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| Conflict |
Gaza: 6 dead in Palestinian infighting
Ali Waked, YNetNews 12/31/2007
Teenager, security officer among those killed in exchange of fire between Hamas, Fatah gunmen in southern Gaza - Anniversary celebrations for the Fatah movement turned violent in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis after nightfall Monday. Medics said six Palestinians were killed and some 30 others were wounded as rival factions exchanged fire following Hamas’ ban of all Fatah gatherings. Fatah officials said that Hamas security forces has been arresting Fatah operatives throughout the coastal territory since the early morning hours and conducting raids on Fatah offices, confiscating movement paraphernalia to prevent planned rallies from going forward. One Fatah supporter, a teenager, and two Hamas members were shot dead at a demonstration commemorating Fatah’s 43rd anniversary in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. more..
Five killed as violence erupts at Fatah rally in Gaza Strip
Avi Issacharoff and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 12/31/2007
Five Palestinians were killed after nightfall on Monday as anniversary celebrations for the Fatah movement turned violent in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Medical officials said one of the dead was a Hamas police officer, another was a teenager and a third was a Fatah supporter. About 30 people were wounded, they said. Fatah marks the anniversary of its founding on January 1, but Hamas banned Fatah marches. All over Gaza, Fatah backers fired rifles in the air and set off fireworks. These were the first fatalities in Fatah-Hamas fighting since November 11, when Hamas forces opened fire on a huge Fatah rally, killing eight and wounding about 85. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas Islamists on Monday to agree to early elections and to open a "new page" by ceding control of the Gaza Strip and holding reconciliation talks with his Fatah faction. more..
Three die as Gaza factions clash
BBC Online 12/31/2007
Three people have been killed and a number wounded as the rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas clashed in the south of the Gaza Strip. Three people were shot dead at a Fatah rally in the town of Khan Younis, at least one of them a Hamas policeman. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas earlier called for a "new page" to be opened in ties between Fatah and Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in June. However, a Hamas spokesman said Mr Abbas’s speech offered nothing new. The fighting in Khan Younis erupted when Fatah attempted to hold a rally. The group celebrates the anniversary of its foundation in 1965 on 1 January. Hamas said Fatah gunmen had opened fire from rooftops while Fatah said Hamas forces had raided houses, arresting dozens of Fatah members, the Associated Press reports. "Police tried to disperse [the] small Fatah demonstration in Khan Younis... more..
Gazan pilgrim killed and four injured by Israeli fire at Erez crossing
Ma’an News Agency 12/31/2007
Gaza Ma’an A Palestinian female Hajj pilgrim was killed and at least four other pilgrims were injured on Sunday evening as the Israeli forces opened fire at the crowds of pilgrims at Erez crossing in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, Ma’an’s reporter said. Eyewitnesses told Ma’an that the Israeli soldiers fired randomly at the crowds of pilgrims while they were waiting for inspection killing Khaldiyya Hamdan 55 and injuring four others including one seriously injured. Seven hundred pilgrims returned to Gaza Strip on Sunday via Jordan after they completed the Hajj annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The pilgrims were taken to the Israeli side of Beit Hanoun (Erez crossing) in 12 buses. Those 700 pilgrims had headed to Saudi Arabia through Erez crossing in coordination with the Palestinian minister of endowment in the Ramallah-based caretaker government. more..
OPT: Gunfire kills one Palestinian pilgrim, wounds four
Reuters Foundation, ReliefWeb 12/30/2007
GAZA, Dec 30 (Reuters) - At least one Palestinian was killed and four others were wounded by gunfire while crossing from Israel into the Gaza Strip on Sunday after completing the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca, Palestinian medics said. The medical workers said the pilgrims had been hit by Israeli gunfire at the Erez border crossing. Witnesses said soldiers first fired into the air and then at the crowd of pilgrims. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the army was not aware of any shooting in the area. Palestinian officials said about 700 pilgrims had crossed back into Gaza on Sunday, having returned from Saudi Arabia via Jordan. A separate group of more than 2,000 returning Palestinian pilgrims were stranded in Egypt, unable to return to Gaza because Israel was insisting that they go through Israeli border checks. more..
2007: Shin Bet sees drop in terror attacks but more use of rockets
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 12/31/2007
Security forces say that while terror groups were only successful in carrying out one suicide bombing in 2007, they were able to fire over 1,200 Qassam rockets at Israeli targets. Gaza become the focal point of Palestinian terror this year, but organizations there are working tirelessly to aid their counterparts in the West Bank - The annual Shin Bet security report released on Tuesday shows a continued decline in the volume of suicide bombings inside Israel during 2007 but warns of a sharp increase in rocket attacks over the course of the year. The decrease in suicide bombings was primarily attributed to improved cooperation between the IDF and Israeli police forces. The Shin Bet successfully thwarted 29 terror attacks in 2007; six of these were attempted suicide bombings inside Israel. The study reported several significant changes in the region, with... more..
