition in many directions. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli troops seized several buildings and used them to surround local hospitals. Shops in the area were also ransacked, and local radio stations were taken over and used to broadcast military orders. more.. Fatah armed men escape an Israeli ambush in northern Gaza Ma’an News Agency 6/29/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - Some members of the Buraq Army, which is affiliated to Fatah, and others from the National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), managed to escape death on Friday when a unit of Israeli special forces ambushed them northwest of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip. In a joint statement, the brigades said that they escaped and assured that they would continue their "resistance against the Israel occupation crimes." Meanwhile, members of the Ayman Joudeh Brigades, who are part of the Al Aqsa Brigades, Fatah’s main military wing, announced that they had fired two projectiles at an Israeli military base at Erez crossing, located between the northern Gaza Strip and Israel, and at the Israeli southern town of Sderot, on Thursday evening. more.. Israeli forces arrest three ’wanted’ Palestinians in West Bank raids Ma’an News Agency 6/29/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - The Israeli forces arrested three allegedly ’wanted’ Palestinians from various areas in the occupied West Bank at dawn on Friday. Israeli sources said that the Israeli army arrested three ’wanted’ men, adding that they came under fire in Nablus city. No injuries were reported by Israeli sources. However, one member of the Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades was killed by Israeli forces during their ongoing incursion in Nablus on Friday. [end] Al-Aqsa Brigades claim responsibility for a trap set for Israeli troops in Nablus Ma’an News Agency 6/29/2007 Nablus - Ma’an - The Ayman Joudeh Brigades, an armed group that is part of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, have claimed responsibility for setting a trap for an Israeli vehicle and fighting with the soldiers in it, during the ongoing Israeli military invasion of Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank. The Ayman Joudeh Brigades said that one Israeli soldier suffered dangerous injuries in this operation, which took place close to Ein Beit Al Ma refugee camp in Nablus. In a statement received by Ma’an, the brigades said that this operation was in response to the continuous Israeli crimes and arrests the Palestinian inhabitants and leaders face in Gaza and the West Bank. [end] PRC-affiliated brigades fire at Israeli soldier in northern Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 6/29/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed responsibility on Friday afternoon for shooting at an Israeli soldier near the monument east of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. In a statement received by Ma’an, the brigades said that the soldier was shot directly, and the entire operation was caught on camera. The brigades affirmed that the operation was in retaliation for Israel’s continuous targeted killing of Palestinians. [end] Israel ends two-day West Bank raid Middle East Online 6/29/2007 NABLUS, West Bank - Israeli troops on Friday shot dead a Palestinian man as the army wrapped up an extensive two-day operation in the flashpoint West Bank town of Nablus, security sources said. Taxi driver Haysam Saleh, 28, was shot dead after he jumped out of his vehicle when troops pulled it over for inspection in the centre of the northern town, Palestinian security sources said. An army spokesman said troops opened fire and identified hitting a gunman who got out of the taxi. The army said he belonged to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades militant group linked to president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party. The spokesman denied troops fired on the taxi driver. Dozens of Israeli troops and armoured jeeps withdrew from the Old City in the heart of historic Nablus, ending a two-day operation in which five soldiers... more.. Roundup: Israel ends Nablus raid, Abbas sacks security chief Deutsche Presse Agentur - DPA, ReliefWeb 6/29/2007 Israeli soldiers withdrew from Nablus Friday, ending a two-day raid in the northern West Bank city during which they arrested nine "wanted" militants and confiscated weapons, explosives and ammunition in house-to-house searches, the military said. The soldiers earlier Friday shot dead an unarmed, 25-year-old taxi driver who failed to heed orders to stop in the northern West Bank city, hospital officials said. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the taxi driver was unarmed, but said he was transporting two armed militants and that the soldiers were directing their fire at them. He said the soldiers shot one of the armed men when he got out the taxi, and not the driver, who he said sped away with the second militant. Four Israeli soldiers had been injured, two of them seriously, in clashes with local militants Thursday. more.. News in Brief Ha’aretz 6/28/2007 ... Settlers c’tees to work on expanding Efrat -- Settlers from Kiryat Arba, Efrat and Gush Etzion have set up action committees to organize the establishment of a new settlement on Eitam Hill, close to Efrat. The construction at the site is part of the overall expansion plan for Efrat. The organizers of the effort accused the government of trying to "dry up the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria." They also maintain that this is the opening shot of a much broader drive for setting up new settlements. (Nadav Shragai) more.. Five IDF soldiers injured in operation in Nablus, two of them seriously Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 6/28/2007 Two Israel Defense Forces officers were seriously injured yesterday during an operation for the arrest of Palestinian militants in the Nablus casbah. Three other soldiers suffered lesser injuries. The operation involved forces from the Paratrooper and the Nahal Brigade. It lasted all day yesterday and continued into the night. At least 10 Palestinian militants affiliated with Fatah were arrested. Among those arrested are fugitives the security services have identified as senior figures in militant organizations, military sources said. Very early Wednesday morning large infantry units entered Nablus from four directions and carried out a raid in the center of the city. About 30 minutes after the forces entered Nablus, they encountered serious resistance from armed Palestinians. more.. Shots fired at home of Hebron intelligence chief, allegedly related to sale of land to settlers Ma’an News Agency 6/28/2007 Hebron - Ma’an - The house of the Palestinian intelligence chief in the West Bank city of Hebron, Ihsan An Nazir, was shot at on Wednesday night. An Nazir told our Hebron reporter that unidentified armed men shot at his house with automatic machine guns while travelling in a car. He believes that the shooting was connected to the recent arrest of a man suspected of selling his house to Israeli settlers in the city. He added that his guards retaliated to the gunfire but no casualties were reported on either side. ’’We know the attackers and we will bring them to justice," he pledged. On 19 March, dozens of Israeli settlers burst into a building in Hebron claiming that they had bought it from its owners. Hebron is known for having the most extremist settlers in the occupied Palestinian West Bank and has... more.. Al Qassam Brigades launch four mortars at Erez crossing Ma’an News Agency 6/28/2007 Gaza - Ma’an – The Hamas-affiliated Al Qassam Brigades have announced that they have launched four mortar projectiles at the Israeli military presence at the Erez crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Thursday. In a statement issued by the brigades, they stated that "this is in retaliation for the Israeli aggressions against Palestinian people in the occupied territories." [end] Israeli forces kill Al-Aqsa member in ongoing Nablus incursion Ma’an News Agency 6/29/2007 Nablus - Ma’an - A member of the Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades was killed by Israeli soldiers early on Friday in Nablus city, in the northern West Bank. Medical sources said that Haitham Salih, 28, was found dead in the Ad Dahiya area of Nablus after the Israeli forces contacted the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, informing them that they had killed a man there. The source added that they found the man killed by four bullet wounds in his body; he was transported to Nablus hospital. Eyewitnesses from Balata refugee camp said that Salih was travelling in a taxi and the taxi driver refused to stop when he was ordered to do so by the Israeli soldiers. Salih then managed to jump from the taxi but the soldiers shot him and killed him instantly. more.. Large Israeli operation in West Bank Middle East Online 6/28/2007 Five Israeli soldiers wounded in incursion into Nablus, prompting fierce response from Palestinian fighters. -- NABLUS, West Bank - Israeli troops poured into the West Bank town of Nablus on Thursday, sparking clashes and makeshift bomb attacks that left five soldiers wounded, security sources said. Around 80 army jeeps rolled into the Old City in the heart of historic Nablus, opening fire at random, conducting house-to-house searches and blowing open front doors, according to Palestinian witnesses. The Israeli military said an officer and a soldier were severely wounded, and two others lightly hurt, when Palestinians blew up a makeshift bomb while troops were operating in Nablus, which began overnight. "Another IDF officer was moderately wounded when Palestinians activated an explosive device in a separate incident overnight," it added. more.. IOF troops