Palestinian military groups fire projectiles at Israeli towns
Ma’an News Agency 12/31/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine PFLP, Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and the An-Nasser Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees PRC claimed responsibility on Sunday evening for firing two homemade projectiles at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Separately, the military wing affiliated to Fatah, Al-Aqsa Brigades said their fighters launched a homemade projectile at Israeli western Negev. The military groups said in separate statements that their activity came in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [end]
The military wing of the PFLP hurls homemade projectiles at Sderot
Ma’an News Agency 12/31/2007
Gaza The military wing of the Popular Resistance for the Liberation of Palestine PFLP, Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades claimed responsibility on Monday for firing two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot in western Negev. They said in a statement that the Palestinian resistance will continue to bomb Israeli towns bordering Gaza Strip. [end]
Would-be suicide bomber belonged to Palestinian National Guard
Ali Waked, YNetNews 12/31/2007
Palestinian security source tells Ynet suicide bombing thwarted by PA forces last week was meant to be carried out by National Guard officer belonging to Hamas - Palestinian security forces arrested a West Bank National Guard policeman planning a suicide bombing inside Israel last week, a Palestinian security source told Ynet on Monday several short hours after the PA announced it had thwarted a terror attack. The source said that after being taken into custody, the man was identified as belonging to Hamas. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki declined to elaborate on the identity of the would-be suicide bomber after making the announcement earlier in the day, but confirmed that a videotape of the bomber detailing his intentions to blow up an Israeli target was confiscated in the raid. more..
Hundreds partake in the funeral procession of Hebron man killed in Friday’s shooting
Ma’an News Agency 12/31/2007
Hebron Ma’an Hundreds of Palestinian citizens from Hebron in the southern West Bankparticipated on Sunday evening in the funeral procession of 22-year-old Basil Natsha who was killed in Friday’s shooting in which another Palestinian was killed in addition to two Israeli soldiers, Ma’an’s reporter said. The corpse of Natsha was delivered by the Israelis through Tarqumia crossing west of Hebron. Palestinian medical sources at Al-Ahli hospital in Hebron told our correspondent that the deceased received a gunshot to the forehead and there were deep wounds in his back and thigh in addition to bruises in the face and shoulder. The Natsha family commented on the incident saying that they had no idea about what had happened more than what they heard in the media. With regards to the reason why he was near the shooting area, the family said he was visiting relatives, and... more..
Palestinian security arrest two Hamas members in the West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 12/31/2007
Nablus Ma’an Hamas movement said on Sunday that the Palestinian security in the West Bank arrested two Hamas loyalists in Nablus in the northern West Bank and Hebron in the south. Hamas released a statement saying that the Palestinian security arrested one Hamas member in the village of Aqraba in Nablus district after pursuing him for over two months. They also arrested another one in Su’ir in Hebron district. [end]
Israeli forces arrest three brothers in Hebron and summon their father for interrogation
Ma’an News Agency 12/31/2007
Hebron Ma’an The Israeli forces arrested on Monday three Palestinian brothers from Hebron city in the southern West Bank and summoned their father to the office of Israeli intelligence in Kfar Azion, Ma’an’s reporter said. Eyewitnesses stated that the Israeli forces stormed Hasaka neighborhood in Hebron and arrested Sufyan, Ali and Abdul-Hamid Dandis. They added that the Israeli soldiers handed a warrant to the father demanding him to go to the Israeli intelligence headquarters in Azion between Hebron and Bethlehem. [end]
Knesset war report: IDF failed to eliminate Hizbullah rocket threat
Amnon Meranda, YNetNews 12/31/2007
Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee reveals findings of independent probe into Second Lebanon War, but refrains from making personal recommendations, citing ’that’s what the Winograd Commission is for’ - With the publication of the Winograd Commission’s report on the Second Lebanon War just days away, the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has issued its own report Monday on the war and its lessons. "The government and the IDF knew that by deciding to react to Hizbullah’s aggression (and the kidnapping of IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev ) they might be subjecting large segments of the Israeli population to direct enemy fire," MK Tzachi Hangebi (Kadima), head of the committee, said in the report’s prologue. "The IDF was supposed to eliminate the threat of Hizbullah’s short-range rockets, but in... more..
Report: IDF kills 2 Gaza militants trying to place bomb near fence
Yuval Azoulay, Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 12/31/2007
Israel Defense Forces troops shot and killed two Palestinian militants Sunday as they tried to place a bomb on the security fence along the Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported. On Saturday, two Palestinians who were carrying knives were detained for interrogation at a roadblock outside the West Bank city of Nablus. Also on Saturday, an explosive device detonated near an IDF patrol along the Gaza border fence, damaging an IDF vehicle, and 15 mortar shells were fired at Israel from Gaza over the weekend. No injuries were reported in any of these incidents. A gag order was lifted Saturday on a joint Shin Bet-IDF operation in which a truck loaded with six tons of potassium nitrate was captured at a West Bank checkpoint a few weeks ago. It appears that the chemical compound was hidden in sugar bags belonging to the European Union humanitarian aid. more..
Hamas member remains in critical condition after stabbing in Tyre
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 12/31/2007
TYRE: A Hamas member was fighting for his life after he was stabbed in the head on Saturday at the Rashidieh refugee camp in Lebanon in an attack which the Palestinian Islamist group blamed on rivals Fatah. "When Bassel al-Ashkar, 30, returned home, he was attacked by four members of Fatah who stabbed him in the head and back, then opened fire on his house to terrorize him family," said Hamas official Abu Khaled Jihad. Following the attack at the camp in Tyre, Ashkar was taken to hospital in the southern town where he remained in a critical condition, Jihad added. Hamas members at the Jabal Amel Hospital reported tensions were high in the camp, which according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees is home to almost 30,000 people. The Hamas official said the attack was related to a recent Fatah decision to ban Hamas members from hanging photos and banners in... more..
Israeli Premier: no advancement at peace until PA meets its security obligations
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 12/30/2007
Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, said on Sunday that Israel would not advance peace with the Palestinians until the Palestinian Authority meets its security obligations. Olmert was speaking to a regular cabinet meeting on Sunday, addressing a series of issues including the latest Palestinian attack on Israelis in the West Bank city of Hebron. "Unless the Palestinian Authority fulfills the security demands , Israel will not be able to make any progress on the ground", Olmert was quoted as saying. Palestinian-Israeli peace talks have not advanced since the U. S-sponsored peace summit has been launched in November27, with Israel declaring new settlement plans, which Palestinian view a stumbling block in the road to peace. On Friday two Israelis were killed in a drive-by shooting attack by Palestinians in the Israeli-controlled area of Kiryat Arba’ settlement in the West Bank city of Hebron. more..
A senior Israeli army official says Israel might stay in Gaza one year and a half
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 12/30/2007
Israeli army senior official, Ghabi Ashkenazi, stated Sunday that the Israeli army- once it invades Gaza- will stay over there for one year and a half. Ashkenazi, who serves as the Israeli army’s chief of staff, was speaking during a closed security meeting on a potential large-scale attack on the Gaza Strip. "It will be clear whether we or the Palestinians will eventually be defeated in case we massively invade Gaza", Ashkenazi told the meeting. Askenazi cited possible prolonged stay in Gaza to Israeli army’s willingness to stop, once and for all, the Palestinian homemade shells fire from Gaza onto nearby Israeli towns. During the meeting, reported by Israeli media sources, the Israeli military discussed a plan to completely control Gaza, in case a massive attack is carried out. The plan includes control over large Gaza Strip’s cities like Gaza Rafah and Gaza, dismemberment... more..
Palestinian security detain six Hamas members in the West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 12/30/2007
Nablus Ma’an Palestinian security forces seized six Hamas supporters in the West Bank, Hamas claimed on Sunday. Three of the arrests took place in Hebron, and the other three in Nablus. [end]
Israeli incursion leaves one Palestinian activist dead in southern Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 12/30/2007
Gaza Ma’an The corpse of a Palestinian man killed by Israeli forces during an incursion into the southern Gaza Strip arrived at Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Sunday afternoon. Muawiya Hassanein, the director of Ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry said that 22-year-old Adel Qishta had been killed Saturday night near Kerem Shalom crossing. The WAED society for Palestinian prisoners and freed prisoners described the killing of Qishta as "execution" by Israeli forces. The group also said the deceased was affiliated with Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and that he was killed while he was trying to block the Israeli incursion into the Ash-Shuka neighborhood. more..
IDF kills 2 terrorists near Gaza security fence
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 12/30/2007
Palestinian gunmen shot dead while attempting to plant explosive device along security fence north of Kerem Shalom crossing. Army officials say terrorists looking to kidnap more soldiers into Strip - IDF soldiers on Sunday shot dead two Palestinian terrorists who were attempting to plant an explosive device along the security fence separating Israel from the Gaza Strip. The soldiers spotted the gunmen near the fence north of the Kerem Shalom crossing and opened fire. They proceeded to cross the border into Gaza, where they found weapons, the explosive device and militaryvests on the terrorists’ bodies. Army officials said Palestinian terrorists were continuously attempting to plant bombs along the fence and then detonate them by remote control as IDF vehicles approached. "Although we have so far been able to thwart these attempts, terror organizations define... more..
Gunmen open fire on Hadera kiosk; none wounded By
JPOST.COM STAFF, Jerusalem Post 12/31/2007
Gunmen opened fire on a kiosk in Hadera on Sunday night. No one was wounded in the shooting, the background to which was a feud between two gangs of Arab Israelis over a girl, police said. Police were investigating whether the attack was an attempted murder and were searching for the assailants who fled the scene. [end]
Palestinians: IDF troops kill pilgrim at Erez Crossing
Jerusalem Post 12/31/2007
IDF troops on Sunday night killed at least one Palestinian pilgrim returning from Mecca and wounded four others at the Erez Crossing, Palestinians reported. The army said the reports were being checked. [end]
Palestinians: IDF kills Gazan en route from hajj
News Agencies, Ha’aretz 12/31/2007
At least one Palestinian was killed and four others were wounded by gunfire while crossing from Israel into the Gaza Strip on Sunday after completing the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Palestinian medics said. The medical workers said the pilgrims had been hit by Israel Defense Forces gunfire at the Erez crossing on the northern Gaza border. Witnesses said soldiers first fired into the air and then at the crowd of pilgrims. An IDF spokeswoman said the army was not aware of any shooting in the area. Palestinian officials said about 700 pilgrims had crossed back into Gaza on Sunday, having returned from Saudi Arabia via Jordan. Earlier this month, Israel agreed to let about 900 Gaza pilgrims travel through Israeli territory en route to Mecca. Egypt moves stranded Palestinian pilgrims to Sinai camps A separate... more..