raid Gaza suburbs after Olmert-Abbas meeting; fierce clashes reported Palestinian Information Center 6/28/2007 GAZA, (PIC)-- Number of Palestinian martyrs rose to 11, and wounded Palestinian citizens reached 50 in an intensive and concentrated IOF bombarding of areas east and south of Gaza Strip Wednesday. The martyrs included a number of Palestinian resistance fighters from the Qassam Brigades of Hamas, the Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad, the Nasser Salahuddin of the PRC, and the AMB of Fatah faction. IOF tanks and special units attempted to infiltrate into Shujaia suburb, east of Gaza city, and Khuza’a town, south of the Strip, but Palestinian resistance fighters blocked the invading troops and inflicted casualties in their lines. Palestinian resistance sources revealed to the PIC that a group of PRC fighters were surrounding an IOF special unit trapped in a Palestinian home in Khuza’a town amidst reports of fierce armed clashes... more.. Eight IOF soldiers, including officer, wounded in Nablus incursion Palestinian Information Center 6/28/2007 NABLUS, (PIC)-- A high-ranking IOF officer was seriously wounded in an IOF incursion into the West Bank city of Nablus when Palestinian resistance fighters detonated four planted roadside bombs in their military vehicles at dawn Thursday, Hebrew sources affirmed. Seven other IOF servicemen were also wounded in the explosion as Israeli medical sources described wounds of four of them as serious. More than 60 IOF armored vehicles pushed into the city from all directions shortly after midnight Wednesday and placed the entire city under curfew. Tens of ambulance workers were seized by the intruding forces and prevented from extending help to Palestinian civilians injured in the incursion. The curfew was declared in the city till further notice as IOF troops alleged they were searching for wanted resistance activists. more.. Massive Israeli forces invade Nablus City, 30 kidnapped, 8 soldiers wounded Amin Abu Wardeh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/28/2007 Israeli military vehicles backed by monstrous bulldozers stormed the West Bank city of Nablus from all sides and took over the city center, the old city outskirts and several neighborhoods in the area in the early hours of Thursday morning. Troops supported by dozens of armored vehicles invaded the city and the Balata refugee camp. Palestinian security sources stated that the invasion was carried out by at least 100 military vehicles and jeeps, and that the soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition in several directions. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli troops seized several buildings to surround local hospitals. They also ransacked the shops in the area, causing great damages, and took over several local radio stations to broadcast military orders. more.. Israeli army invades Al Muthalith village south of Jenin city Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 6/28/2007 Israeli forces stormed the village of Muthalith, located south of Jenin city in the northern part of the West Bank, and searched homes on Thursday morning. Witnesses reported that soldiers surrounded several homes, searching and ransacking them after forcing the families out. Israeli army left the village after some time without kidnapping any civilians. [end] Three civilians kidnapped as army invades Bethlehem city Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/28/2007 The Israeli army invaded several parts of Bethlehem city, located in the southern part of the West Bank, and kidnapped three civilians on Thursday morning. Palestinian sources reported that troops surrounded and searched the house of Abd Al Nasser Salhab. Salhab then was kidnapped by the invading troops and taken to an unknown detention camp. In Deheisha refugee camp in the southern part of Bethlehem, soldiers attacked the house of Yousif Al Mughrabi, 24, and abducted him. [end] Israeli campaign to capture Islamic Jihad activists rages around Ramallah Ameen Abu Warda - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 6/28/2007 Israeli military forces have launched a campaign for the abduction of Islamic Jihad activists in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement. The campaign has already claimed about 12 members of the organization, including the representative of National and Islamic forces Sheikh Sae’ed Nakhlah. In the early hours of Wednesday morning a large unit of the Israeli army attacked several areas in the city of Ramallah in central West Bank, kidnapping a number of Islamic Jihad members and leaders who had already spent long years in the Israeli detentions, reported the media office of the Islamic Jihad. Israeli army abducted Mazen Al Mougrabi,36, who is an Islamic Jihad activist, surrounding his Ramallah home with at least 30 military vehicles. more.. Israeli Forces Invade Nablus, the Gaza Strip MIFTAH, MIFTAH 6/28/2007 Israeli occupation soldiers continued military incursions into Palestinian territories, for the second day in a row, causing considerable damage and claiming several lives. In the Gaza Strip yesterday, 14 Palestinians were killed in Gaza Strip, including two children and over 50 injured in Gaza City and Khan Younis during an Israeli army raid on the two areas. Five of those killed were members of the Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad. Four were killed along with 9-year-old Izzedin Jundiya when an Israeli tank shot a shell directly at the group. The fifth, Raed Fanouna was killed when his car was targeted by an Israeli helicopter missile. Islamic Jihad sources in Gaza are accusing Israel of rigging Fanouna’s car with tracking devices and cameras, calling his death an assassination. more.. Quds Brigades: Assassinating Fanouna in booby-trapped car explosion Palestinian Information Center 6/28/2007 GAZA, (PIC)-- The Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, has disclosed that all evidences proved that a booby-trapped car was used in the assassination of its field commander Ra’ed Fanouna, 32, on Wednesday in Gaza. Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for the armed wing, explained in a press statement that a thorough check of the blasted car was made where a number of cameras were found along with other equipment that makes contact with drones. Fanouna was one of the Quds Brigades founders and one of the main experts in manufacturing explosives, the spokesman revealed. He said that contacts would be made with concerned security authorities to determine whether agents to Israel were involved in the assassination. Fanouna, a brother of a martyr, was killed and two pedestrians wounded... more.. IOF troops demolish Palestinian home, start fires in Palestinian lands Palestinian Information Center 6/28/2007 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli bulldozers on Tuesday flattened the home of a Palestinian old man in Ras Al-Amod suburb in occupied Jerusalem at the usual pretext of lack of construction permit. Local sources said that the bulldozers knocked down the 100-square-meter home of Othman Al-Yassini, 61, before his very eyes. They added that the house, which was built last year, was inhabited by four individuals who are now rendered homeless. Israeli occupation police sealed off the entire area and prevented citizens from approaching the demolition site. Palestinian Jerusalemites are more often than not denied construction permits in their own city while Jewish settlers arriving from various world areas are allowed to build at liberty. In Al-Khalil, IOF troops escorting Jewish settlers set fire to Palestinian cultivated lands in Yatta village south of Al-Khalil. more.. Palestine Today 062807 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 6/28/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file -- || File 3. 29 MB|| Time 3m35s|| -- Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday June 28th, 2007. Army attacks West Bank cites and towns and kidnaps 46 Palestinians, and during an ongoing military offensive in Nablus eight Israeli soldiers are injured, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The News Cast - Israeli military vehicles backed by monstrous bulldozers stormed the West Bank city of Nablus from all sides and took over the city center, the old city outskirts and several neighborhoods in the area in the early hours of Thursday morning. Palestinian security sources stated that the invasion was carried out by at least 100 military vehicles and jeeps, and that the soldiers fired rounds of live ammunition in several directions. more.. IDF exposes bomb lab in Nablus Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 6/29/2007 Five soldiers wounded in second day of large-scale operation against terror infrastructure in West Bank city. Troops arrest eight terror suspects, confiscate weapons and bombs, shut down explosives laboratory -- A number of IDF troops were wounded during an operation in Nablus Thursday which exposed a large explosives laboratory. Three prepared explosive devices, each weighing roughly five kilograms, were found in the laboratory, along with numerous weapons, magazines and materials used to manufacture bombs. Israeli army forces entered Nablus Wednesday to operate against terrorist infrastructure and locate illegal weapons caches. The large-scale operation was launched after intelligence information indicated that terrorists in the city were planning a number of attacks in Israeli territory. more.. Israeli forces kill at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza incursion Report, PCHR, 27 June 2007, Electronic Intifada 6/27/2007 In the early morning hours of Wednesday, 27 June 2007, IOF conducted two incursions into the town of Khuza’a to the east of Khan Yunis and into Sheja’eya Quarter in the eastern part of Gaza City. Up to the publication