Pinpoint attacks on Gaza more precise
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 12/31/2007
Among those who attended last week’s pilots’ graduation at the Israel Air Force base in Hatzerim was Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin. Why would a busy man like Diskin take the trouble of going to a military ceremony at a distant base in the Negev? The answer has to do with the tight cooperation between the Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces, particularly the air force, as reflected in fighting in the territories. The Shin Bet and the IAF (in some cases the IDF Southern Command is also involved) are responsible for the most lethal part of combating terror organizations in the Gaza Strip: the assassinations from the air, for which Israel coined the euphemism "pinpointed thwarting." This past month alone, at least 40 armed terrorists were killed in IDF air attacks. Lately, the thwartings have indeed become more worthy of the title "pinpointed. more..
Israel captures truckload of bomb chemicals in W. Bank
Yuval Azoulay and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 12/31/2007
The Israeli authorities captured a truck loaded with six tons of potassium nitrate at one of the West Bank crossings several weeks ago. The information was released for publication yesterday. The chemical compound, used by terrorist groups to manufacture explosives, was disguised in sugar sacks marked as part of European humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the territories. In other West Bank news, two Palestinians were caught with knives in their possession yesterday at the Hawara checkpoint, near Nablus. A bomb went off yesterday near an IDF patrol along the perimeter fence in the central Gaza Strip. No one was hurt but an army jeep was damaged. Some 15 mortar shells were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip over the weekend. There were no casualties. On Friday night, the IDF arrested 7 Palestinians in Hebron, according to Palestinian security officials. more..
Blocking the escalation
Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 12/31/2007
The effort by the security forces to capture those who carried out the shooting attack where two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed west of Hebron on Friday is doubly important this time. It hopes to pay back the terrorists and keep them from attacking again, but it is also designed to nip in the bud the creation of a new Jewish terror organization in the West Bank. An analysis of incidents in the past few decades in which Jews struck at Palestinians shows that right-wing terror groups grew amid Jewish settlers’ increasing fears for their safety and progress in the peace talks that would lead to the evacuation of settlements. The latter concern helped form the terror group that operated in the West Bank in the first years of the second intifada. A few members were arrested and tried for attempting to plant bombs in Arab schools, but the Shin Bet security service also blames... more..
Surviving hiker recounts Friday`s shooting attack in Hebron Hills
Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 12/31/2007
The sole survivor of Friday’s terror attack on hikers near Hebron, Naama Ohion, is a first-year law student at Ono College in Kiryat Ono. She is the second-oldest daughter of Amram and Simone Ohion, among the veteran settlers of Kiryat Arba. Ohion, together with two friends who were shot to death by terrorists, Ahikam Amihai and David Rubin, were among the main activists in a group of Kiryat Arba young people known for their volunteer work in Sderot and elsewhere. The group also organized an annual bicycle ride from Kiryat Arba to Jerusalem in memory of Yitzak Boanish, the town’s security officer who was killed a few years ago in a terror attack in Hebron, together with the commander of the Israel Defense Forces Hebron Brigade, Dror Weinberg, and others. Ohion, born and raised in Kiryat Arba, did her national service as a tour educator... more..
The Israeli army invades Kufer Dan village and damages the electricity network
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/29/2007
An Israeli army force invaded the village of Kufer Dan located west of Jenin city in the northern part of the West Bank on Saturday at dawn. Local sources reported that troops conducted a house to house search in the village; no kidnappings were reported but the troops damaged some of the residents’ homes. The sources added that during the invasion in the village troops opened fire randomly at the homes and other buildings in the village; some rounds hit the local power generator causing a total black out in the village. [end]
Hamas: PA forces detain 14 Hamas members in the West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 12/29/2007
Nablus Ma’an Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces detained 14 members of Hamas in the West Bank on Friday, the movement said. According to a Hamas statement, the security sources detained a Hamas supporter named Yousif Al Matur from the village of Sa’ir, north of Hebron. In Nablus, the group said, the Palestinian Authority’s forces detained two men named Sahib Ash Sha’er and Sahib Azem from the town of Sabastiya,and Muhamad Rihan and ’Isam Rihan from Tal Ba’d, near Nablus. Others were arrested in the town of Ras Al ’In. [end]
Israeli troops seize Al-Aqsa Brigades commander, four others in connection with Hebron shooting
Ma’an News Agency 12/29/2007
Hebron Ma’an Israeli forces seized the field commander of the military wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Brigades in the West Bank city of Hebron and four other Al-Aqsa Brigades members on Friday. The raid comes a day after Palestinian fighters killed two Israeli settlers in a drive-by shooting near Hebron. The Al-Aqsa Brigades Media Center said commander Ahmed Muhammad Abu Sitteh, also known as Abu Suleiman, was detained late on Friday night and taken to an unknown location. Israeli officials confirmed the raid and the detention of the five Palestinians, accusing them of involvement in Friday’s drive-by shooting that killed two off-duty Israeli soldiers, both residents of the Kiryat Arba settlement, near Hebron. The Al-Aqsa Brigades denied any involvement in the attack. Islamic Jihad’s military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for the shooting on Friday. more..