of this report, these incursions resulted in the death of 11 Palestinians. Among those killed are six civilians, including two children and two brothers. In addition, 50 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been injured. In the afternoon, IOF withdrew from Sheja’eya, leaving behind considerable destruction. The incursion into Khuza’a continued at the time of publication. In light of this escalation and the persistence of IOF military operations, PCHR is concerned over the falling of additional civilian victims. It is noted that this escalation coincides with the continued hermetic closure of the Gaza... more.. Israeli army terrorize Balata refugee camp for seven hours Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 6/27/2007 Israeli military vehicles stormed Balata refugee camp near Nablus on Tuesday night, opened random fire and terrorized hundreds of residents who were out in the streets and in fields seeking relief after another scorching hot day in the West Bank. Terrified refugees fled to their houses for safety but Israeli military vehicles sealed off streets and neighborhoods. Some shops and offices were left open as their owners ran out in panic after the sudden invasion. Blasting orders over loudspeakers, the army forced residents out their homes and made them take off their clothes. The troops fired randomly at buildings in the area and set a local restaurant on fire. No casualties were reported. The operation ended in the early hours of Wednesday morning lasting over seven hours. [end] Palestinian is critically injured as more than 50 Israeli army vehicles invade Jenin Ma’an News Agency 6/27/2007 Jenin - Ma’an - A Palestinian man was seriously injured when Israeli forces entered Jenin refugee camp, late on Tuesday evening. Three Palestinians were arrested during the incursion. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that 24-year-old, Samir Amin, was wounded after being shot by Israeli soldiers that had penetrated into Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank. He was transported to Jenin Hospital, where his condition is said to be critical. Three men were apprehended; Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Quds Brigades activist, Mohammad Jum’ah; Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades activist, Firas Turkman; and Filstin Turkman, who was arrested after sustaining injuries. Turkman received bullet wounds when his house in the refugee camp was besieged by the Israeli forces for several hours. more.. Gunmen kidnap one Palestinian civilian near Bethlehem Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/27/2007 A group of unknown gunmen kidnapped a resident of Beit Sahour town, located near Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank, on Tuesday night. Witnesses told IMEMC that a group of gunmen said to be Aqsa brigades of Fatah attacked Baha Antar and his fiends as they stood in the street near the Beit Sahour police station in the town’s center. The gunmen injured two young men who attempted to stop them gunmen from kidnapping Antar. Both sustained light wounds. Shortly after the attack, scores of Beit Sahour residents gathered at the scene and demanded that the Antar be released. Fatah leaders in the town, along with Mr. Hani Al Hayik, the Mayor of Beit Sahour, managed to secure the man’s release by dawn. [end] Gaza Strip crossing at Kerem Shalom closed R. P. - IMEMC and agencies, International Middle East Media Center 6/27/2007 The Kerem Shalom crossing, recently reopened to allow humanitarian assistance to reach the Gaza Strip, has been closed again by Israel for two days. Israel cited terror alerts as the reason for the closure, reporting that a large explosive device was discovered on Tuesday near Kerem Shalom. [end] About 2000 trees perish in Yatta town near Hebron Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 6/27/2007 Israeli military force set ablaze large plots of olive tree on Wednesday in "Tal Zev" area of Yatta town near Hebron in southern West Bank. Local farmers and owners of the fields reported that the fire blazed in their fields located near Israeli military base "Zev" and said that more than 2000 olive and almond trees perished in the fire. One farmer said that Israeli forces destroyed hundreds of dunums in the fire that lasted five hours. The burnt fields have been off limits to the Palestinian owners as Israeli soldiers prevented farmers from reaching them for the past five years. The Israeli force carried out the fire to grab the land and prepare it for expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the area, he said. [end] Hamas fighters shoot Israeli soldier in Gaza; Fatah and DFLP combatants target an Israeli base Ma’an News Agency 6/27/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, have claimed responsibility for shooting at an Israeli soldier east of Khuza’a, in the southern Gaza Strip. In a statement that Ma’an received, the brigades said the operation occurred at 7:30 am during the Israeli army’s incursion of the area. The same brigades also confirmed that they launched eight projectiles at an Israeli military jeep in the same area close to Khan Younis. The Fatah-affiliated Al Buraq Army earlier claimed responsibility for launching three mortars at an Israeli military base on Tuesday night, along with the help of the National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). The two armed groups said that this action was in retaliation for "the murder of Palestinians by the occupation. more.. Fatah and Hamas-affiliated fighters claim involvement in fighting Israeli forces in southern Gaza Ma’an News Agency 6/27/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Fatah-affiliated Al Buraq Army has claimed to have been involved in a gunfight with Israeli Special Forces in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning. The Buraq Army claimed that the fighting resulted in Israeli casualties and injuries and that their members managed to withdraw safely. They said that their actions were in response to Israel’s assassinations of Palestinian leaders in Gaza and the West Bank. The Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, also earlier claimed responsibility for shooting at an Israeli soldier east of Khuza’a, in the southern Gaza Strip. In a statement, the brigades said the operation occurred at 7:30 am during the Israeli army’s incursion of the area. The same brigades also confirmed that they launched eight projectiles at an Israeli military jeep in the same area close to Khan Younis. more.. ’Gaza gunmen fighting IDF out of frustration’ Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 6/27/2007 Soldiers clash with Hamas, Islamic Jihad operatives in Gaza, killing 11. ’Operation not unusual, does not indicate any change in IDF policy’, say military sources "The IDF’s activities in the Gaza Strip are not indicative of any change in policy, but are rather preventive measures taken against terror," military sources told Ynet, in reference to a Wednesday operation in Gaza let had left 12 Palestinians dead. The sources denied Palestinian reports of civilians and children being among the dead, stating that the fatalities were gunmen affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The IDF Southern Command stressed that all the Palestinian casualties, with the exception of one Islamic Jihad operative whose death was still investigated, had been killed during exchanges of fire with IDF troops operating in north and southern Gaza. more.. Israeli military tanks and jets strike Gaza, killing thirteen Palestinians Ma’an News Agency 6/27/2007 Khan Younis - Ma’an - In a ground incursion and in airstrikes, the Israeli army has killed thirteen Palestinians, since early on Wednesday morning in the Gaza Strip. Tanks invaded the southern Gaza Strip, east of Khan Younis, while Israeli fighter jets bombarded eastern Gaza City, in the north of the strip. Israeli troops also invaded Gaza City. 9 deaths in Gaza City -- Our Gaza correspondent reported director of emergencies in Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, Dr Muawiya Hassanein, as stating that two Palestinians, named as Nafiz Mahmoud Hillis, 27, and Ahmad Ayyad Hillis, 18, were killed in armed clashes with Israeli troops in eastern Gaza City. The two men were members of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah. An airstrike on the Shaja’iyya neighbourhood of east Gaza City killed Ra’ed Fannouna, from the Al Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s military wing. more.. 13 Palestinians killed, 2 Israeli soldiers wounded as Army invades Gaza Wisam Afifeh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/27/2007 At least 13 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday when the Israeli army invaded the region and attacked two neighborhoods. Israeli military sources said two troopers sustained serious wounds in clashes with the Palestinian fighters. The Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip come one day after a four-way summit in Egypt in which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met. The summit was meant, according to Egyptian officials, who called for the summit to boost Abbas and his emergency government. On Wednesday afternoon invading Israeli Tanks shelled houses located Al-Shija’iyeh area in eastern Gaza, the shilling killed three Palestinians. Medical sources identified the three as Khalil Ijha, Sami Manasra, and Yousef Manassra. more.. Fannoun was assassinated, Al Quds Brigades reveals Ma’an News Agency 6/27/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Al-Quds brigades, the armed group affiliated to the Islamic Jihad movement said on Wednesday that their leader, Raed Fannoun, 32, was murdered in the Shuja’iyya district of Gaza within a booby-trapped car. The spokesperson of the brigades, Abu Ahmad, stated, "After examining the car, it was revealed that it contained very sensitive cameras and sensors which transmitted signals to reconnaissance planes." Abu Ahmad revealed that Fannoun was one of the founders of the Al-Quds Brigades, and led the unit known as "The first uprising calls". He was ranked number four in the brigades and was a first class manufacturing expert. [end] Woman suffers from shock in Sderot Qassam attack Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 6/27/2007 Two rockets fired from Gaza land in southern city; al-Quds Brigades claims responsibility -- Two Qassam rockets fired from Gaza Wednesday landed in the southern city of Sderot just before 2 pm. The attack came after a morning of fierce fighting between IDF forces and gunmen in the Strip, during which at least 12 Palestinians were killed. One rocket fell in the parking lot of one of the factories in the city’s industrial zone, causing slight damage to the site. One woman suffered from shock. The second rocket landed in an open area and caused no injuries or damage. The al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, claimed responsibility for the attack. During the fighting in Gaza a senior member of the organization’s rocket unit was killed when his car exploded. more.. Hezbollah probes attack on peacekeepers Middle East Online 6/26/2007 Hezbollah security officials question farmers, restaurant owners in area of attack. -- BEIRUT - Hezbollah has launched its own probe into a weekend attack on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon in which six soldiers died, a source in the Shiite militant movement said on Tuesday. "We are carrying out our own investigations and are ready to share (the findings) with UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force) if necessary," the source said. The peacekeepers -- three Spaniards and three Colombian-born troops -- were killed on Sunday when a bomb struck their armoured personnel carrier as they patrolled the road between Marjayoun and Khiam in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL and the Lebanese army are carrying out separate inquiries into the attack but have not yet made public their findings. more.. Palestinian killed by Israeli air-strike in the Gaza Strip Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/26/2007 Israeli air-strikes struck Gaza City in the early hours of Tuesday morning, killing one man. While medical sources were initially unable to identify the body due to its mutilated state, the dead man was eventually identified as Husam Harb, 32, a member of Islamic Jihad. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli air strikes fired one rocket at the activist’s car while he was passing through the north of Gaza City. Earlier on Monday night, Israeli gunboats shelled fishermen’s boats in the Beit Lahia Sea, to the north of Gaza City. Eyewitness reported that Israeli gunboats fired several shells at the fishermen while they were fishing. In a separate operation on Monday night, the Israeli army fired at residents’ homes in Beit Hanoun town. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli tanks opened fire at homes located to the northern part of the town, causing economic damage only. more.. Soldiers invade Balata refugee camp in Nablus IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 6/27/2007 Israeli soldiers invaded late on Tuesday at night the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Local sources in the camp reported that soldiers, supported by at least thirty military vehicles, invaded the camp from its southern entrance and fired rounds of live ammunition at several houses; damage was reported, no injuries. [end] Soldiers invade Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 6/27/2007 Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Tuesday at night that Israeli soldiers, supported by armored vehicles, invaded Beit Lahia town, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported that the army fired rounds of live ammunition as military bulldozers advanced along with armored vehicles into Al Waha area, west of Beit Lahia. The army bulldozed farmlands and uprooted trees in the invaded area, local sources reported. [end] Army kidnaps six Palestinians from several parts of the West Bank Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/26/2007 The Israeli army invades several cities and towns in the West Bank and kidnapped at least six Palestinians in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Palestinian sources reported that troops attacked Palestinian homes in Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah and Nablus, adding that six were kidnapped and taken to unknown detention camps. Palestine info- a Hamas linked news website stated that the six kidnapped were Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists. Last week, the Israeli army conducted at least 32 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. [end] IOF troops advance into in Rafah, kidnap more West Bankers Palestinian Information Center 6/26/2007 RAFAH, (PIC)-- The IOF troops stormed at midnight Monday the Karam Abu Muammar area northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza, eyewitness reported. The residents confirmed that the IOF troops reinforced by tanks and bulldozers advanced one kilometer into the area and launched a campaign of raids on houses and bulldozed agricultural lands. Lately, the IOF troops have intensified its incursions in that same area carrying out many home raids and kidnappings. Meanwhile, an IOF spokesman told the Hebrew radio that 6 Palestinians allegedly affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad Movements were rounded up overnight Monday and early Tuesday from a number of West Bank cities and villages. [end] Islamic Jihad, DFLP and Fatah affiliated brigades fire projectiles at Sderot and other Israeli targets Ma’an News Agency 6/26/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - Various armed factions affiliated to Fatah, Islamic Jihad and the Democratic Front for Liberation of Palestine have all claimed to have fired projectiles and mortars at Israeli targets close to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The Al-Quds brigades, the armed group of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility on Tuesday morning for firing two homemade projectiles at the western Negev Israeli town of Sderot. In a statement received by Ma’an, the brigades said, "The shelling came in retaliation for the Israeli policy of arrests and targeted killing against the Palestinians which culminated with the assassination of the Al-Quds brigades’ leader Husam Harb." In a separate incident, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed group affiliated to Fatah, claimed responsibility for launching two projectiles at the military post in Kisufim. more.. Fatah and DFLP brigades fire missiles at Sufa Crossing Ma’an News Agency 6/26/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - Members of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, along with members of the National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) declared at noon on Tuesday that they had fired two missiles at Sufa crossing, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The brigades said in a joint statement, "This terror campaign is a confirmation of our continued resistance, and as a response to the daily crimes against the Palestinian people." [end] Fatah combatants launch an RPG at an Israeli military base on Gaza’s border Ma’an News Agency 6/26/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Fatah-affiliated Al Buraq Army announced that they launched a rocket-propelled grenade at the Israeli military position at Karni Crossing, between Israel and the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. “We are retaliating for Israeli aggression and assassinations and will stick to the choice of resistance,” said the brigades in a statement. [end] Sderot building damaged as two Qassams strike western Negev Mijal Greenberg, Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 6/26/2007 Two Qassam rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning. One rocket hit a building in Sderot, causing extensive damage to the structure, which belongs to a local yeshiva. A second rocket fell in an open area near Sderot causing no damage. Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin told the cabinet Sunday that Hamas is planning to carry out suicide bombings in order to undermine the efforts by Israel and the West to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Diskin also warned that the impression that Fatah is powerful in the West Bank is only an illusion. Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, formerly the prime minister in the PA’s unity government, Sunday called on Fatah and Hamas to resume their partnership in a shared government to extricate the Palestinians from the current crisis. more.. Murr blames Al-Qaeda-inspired groups for attack on peacekeeping forces Daily Star 6/27/2007 BEIRUT: Defense Minister Elias Murr characterized the car-bomb attack that killed six UN peacekeepers Sunday as "extremely dangerous" in an interview with Al-Arabiyya television on Tuesday. Murr blamed the attack on Al-Qaeda-inspired groups, citing intelligence reports. He said he had "urged the UNIFIL leadership to take necessary precautions two months ago, in accordance with many intelligence reports we had received about the possibility of ter- ror attacks being launched against peacekeepers." Murr also said that the government had no intention of holding any negotiations with the remaining Fatah al-Islam militants fighting the Lebanese Army at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp "until [the militants] surrender themselves to the Lebanese judiciary. more.. Palestine Today 062607 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 6/26/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 49 MB|| Time 3m49s|| - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Monday June 26th, 2007. Israel continued its policy of targeted-assassinations of resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip and the kidnapping of activists throughout the West Bank, with today’s attacks leaving one dead, several injured and at least six others kidnapped. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The Israeli army invaded several cities and towns in the West Bank and kidnapped at least six Palestinians in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Palestinian sources reported that troops attacked Palestinian homes in Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah and Nablus, adding that six were kidnapped and taken to unknown detention camps. more.. Israeli air strike on Gaza City kills an Al-Quds Brigades’ activist Ma’an News Agency 6/25/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - An activist from the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, was killed and two others were injured in an Israeli air raid on a car in the An Nasir neighbourhood of north Gaza City on Sunday evening." Husam Harb, 28, from Shuja’iyya was killed and one of his escorts was injured in addition to a passer-by," eyewitnesses told Ma’an’s Gaza reporter. The eyewitnesses added, "Israeli fighter jets targeted a Peugeot 504 car in which two Al-Quds brigades’ activists were travelling. The car was completely destroyed and burned." Palestinian medical sources stated that the killed and injured men were transferred to Ash Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. One of the injured men is said to be in a serious condition. The brigades said in a statement that the deceased was one of its veteran activists, and that his death would just "strengthen the resistance. more.. Israeli forces kidnap one Palestinian civilian from Za’tara village near Bethlehem Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/25/2007 A massive Israeli force invaded the village of Za’tara, located east of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank, and kidnapped one civilian on Monday morning. Troops surrounded the house of Nur-Al Deen Danun, 21, searched it, and after several hours, forced Danun into a military vehicle, after which he was taken to an unknown detention camp. [end] Israel continues construction of Alon Mureh settlement at the expense of Palestinian land Ameen Abu Wardeh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/25/2007 Residents of the eastern part of Nablus city, located in the northern West Bank, and nearby towns and villages have expressed shock at the continued construction of the Alon Mureh settlement. An overview of an Israeli settlement near Bethlehem city in the West Bank The continued construction of the settlement has been made and continues to be made at the expense of farm land that belongs to Palestinian farmers from the city of Nablus and nearby towns and villages. This continued construction has caused the settlement to change its shape continuously. The newly constructed homes in the settlement have reached the homes of Palestinian villagers. Abd-Al Ghani Samara, from Azmot village, says that some of the newly-constructed homes are located several meters away from his village, resulting in the fear that settlers will soon attack local Palestinian farmers. more.. Palestinian homes attacked as Israeli army invades Dora village near Hebron Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/25/2007 The Israeli army attacked and searched scores of Palestinian homes in the village of Dora, near Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank, on Monday morning. Troops ransacked and searched homes and left the village after two hours. No kidnappings were reported. [end] Army invades a village near Ramallah and kidnaps one resident Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/25/2007 An Israeli army force invaded the village of Safa west of the central West Bank of Ramallah and kidnapped one resident after searched a number of homes on Monday. Sources in the village identified the man as Mohamed Al Hindi, 24, and added that he works as a Palestinian police officer in Ramallah. [end] Qassam rocket damages two houses in Sderot; no one wounded Mijal Grinberg and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents, Ha’aretz 6/24/2007 A Qassam rocket hit the western Negev town of Sderot on Sunday morning, causing damage to two houses. No one was wounded in the attacks, although four people suffered from shock and were evacuated to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. A Fatah offshoot and Islamic Jihad both claimed responsibility for the attack, Israel Radio reported. Security forces over the weekend arrested four Palestinians wanted for their role in paramilitary activities. In a separate incident Friday, a 20-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by the Israel Defense Forces. In a combined operation of the IDF and the Shin Bet security service Saturday in the village of Arura, north of Ramallah, 41-year-old Salah al-Aruri was arrested. He is considered to be one of the founding members in the West Bank of Iz al-Din al-Qassam, Hamas’ military wing, and one of its leaders. more.. PRC’s armed wing fire two mortars at Nahal ’Oz village Ma’an News Agency 6/25/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed responsibility on Monday morning for launching two mortar shells towards the Israeli village of Nahal ’Oz, located east of Gaza City close to the Gaza-Israel border. The brigades said in a statement received by Ma’an, "The operation came to emphasize that resistance will continue until the Palestinian territories are freed." [end] Two shells hit a residential building in Gaza City as inter-clan clashes erupt Ma’an News Agency 6/25/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - Two explosive shells landed on a residential building in the centre of Gaza City on Sunday evening, eyewitnesses reported. The eyewitnesses said that the shells hit Al-Umara tower, a high-rise residential building, in the Tel Al-Hawa area of central Gaza City on Sunday evening. The shells fell as clashes erupted on Sunday afternoon between two Gazan clans. The residents of Al-Umara tower said that one of the shells hit an apartment on the third floor of the building and the other hit the sixth floor. No injuries were reported. [end] Islamic Jihad’s military wing fire projectiles at Sderot, Ashkelon, and Kerem Shalom Crossing Ma’an News Agency 6/25/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, have claimed responsibility on Monday for launching one homemade projectile at the Israeli western Negev town of Sderot and three mortar shells at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing. Also the Yasser Arafat Brigades, who are an armed wing of Fatah, claimed to have conducted a joint operation with the Al-Quds Brigades, in which they fired a projectile at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. The Al-Quds Brigades said that the operation was in retaliation for the killing of a member of their brigades by Israeli fighter jets on Sunday evening. The Yasser Arafat Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades said in a joint statement that this operation was in response to "the Israeli crimes" in the West Bank and Gaza. [end] Extreme rightist convicted of supporting terror group Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 6/25/2007 Right-winger Itamar Ben-Gvir charged on four counts of incitement, support of terror organization, found guilty of carrying signs saying ’Kahane was right’, ’Expel Arab enemy’. Prosecutors consider requesting jail timeThe Jerusalem Magistrates Court convicted right-wing activist Itamar Ben-Gvir of supporting a terror organization and incitement to racism on Monday. Ben-Gvir was found guilty of carrying a sign saying, "Expel the Arab enemy," (incitement to racism) and a poster saying, "Rabbi Kahane was right, the Arab MKs are the fifth column" (support for a terror organization). Four indictments for four separate incidents occurring between the years 2001 and 2002 were filed against the rightist, who was convicted of the first two charges. more.. Experts say C4 explosives used in attack on UNIFIL Daily Star 6/26/2007 KHIAM: Powerful C4 plastic explosives were used in Sunday’s car-bomb attack on the Spanish contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a security report said on Monday. Military experts from UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army on Monday began probing the scene of the attack. Investigators rejected the hypothesis that a suicide bomber carried out the explosion, which killed six members of the Spanish contingent in the southern village of Khiam. Investigators are continuing to search for the remains of the Renault Rapide car used in the bombing, as well as for samples of the explosive in order to gain more information about the nature of the substance. Investigators used special equipment to determine that the bomb used in the attack consisted of 70 kilograms of C4, or the equivalent of about 300-350 kilograms of TNT. more.. Pines-Paz: We expected the int’l community to end the war for us Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 6/26/2007 Former Minister of Science, Culture and Sports MK Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor) told the Winograd Committee the cabinet did not discuss a diplomatic end-point for the Second Lebanon War, as it expected international pressure to force Israel to finish it within a few days, the Committee reported Monday. "The leading diplomatic sources... gave us a working premise that we didn’t have much time to work with, and that we needed to act until we would be