Chemicals used in making explosives caught at West Bank checkpoint
Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 12/30/2007
In a joint operation of the Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces several weeks ago, a truck was caught at one of the crossing points in the West Bank carrying approximately 6. 5 tons of potassium nitrate intended for use by militants in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced in a statement Saturday. Potassium nitrate is a banned substance in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank due to its use by militants for the manufacturing of explosives and Qassam rockets. "The terror organizations disguised the Potassium Nitrate in sugar bags that were marked as being part of the humanitarian aid provided by the European Union," the IDF said. "This is another example of how the terror organizations exploit the humanitarian aid that is delivered to the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip with Israel’s approval. more..
Hamas’ military wing claims several attacks on Israeli forces
Ma’an News Agency 12/29/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility on Saturday for several attacks on Israeli forces in and near the Gaza Strip. On Saturday the group said it launched five homemade projectiles at the Israeli military installation at Nahal Oz, east of Gaza. On Friday the group also fired six projectiles at Nahal Oz. Earlier on Friday they fired six projectiles at an Israeli military jeep in northern Gaza, two at jeeps near Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, and six at an unspecified military site north of Gaza. The brigades said in a statement that the shelling came in retaliation for Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories. more..
Fatah, DFLP military wings launch two projectiles
Ma’an News Agency 12/29/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wings of Fatah and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, north of the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The Al-Aqsa Brigades and the National Resistance Brigades said the attack was a response to Israeli crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. [end]
Al-Aqsa Brigades fighters survive reported Israeli attack in Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 12/29/2007
Gaza Ma’an Several members of the military wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, survived an Israeli assassination attempt near Kisufim crossing in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the fighters said. They said they had been the target of a surface-launched missile. [end]
Men arrested after Hebron attack
Al Jazeera 12/29/2007
Palestinian officials have said arrests made after a shootout in which two Israelis and a Palestinian are proof that security in the West Bank is improving. "We have succeeded after several hours in arresting two members of the group behind the attack in Hebron," Riyad al-Malki, the Palestinian information minister, said on Saturday. "This is a very big achievement and proves we can take over responsibility in all the Palestinian territories," he said. On Friday, Palestinian men opened fire on three Jewish settlers hiking near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, killing two of them. The two settlers, who were later identified as off-duty soldiers, fired back at the car, killing one Palestinian. Criminal intention The attack was the deadliest on settlers in the Israeli-occupied... more..
Police probe disappearance of holy relic from Rachel’s Tomb
Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 12/29/2007
The police have been investigating in recent months the disappearance of an ornamental curtain covering the front of the Holy Ark in the chapel at Rachel’s Tomb near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The curtain, or parochet, originally belonged to Joseph’s Tomb. However, following the Israel Defense Forces’ evacuation of the site after the outbreak of the second intifada, the tomb had been demolished by Palestinians and a mosque was erected in its stead. The parochet was then moved to Rachel’s Tomb in northern Bethlehem for public display. Thousands of visitors passed the parochet in recent years; some lit candles for remembrance and others prayed. It is still unclear how someone managed to remove this important item from its heavily fortified place. Some suspect that the disappearance has to do with an ongoing dispute over the control of Rachel’s Tomb. more..
IDF soldiers killed on hike in West Bank eulogized for courage
Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 12/30/2007
The funeral procession for Ahikam Amihai and David Rubin, the two soldiers who were shot to death by terrorists while hiking near Hebron, set out Saturday from Kiryat Arba, where the men lived, to the cemetery on Jerusalem’s Mt. Herzl. While eulogizing his friends, Benia Sarel, his voice choked with tears, discussed the profound cultural gaps between himself and and settlers from Kiryat Arba his age and what he termed the "low/lowland state." "Tomorrow morning," Sarel told the thousands who gathered in Kiryat Arba, "the entire state that lives in the lowland will wake up and be interested in how many centimeters Ninet’s hair grew [referring to the recently shaven pop star]. All the army office clerks and draft evaders hadn’t managed to wake up before you already managed to march, hike, fight and die. more..
2 Israelis killed, one hurt in W. Bank shooting attack
Amos Harel and The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 12/29/2007
Two Israelis were killed and a third was wounded Friday in a drive-by shooting in the south Hebron Hills are of the West Bank. The two, who were on leave from the army, were hiking in the area of the Talam and Adura settlements with a female resident of Kiryat Arba when a group of four terrorists opened fire on them from a Jeep. Palestinian sources have stated that IDF troops have raided a hospital in Hebron searching for a gunman believed wounded in the attack. The IDF has not confirmed the report. The victims, named as David Rubin and Ahikam Amihai, managed to return fire, reportedly killing one of the terrorists. Both men were in elite units of the IDF, with Rubin serving as a sergeant in the Israeli Naval commandos and Amihai as a corporal in the Israel Air Force commandos unit. more..
Undercover Israeli forces kill one of Ahmad Qurei’s bodyguards near Ramallah
Ma’an News Agency 12/28/2007
Bethlehem Nablus Ma’an Undercover Israeli forces killed a body guard assigned to protect the head of the Palestinian negotiating team, former Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei, in the West Bank town of Beituniya, near Ramallah on Friday morning. Medical sources confirmed that the victim was twenty-three-year-old Mu’tasim Ash-Sharif, an officer in the Palestinian Presidential Guards, the elite 17 Forces and one of Qurei’s personal guards. Witnesses said the undercover Israeli soldiers stormed Ash-Sharif’s house in Beituniya and shot him. The witnesses said Ash-Sharif did not resist his attackers. Ash-Sharif died in an ambulance en route to the government hospital in Ramallah. Ash-Sharif was not considered "wanted" by Israel any reason. Qurei was not in the vicinity at the time of the attack. more..
In Hebron shootout, two Israeli soldiers, two Palestinians killed
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/28/2007
Four Palestinian fighters fired shots at three Israeli soldiers Friday near Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank, killing two, and Israeli soldiers chased down the fighters, killing two and injuring the other two. The soldiers were apparently off-duty at the time they were fired upon, as the three also lived as settlers in the Hebron area, in addition to being part of the occupying army. Israeli authorities have regularly moved hundreds of thousands of members of the civilian population into the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories to live on stolen Palestinian land, in direct violation of international law. Hebron is known as the area in the West Bank where the most violent Israeli settlers live, and Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians in the area take place on a nearly daily basis. more..
News in Brief
Ha’aretz 12/28/2007
Ban on evacuating Hebron settlers upheld The Military Appeals Committee decided yesterday to not to change the injunction preventing the evacuation of Jewish settlers from a house near Hebron that they moved into 10 months ago. In rejecting a request from the Military Attorney General, the committee accepted the postion of attorney Nadav Haetzni, who represents the Jewish community in Hebron, and was critical of the way the state has handled the issue. The committee pointed out that on one hand the state argues that "the deal for the purchase of the asset was legal" yet on the other hand it is trying to "prevent the use of the asset by its owner... without offering compensation or another alternative." (Nadav Shragai) Third of Israelis think they’re overweight Thirty-five percent of Israelis believe they are overweight, but 66 percent of this group are not doing anything about it, according to a Market Watch survey. more..
The Israeli army kills on Palestinian fighter in Gaza, death toll stands at 7 on Friday
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/28/2007
Palestinian medical sources reported that one Palestinian fighter was killed and 5 others injured when Israeli jet fighters fired missiles at a group of resistance men in Khaza’a town in the southern part of the Gaza strip on Friday at dawn. Sources at the al Qassam brigades that armed wing of the Hamas movement said that the resistance fighter killed is one of their fighters. With today’s death the death toll in the Gaza strip since Thursday evening now stands at 7. Six Palestinian resistance fighters were killed on Thursday evening in three deferent Israeli army attacks, among those six was, Mohamed Abullah, 41, a top leader in the Islamic Jihad armed wing al Qudes brigades. more..
Al-Quds and An-Nasser Brigades fire homemade projectiles at Ashkelon
Ma’an News Agency 12/28/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility on Thursday night for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli city of Ashkelon, north of the Gaza Strip. They said in a statement that the shelling was in retaliation for the assassination of one of their leaders, Abu Mirshid, who was killed in an Israeli attackon Thursday. Separately, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, also said they launched a homemade projectile at Ashkelon. They also said in a statement that the shelling was in retaliation for a series of assassinations of resistance fighters in Gaza Strip. more..
Palestinian security detain six Hamas members, group says
Ma’an News Agency 12/28/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces detained six Hamas members in the West Bank, Hamas is claiming. A Hamas statement said four of the detainees were from Nablus one from Salfit and another from Jenin, all in the northern West Bank. [end]
Two Israelis, two Palestinians killed in shooting near Hebron
Ma’an News Agency 12/28/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Israeli military forces killed two Palestinian fighters after a drive-by shooting left two Israeli settlers dead the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday. Four Palestinians in a speeding car opened fire at two young men and a woman who were hiking near the Israeli settlement of Telem, close to the Palestinian village of Beit Kahil. The two men were killed and the woman survived. An Israeli patrol chased the car and eventually fought with the gunmen at the entrance of Beit Kahil, killing two of the Palestinians. The other two were injured but managed to escape. The Israeli Yesha news agency reported that the two men who were killed were soldiers. Other Israeli media said that the men were armed and managed to return fire. The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack in a press statement. more..
West Bank clash leaves three dead
BBC Online 12/28/2007
Two Israeli off-duty soldiers and a Palestinian have died in a shootout near the West Bank town of Hebron, Israeli officials have said. The two soldiers were attacked while hiking and returned fire with the assault rifles they were carrying. A female friend who was with the two men escaped the attack lightly wounded, the officials said. The town of Hebron is divided between Palestinians and Israelis, who live in the Kiryat Arba Jewish settlement. Search operation The two soldiers, Ahikam Amihai, 20, and David Rubin, 21, were hiking in the hills near Hebron, when Palestinian gunmen opened fire from a jeep, Israel Army radio reported. The pair were mistakenly described in previous reports as Jewish settlers. They managed to return fire, reportedly killing one of the attackers and seriously wounding another, before being shot themselves, the Israeli military said. more..