stopped - but then no one stopped us. This is what happened. Not only did no one stop us, they encouraged us, and we let this go to our heads," the former minister said. Pines emphasized that Israel was dragged into a war without actually deciding to enter one. "I learnt of the Israel Defense Forces plans for the war from the media," he also testified. more.. Six UN peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon car bombing News Agencies, Ha’aretz 6/25/2007 Six United Nations peacekeepers were killed Sunday and two others wounded in a car bombing targeting UN troops in southern Lebanon, Lebanese police sources said. A police source said that vehicle involved in the attack was "most likely" driven by a suicide bomber. It was the first deadly attack on the 13,000-strong United Nations force since last year’s Israel-Hezbollah war and drew swift condemnation from the United States, France as well as Lebanese guerilla group Hezbollah. Spanish Defense Minister Jose Antonio Alonso said the five included three Colombians and three Spanish peacekeepers. The two injured troops were also from Spain, he told reporters in Madrid. Security sources in Lebanon reported that UN troops hit a roadside bomb while on patrol. more.. Islamic Jihad fighter assassinated in Gaza Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 6/25/2007 Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Sunday at night that one resident was killed after the Israeli air force fired at least one missile at a Palestinian vehicle driving in Al Nasser Street, north of Gaza City. The resident, Husam Khalil Harb, 32, was identified as one of the activists of the Islamic Jihad movement. Two residents were injured in the shelling and were moved to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City one of them is in a serious condition. The sources stated that the body of Harb was severely mutilated as a result of the blast since the missile directly hit his vehicle. The assassination in Gaza is the first since Hamas fully controlled the Gaza Strip and all of its security centers earlier this month. The Israeli army confirmed the attack. more.. Armed factions fire projectiles at Sderot and Kfar Aza Ma’an News Agency 6/24/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility on Sunday for launching one projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot, located close to the northern Gaza Strip. Earlier, the Al Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for launching one projectile at Kfar Aza, an Israeli village located east of the northern Gaza Strip. The Al Quds Brigades said in a statement that Ma’an received that their launching was in retaliation for "the assassinations and arrest operations which the occupation has carried out against the Palestinians," the latest being the assassination of an Islamic Jihad member in the West Bank city of Nablus. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, a projectile fired from Gaza damaged a house in Sderot on Sunday morning. more.. Armed wing of PRC fires ’Nasser-2’ missiles at Israeli military base near Gaza Ma’an News Agency 6/24/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), have claimed responsibility for shelling Kissufim, an Israeli military base close to the Gaza Strip. The shelling, by two ’Nasser-2’ missiles, happened on Sunday afternoon. In a statement, the An Nasser Brigades assured that the continuous shelling of Israeli locations was retaliation for what the Israeli military carries out in the West Bank and Gaza. [end] 3 injured in Qassam attack Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 6/24/2007 Two rockets launched towards southern Israel, three people injured after second rocket lands in backyard of Sderot home -- Three people were lightly injured when a Qassam rocket launched from the northern Gaza Strip landed in the backyard of a Sderot home Sunday morning. The "Color Red"ť alert system was activated in the southern town, and several residents suffered from shock. The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing, claimed responsibility. The rocket caused damage to the home, which was also hit by a Qassam in May. The three residents who were injured in Sunday morning’s attack were taken to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. Another rocket landed just outside the town earlier in the day. more.. Palestinian resistance fires rockets on settlements Palestinian Information Center 6/24/2007 GAZA, (PIC)-- The Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, on Sunday morning fired a home-made missile on Sderot settlement within the Palestinian lands occupied in 1948 inflicting various injuries on three settlers in retaliation to the persistent IOF offensives against Palestinian people. Israeli medical and security sources confirmed that three settlers had been transferred to a hospital, while two houses and two cars sustained serious damage when a rocket fell on the settlement. In addition, the Quds Brigades and the AMB claimed on Sunday morning responsibility for firing home-made rockets on "Kfar Azza" settlement in two separate attacks. In a report, theQuds Brigades confirmed that the operations come in the framework of initial responses to the Israeli policy of incursions and kidnappings against the Palestinian people... more.. Israeli settlers burn agricultural land in Bethlehem IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 6/23/2007 A group of Israeli settlers set on fire a wide agricultural land that belongs to Palestinian farmers from the village of Tiqua, east of Bethlehem on Friday afternoon. The settlers are believed to be of the nearby Tiqua settlement, which is built on land confiscated from the Tiqua village. The village council of Tiqua declared that serious damage resulted from the fires, and that sheep farms and olive trees were all lost. Around 300 dunams of land, (72 Acres) were destroyed, causing a serious financial crisis for the villagers as some 400 olive trees were completely burned. Almost 80 percent of the residents of Tiqua depend on agriculture as their main source of income. Similar to other Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the Bethlehem area settlements, do not only occupy land seized by force from Palestinians, but also control the water resources in the area. more.. Israeli jets pound Gaza Al Jazeera 6/24/2007 At least one person has been killed and four wounded in an Israeli air strike on a car driving through Gaza City. The aircraft fired at least one missile at the car as it drove through northern Gaza City on Sunday, witnesses and Palestinian security sources said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that the aircraft launched a raid against the Gaza Strip but provided no further details. It was the first Israeli air strike on a car in several weeks. A Hamas security source said the vehicle was being driven by Islamic Jihad members when it was hit. Islamic Jihad said the vehicle was carrying its members on a "holy mission," code for an attack on IsraelLink Gaza sewage crisis ongoing Hamas TV footage showed the burned car with at least one rocket inside. more.. Israeli army arrests Islamic Jihad operative near Nablus Ma’an News Agency 6/24/2007 Nablus- Ma’an - An Israeli police force arrested on Sunday morning an Islamic Jihad operative at the northern West Bank village of Kufr Tell, close to the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank. [end] Hamas member dies of earlier wounds sustained during Hamas-Fateh clashes IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 6/24/2007 Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, said on Sunday that one of its members died on Sunday morning of wounds sustained on June 11, during clashes between Hamas and Fateh gunmen in Gaza City. The member was identified as Abdul-Raziq Ali Madi, 43, one of the members of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas,The brigades stated that "the traitors who want to topple the Hamas government", referring to a group in Fateh, should Madi. [end] Israel seizes top Hamas leader in West Bank News Agencies, YNetNews 6/23/2007 IDF troops arrest founder of Qassam brigades near Ramallah. Move considered ’dual conspiracy’ between Israel and PA, Hamas spokesman says -- Israeli troops arrested Saleh al-Aruri, the founder of the Hamas military wing in the West Bank, as part of a widening crackdown on the Islamic militants following Hamas’ bloody takeover of Gaza. Al-Aruri was taken from his West Bank home before dawn Saturday, his wife said. Hamas denounced Aruri’s arrest as proof of collusion between Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s forces to crush Hamas in the West Bank. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the move was proof of a "dual conspiracy" against Hamas Islamists in the West Bank, one led by Israel and the other by Abbas’s security forces. more.. Resident killed by Israeli military fire in Hebron Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 6/23/2007 Palestinian sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, reported on Friday evening that Israeli troops shot and killed one resident at a military roadblock near the city. The resident was identified as Shadi Rajih Al-Matoor, 25. He was initially seriously injured, and died of his wounds later on at Al Ahli Palestinian hospital in Hebron. The army claimed that the slain resident attempted to enter a military post north of Keryat Arba’ settlement in the city. Army source claimed that soldiers ordered the resident to stop, and that they fired at him after he failed to comply. Initial investigation conducted by the army revealed that the resident was unarmed. According to the army, Al-Matoor was wearing Israeli army pants, and the soldiers suspected that he was attempting to infiltrate into the military outpost. more.. One Palestinian women injured by army fire in Jenin Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/23/2007 One Palestinian woman was shot and injured during an Israeli army invasion targeting Jenin refugee camp located in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday. Local sources said that a massive Israeli force attacked the refugee camp and soldiers opened heavy fire at the homes of residents, leading to the injury of Sana Mas’ud, 26. Medical sources said that Sana sustained moderate wounds to her shoulder after being hit by several live rounds. [end] Palestinian man assassinated by Israeli checkpoint soldiers in Halhoul Ma’an News Agency 6/23/2007 Hebron - Ma’an – A Palestinian man was killed late on Friday night when Israeli soldiers stationed at Halhoul Bridge, north of Hebron, opened fire at him. He died instantly. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that Shadi Motawar, aged 25, was assassinated at a ’flying checkpoint’, a non-permanent roadblock erected by Israeli soldiers, near the Halhoul Bridge. It is reported that the man was inspected by the soldiers, before they shot him. Medical sources confirmed that the Motawar received several bullets to his head and other parts of his body. The sources confirmed that he died instantly. Motawar’s family told Ma’an: "Shadi went to bring some food, but he never returned. He was killed by the Israeli soldiers at the bridge, not too far from our home." [end] Hamas fighters shell Israeli military in southern Gaza Ma’an News Agency 6/23/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, on Saturday claimed responsibility for launching 15 mortar shells at Israeli military vehicles stationed east of Al Qarara in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. The brigades issued a statement announcing that the shelling is retaliation for the frequent Israeli attempts to penetrate the Gaza Strip, east of Khan Younis. [end] Israeli settlers incinerate vast areas of Palestinian agricultural land Ma’an News Agency 6/23/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – A group of Israeli settlers set a large Palestinian agricultural area ablaze on Friday, in Teqoa’, east of Bethlehem. The local council of Teqoa’ announced that vast damage resulted from the fires, especially to sheep farms and olive trees. The total area destroyed is estimated to be 300 dunams (300,000m˛). Around 400 15-year-old olive trees were reduced to ashes in the blaze. [end] Settlers uproot Palestinian trees, plant them in settlement outpost Amin Abu Wardeh - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 6/23/2007 Palestinian and Israeli security sources reported on Saturday that Israeli settlers from "Ami Aad" illegal settlement outpost, near the West Bank city of Nablus, uprooted nearly 300 Palestinian Olive trees, and replanted half of them in the outpost. Abdul-Nasser Badawi, head of the Qaryout village, south of Nablus, stated that the settlers carried their act in front of Israeli peace activists, who reported the incident. The peace activists stated that the settlers replanted at least half of the uprooted trees in their outpost, and near their houses. The outpost is only 2. 5 Kilometers away from Shavuot Rachel illegal settlement which was constructed in 1998, and is inhibited by dozens of settler families, including Israeli settlers who immigrated from Russia and Brazil. more.. Four militants arrested in West Bank over weekend; 1 Palestinian killed Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 6/23/2007 Security forces over the weekend arrested four Palestinians wanted for their role in paramilitary activities. In a separate incident Friday, a 20-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by the Israel Defense Forces. In a combined operation of the IDF and the Shin Bet security service yesterday in the village of Arura, north of Ramallah, 41-year-old Salah al-Aruri was arrested. He is considered to be one of the founding members in the West Bank of Iz al-Din al-Qassam, Hamas’ military wing, and one of its leaders. From 1992 to 1997, al-Aruri was jailed in Israel. He was captured and incarcerated again in 1998, and was released in March this year. During his years behind bars, al-Aruri served in the unofficial Hamas leadership in the prisons, according to security sources. more.. With nightly invasions and kidnappings, Israeli military occupation makes its presence known Ameen Abu Wardeh, International Middle East Media Center 6/23/2007 Hardly a night passes in the West Bank without Israeli army invasions and kidnapping of Palestinians. Palestinian residents are unable to sleep without hearing the sounds of explosions and live rounds that mix in with the street noise. Nightly invasions and kidnappings, the Israeli military occupat Early each morning, morning more Palestinians are kidnapped by the Israeli army. On Thursday alone, 13 Palestinians were kidnapped by Israeli troops in Nablus. The residents of Balata refugee camp in Nablus woke up on Wednesday to the sight of Israeli armored vehicles surrounding their camp, and Israeli troops taking photos of houses and streets. The assassination of two Palestinian resistance fighters in Kfar Dan village near Jenin in the West Bank on Wednesday was one of a number of attacks, part of an ongoing... more.. Army kidnaps three civilians from Hebron Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/23/2007 The Israeli army attacked several areas of the southern West Bank city of Hebron and kidnapped 3 Palestinian civilians on Saturday morning. In Hebron city center, soldiers attacked and searched a building then kidnapped Fahid Ghaith and Nader AL Jamal, and took them to unknown dentition camps. In the meantime, another force attacked homes in the nearby Al Shukh village, just outside the city. Troops left after searching several homes and kidnapping Idrees Al Halika. [end] Prosthetic limb factory in Qalqilia attacked by unknown gunmen Ma’an News Agency 6/23/2007 Qalqilia - Ma’an – A civic society in Qalqilia, which runs a factory making prosthetic limbs, was attacked on Friday by unknown gunmen. The attack caused a huge financial loss for the factory, as extensive material damage has been caused. Executive director of the society, Mr. Jamal Da’ud, described this factory as the first of its kind among Palestinian cities, providing artificial legs and arms for the needy, having been established in 2006 with just 400,000 US dollars. Al Hasan confirmed that investigations began immediately, and will update the media accordingly, as they attempt to gain the trust of people to protect their organizations. [end] Brigades join forces to launch projectiles at Sufa crossing Ma’an News Agency 6/23/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - Three brigades have announced joint responsibility for a rocket attack at the Israeli military presence at the Sufa crossing. The Al Aqsa, Abu ar Rish and National Resistance Brigades launched three "Aqsa 2" rockets on Friday afternoon, "to avenge the martyrs in Gaza and Jenin", as declared by the three brigades. [end] Allied Palestinian fighters bomb an Israeli jeep in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 6/23/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The main armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al Quds Brigades, along with the An Nasser Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees, on Saturday announced that they bombed an Israeli military jeep, in the southern Gaza Strip. The brigades said that an allied group of fighters from the two military wings planted a 30 kilo explosive device in a military jeep which was patrolling the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. The brigades said the jeep went up in flames. [end] Unknown assailants steal the property of the teachers’ union in Salfit Ma’an News Agency 6/23/2007 Nablus – Salfit – Ma’an – Anonymous assailants on Saturday expropriated the property of the teachers’ union, which is affiliated to the Islamic bloc in Salfit, in the northern West Bank. The perpetrators demolished the doors of the office and then stormed the newly-founded society which oversees teachers’ affairs. ’Masked men’ have reportedly stolen the property of several institutions in the Salfit district in recent weeks. [end] Report: IDF believes Hamas has rockets that can reach Ashkelon Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 6/24/2007 The Israel Defense Forces intelligence branch believes that Hamas has several rockets that can reach any point in Ashkelon, Channel 2 TV news said this weekend. According to the television, a recent report also states that Hamas have anti-aircraft missiles which could hit any aircraft that flies over the Gaza Strip. The report also stated that in the last year the Hamas have managed to smuggle over 40 tons of explosives through the Rafah crossing that they could attach to the Qassam rockets, creating a much deadlier weapon. A military official told Haaretz this weekend that the fact that the Rafah crossing is being controlled by Hamas following its takeover of Gaza only adds to the concern that Hamas is continuing to arm itself. According to the data in the report, Hamas have 50 rockers with a range of 22 kilometers. more.. IDF troops shoot and kill Palestinian near Hebron Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 6/23/2007 Israel Defense Forces shot and killed a 25-year-old Palestinian at a West Bank roadblock near the city of Hebron on Friday. The IDF said the Palestinian had tried to enter a military outpost north of Kiryat Arba. When the Palestinian did not respond to soldiers’ calls to stop, the troops shot at him, the army said. According to a preliminary investigation, the man was unarmed. The Palestinian man was seriously wounded and taken to a hospital in Hebron, where he later died of his wounds. Sources in the IDF maintain