’Three dead’ in Hebron gun battle
Al Jazeera 12/28/2007
Two Israeli settlers and at least one Palestinian have been killed in a gun battle near the West Bank town of Hebron. The Palestinians opened fire on the settlers, who were off-duty soldiers, as they walked near Hebron, the Israeli military said. The settlers returned fire killing at least one of the Palestinians before they were shot dead. Israeli rescue workers said a third person, a woman in her twenties, hid from the attackers to avoid being shot. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group later claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack on the settlers. Reuters news agency said two Palestinians were killed in the exchange of fire. Micky Rosenfeld, an Israeli police spokesman, described the incident as a "terrorist attack". more..
IDF kills former PA premier’s bodyguard during W. Bank raid
Yuval Azoulay and Amos Harels and Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 12/29/2007
Israel Defense Forces troops killed one of Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia’s bodyguards on Friday during an arrest operation in Ramallah. Israel has been limiting its operations in the West Bank, ruled by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as it negotiates a peace agreement with Abbas’s moderate government. On Thursday, Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia announced that peace talks would continue after a spat over Israeli settlements. But late Thursday, the Israeli military sent a team into a suburb of Ramallah, the seat of Abbas’ government, to arrest one of Qureia’s bodyguards, a member of the Palestinian security forces who the military said was implicated in armed activity against Israel and had provided weapons to other militants. "He opened fire at troops and they fired back, killing him," the IDF said. more..
Hikers killed in West Bank shooting were soldiers on leave
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 10/12/2007
Off-duty soldiers on hiking trip come under fire from Islamic Jihad gunmen in area south of Hebron. Soldiers were able to kill one attacker, wound another before succumbing to their injuries. Kiryat Arba council says Israeli leadership to blame for attack: ’Whoever sets terrorists free and gives them guns arms does not have to pull the trigger to be an accomplice’ - Two IDF soldiers on leave were killed on Friday in an apparent drive-by shooting south of Hebron. Cpl. Ahikam Amihai (20) and Sgt. David Ruben (21), both residents of the neighboring settlement of Kiryat Arba, were hiking through the Telem Creek area with an unnamed female companion when a group of four Palestinians drove up towards them and opened fire. Amihai and Ruben, who both served in elite commando units, were reportedly carrying their firearms with them and were able to return fire, killing one of the Palestinian gunmen and seriously wounding another. more..
Troops hunt for terrorists in Hebron hospital
Ali Waked, YNetNews 10/12/2007
IDF broadens search for Islamic Jihad gunmen who killed two off duty soldiers Friday afternoon to Palestinian hospital. Israeli officers praise conduct of slain commandos who managed to kill one terrorist, wound others during exchange of fire: ’They fought bravely till the bitter end’ - Palestinian sources reported Friday evening that IDF forces entered the al-Ahli hospital in Hebron to search among its patients for the Palestinian gunmen involved in the killing of two Israeli hikers earlier in the day. According to the report soldiers entered the hospital and are examining patients ID’s in an attempt to track down the cell members. Cpl. Ahikam Amihai (20) and Sgt. David Ruben (21), both residents of the neighboring settlement of Kiryat Arba, were hiking through the Telem Creek area with an unnamed female companion when a group of four Palestinians drove up towards them and opened fire. more..
IDF strikes kill eight militants in Gaza Strip
Yuval Azoulay and Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 12/28/2007
The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security service killed eight Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen in three separate incidents in the Gaza Strip yesterday. Among the dead was the head of rocket and explosive manufacturing for Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Mohammed Abdallah Abu Murshad was killed together with two other operatives when he was struck by Israel Air Force missiles while walking in a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. In another incident, an IAF aircraft fired at a car containing a large quantity of munitions in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, killing two Islamic Jihad operatives. A security source said they were on their way to a terror attack. Southern Command is gearing up for Qassam rocket fire from Islamic Jihad in response to the killings. more..
Israel assassinates eight Palestinians
Middle East Online 10/12/2007
GAZA CITY - Seven Palestinian fighters, one of them a senior commander, were killed and 16 other people wounded in the Gaza Strip on Thursday in four Israeli raids on the Hamas-run territory, medics and witnesses said. In the first Gaza raid three men -- two of them from the Islamic Jihad group and a third from the armed wing of Hamas -- were killed around the southern town of Khan Yunis. Six people were also wounded. The Israeli army said that infantry units backed by air power carried out a "routine operation" targeting gunmen who were firing rockets and mortars into Israel. "Units that entered several kilometres (miles) into the Gaza Strip were fired at by an anti-tank shell. They responded and hit three armed men," said a spokesman. Shortly afterwards, two Islamic Jihad fighters were killed and two wounded in an air raid in the central Gaza Strip, medics said. more..