that the Palestinian was wearing IDF army pants and high boots, and soldiers suspected he was attempting to infiltrate to the outpost. Security forces nab ’Hezbollah-trained’ suspect in W. Bank raid IDF and Border Police troops early Friday morning arrested three suspected militants in an overnight raid in the West Bank city of Nablus. more.. Israeli forces conduct extensive arrest campaigns in northern West Bank; heavy gunfire in Nablus Ma’an News Agency 6/22/2007 Nablus - Bethlehem - Ma’an - The Israeli forces have withdrawn from the northern West Bank city of Nablus after a military operation that lasted several hours and resulted in the arrest of four Palestinians and the injury of one of them. The Israeli army carried out a wide arrest campaign on Friday at dawn in which many Palestinians from Jenin and Nablus in the northern West Bank were arrested. The Israeli army claimed that the men, mostly believed to be affiliated to Fatah, were ’wanted’. Hebrew sources announced that the Israeli forces arrested several active Fatah members during a major procedure in Nablus and Jenin and then took them for interrogation. Other sources added that the military forces faced armed resistance during the arrest operations; they were targeted with three bombs and gunfire but no Israel injuries resulted, Israeli sources said. more.. IOF troops advance into Gaza after withdrawing from Khan Younis Palestinian Information Center 6/21/2007 GAZA, (PIC)-- The IOF troops at an early hour Thursday invaded east of Gaza city, shortly after withdrawing from the Qarara area, north of Khan Younis city leaving behind four fatalities, 10 injuries, and extensive destruction of infrastructure, eyewitnesses reported. The Israeli armored vehicles and tanks, reinforced by jet fighters, advanced to Shujaieh neighborhood, east of Gaza, where they stationed there and installed sandbags in the area near Ja’el gas station. To repel any further advance by the IOF troops, the Palestinian resistance fighters set up defensive positions in the area. [end] Israeli forces invades Jabalia town near Gaza Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 6/22/2007 Israeli forces launched an invasion in Jabalia town, in the north of Gaza Strip, in the early hours of Friday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that a huge number of Israeli military vehicles, backed by massive armored bulldozers, invaded the area while firing heavily. The army established control over a petrol station in the area and turned it to a military base. Eyewitnesses added that bulldozers established mounds of earth near the petrol station and are currently sweeping the area. Local sources reported that in a separate operation on Thursday night, Israeli military forces committed two savage crimes; one in Khan Younis, in the south of Gaza Strip and the other in Jenin, where 7 Palestinian were killed and tens of Palestinians were injured, in addition to the abductions of a number of civilians. more.. Gaza defeat breeds hatred and revenge Source: Agence France-Presse - AFP, ReliefWeb 6/22/2007 KHAN YUNIS, Gaza Strip, June 22, 2007 (AFP) - "The other day, my son was playing with a wooden sword and said ’Mummy I’ll kill Hamas when I grow up,’" sobs Amel Barbakh, a widow at 25 after the Islamists shot dead her husband. The southern Gaza Strip, where she lives, fell to Hamas 48 hours into a week of decisive fighting between Hamas Islamists and the loyalists of the secular Fatah party headed by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. Well-trained and well-disciplined, Hamas stormed and rapidly overwhelmed the headquarters of all mainstream security forces in the town of Khan Yunis, and Rafah further south on the Egyptian border. Fleeing to Egypt, fearing for their lives, or disarmed after Hamas’s armed takeover of the Gaza Strip, security officers and loyalists of the Western-backed Abbas are burning with hatred and lust for revenge. more.. Unknown gunmen attack Fatah building in Qalqilya Ma’an News Agency 6/22/2007 Qalqilya - Ma’an - At dawn on Friday, armed men threw a grenade at a building belonging to the Fatah movement in the neighborhood of Kufr Saba, in Qalqilya city centre, in the north west of the occupied West Bank. Our Qalqilya correspondent reported that unknown persons threw a grenade at a Fatah building in the city centre and burned some of the building’s contents. The correspondent added that the security services had begun investigating the circumstances of the incident. [end] This Week in Palestine – Week 25 2007 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 6/22/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || Time 11m6s|| File 10. 1 MB|| This Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for June 16 through 22, 2007. Hamas and Fatah trade accusations as the Palestinian president accuses Hamas of attempting to assassinate him, meanwhile Israel continue to close Gaza border crossings, as Abbas and Olmert prepare to meet. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned. Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine Let’s begin our weekly report with the nonviolent actions in Palestine against the wall and settlements. Non-violence Report Umm Salamoneh Around 50 residents of the village of Umm Salamoneh, located to the south of Bethlehem in the West Bank, joined by international and Israeli peace activists, marched on Friday... more.. Israel launches tank and air strikes on Gaza Mark Tran and agencies, The Guardian 6/20/2007 Israeli troops today killed four Palestinian fighters as Israel launched its first major attacks in Gaza since Hamas took over the territory last week. Aircraft also struck launch sites in northern Gaza after militants fired at least one makeshift rocket at the town of Sderot, a frequent target of missile fire. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the launchers were loaded with rockets when they were hit. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Israeli officials said two Hamas fighters and two other militants were killed in a clash near the Kissufim border crossing in Gaza after Israeli tanks and troops had pushed into the coastal enclave in a search for wanted Palestinian gunmen. In the larger Palestinian territory of the West Bank, where Fatah is dominant, two more Palestinian gunmen were killed after an hour-long... more.. Palestinians killed in Israel raids Al Jazeera 6/20/2007 Israeli soldiers have killed four Palestinians during raids in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, military and medical sources say. Many Palestinians remain trapped at the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel as the humanitarian situation inside Gaza worsened. Also on Wednesday, Hamas fired rockets at Israel. Two Palestinians were killed on Wednesday when Israeli soldiers tried to arrest them near Jenin, a town in the north of the West Bank. A fighter from the Popular Resistance Committees was also killed in battles with Israeli troops near Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian medic said. The armed wing of Hamas, in control of Gaza after defeating loyalists of rival Fatah, said one of its fighters also died in the battles. more.. Police uncover weapons lab in home of West Bank settler Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 6/22/2007 Police have uncovered a weapons lab in the home of a West Bank settler that they believe was used to illegally fix decommissioned guns, according to information made public Thursday. In a raid on the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, police found equipment used to manufacture bullet casings, as well as reference books on how to manufacture weapons and explosives. Police also found 15 Uzi semiautomatic rifles, three of which had been restored to function properly. Police have yet to determine what the weapons were intended for, and if they were to be used in a terrorist or criminal plot. The prime suspect, a secular Jew of Russian origin, apparently was not acting out of ideological motives. He was arrested at the beginning of the month along with five others, although the allegations were not made public until Thursday. more.. Militants fire 5 Qassams at western Negev, three people wounded Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 6/22/2007 Gaza militants fired five Qassam rockets at the western Negev Wednesday evening. One rocket landed on a Sderot home wounding two people lightly. Another rocket landed near a gas station in Kibbutz Nir’am and a third person was lightly wounded. Eight people were treated for shock. Earlier Wednesday, a Qassam rocket landed south of Ashkelon causing no injuries or damage. The Israel Defense Forces said that two rockets landed in Sderot Wednesday morning. Militant group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks in the morning prompting an Israel Air Force strike on its rocket launching sites in Gaza. Meanwhile Wednesday, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar said that his group wants to maintain calm in the Gaza Strip, but will not be the "protector" of the Israeli border with Gaza, threatening retaliation if attacked. more.. Settler jailed for 2.5 years over attempt to import weapons Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz 6/21/2007 Haifa District Court sentenced Jeffery Seth, 40, to two and a half years in prison on Wednesday, for attempting to import, produce and hold weapons, as well as illegally owning military supplies. Seth, a resident of the northern West Bank settlement of Tapuah, immigrated to Israel over a year ago from the United States. Seth was also sentenced to a suspended sentence of an additional 18 months, which will be in effect for three years. According to the indictment, a crate sent from the U.S. was discovered at Haifa’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