This Week In Palestine - Week 51 2007
Ghassan Bannoura Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 12/28/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 14. 6 MB || Time 16m 0s || This Week In Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for December 22sec. , through December 28th, 2007. Palestinian and Israeli leaders meet this week while the Israeli army kill 12 Palestinians in the Gaza strip, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. Nonviolent Resistance in West Bank Let’s begin our weekly report with the nonviolent actions in Bethlehem and Ramallah. Bethlehem At least five hundred Palestinians, joined by a number of international solidarity groups and some Israelis attended a conference in Bethlehem on Friday organized by the Palestinian National Initiative to support the popular nonviolent resistance against the Wall and the Israeli occupation. Dr. more..
IDF kills eight militants in Gaza, including top Islamic Jihad commander
Yuval Azoulay and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 12/27/2007
Eight Palestinian militants were killed Thursday in three separate Israel Defense Forces strikes in the Gaza Strip, including Islamic Jihad’s top military commander in central Gaza. Mohammad Abu Murshud, who was in charge of manufacturing Qassam rockets and explosive devices, was assassinated along with two other militants in an Israel Air Force missile strike late Thursday carried out in cooperation with the Shin Bet. Earlier, the military foiled a major attack on troops when the IAF fired a missile at a car in the Strip that security sources said was packed full of explosives and assorted weaponry and en route to be used to attack soldiers. Two Jihad militants were killed, and three bystanders who were near the vehicle were wounded. That strike came shortly after three Palestinian militants were killed and six others... more..
Israeli forces seize seven Palestinians in Nablus and Balata refugee camp
Ma’an News Agency 12/27/2007
Nablus Ma’an Israeli forces seized seven Palestinians in the northern West Bank city of Nablus and neighboring Balata refugee camp on Thursday morning, Palestinian security sources said. According to the Palestinian sources, more than 25 Israeli military vehicles raided the city and the refugee camp on Thursday morning from different directions amidst heavy gunfire. The shooting also resulted in a power outage. Under a new Israeli-backed security plan, Palestinian Authority forces are supposed to control Nablus, but Israeli forces have nonetheless made frequent incursions into the city and it’s adjacent refugee camps over the last several months. [end]
Israeli bombing leaves four dead, ten wounded in southern Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 12/27/2007
Gaza Ma’an Israeli warplanes bombed the city of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, and the refugee camp of Al-Bureij in the ventral Gaza strip on Thursday afternoon, killing three Palestinian activists and injuring ten others. The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, said that one of the dead was field commander Muhammad Al-Masri. Another Al-Quds Brigades activist named Haytham Abu Al-Ula was also killed. The third body was identified as Hani Ramzi, an activist affiliated with Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. Palestinian medical sources said. The dead and wounded were all evacuated to a hospital in Khan Younis. The Israeli airstrike also destroyed a three-story house belonging to Kahn Younis resident Ahmad Abu Tair. Another Israeli air strike targeted a car in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip in which two Al-Quds Brigades were travelling. more..
Palestinians killed in Israeli raid
Al Jazeera 12/27/2007
At least four Palestinians have been killed and 10 others wounded in Gaza Strip during the latest Israeli army incursion in the Hamas-run territory. An official for the Islamic Jihad group said two Israeli missiles hit a car on Thursday, killing one gunman and wounding two other passengers. Three bystanders were also wounded. An Israeli army spokesman said the air strike in central Gaza targeted a vehicle carrying explosives and militants travelling to "execute a terror attack". Earlier on Thursday, Israeli troops killed three people and wounded five others near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis Local residents said the intended target was a group of fighters belonging to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. more..
The Israeli army shells areas in southern Gaza strip
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007
The Israeli army shelled the areas of Abassan and Al Qarrarah, located near Khan Younis city in the southern part of the Gaza strip on Thursday morning. Eyewitnesses stated that Israeli tanks stationed at the nearby borders opened fire at farm lands and residents’ homes. Damage to property was reported but nobody was injured. [end]
One Palestinian teen kidnapped as the army invades a village west of Bethlehem
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007
Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli army invaded the village of Bateer, located west of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank. Troops searched and ransacked homes, during which the soldiers kidnapped Abu al-Khier Mo’amer, 18, and took him to unknown location, witnesses said. [end]
Palestinian resistance fighter dies as tunnel collapses on him in Gaza
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007
Palestinian sources in the Gaza strip reported on Thursday that a Palestinian resistance fighter died late Wednesday night when a tunnel collapsed on him in the city of Rafah in the southern part of the costal region. In a statement faxed to the press, the al Qassam brigades the armed wing of Hamas said that the fighter is a member of the brigades and identified him as Mohamed Dahier, 24 years old. The brigades added that the fighter was killed while he and his comrades were digging a tunnel used to fight the Israeli army during the continuous Israeli invasions into the area. [end]
Palestinian sources: the Israeli army invades al-Faraheen village east of Khan Younis
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007
Palestinian sources reported that a number of Israeli army tanks have invaded the al-Faraheen village east of Khan Younis city in the southern part of the Gaza strip. [end]
Three people killed, nine injured in an Israeli air strike on southern Gaza
Rami Almeghari, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007
Three Palestinians have been killed and nine others wounded after Israeli war planes launched an air strike on southern Gaza Strip. Dr. Moawiya Aabu Hasianin, chief of emergency room at the health ministry, identified the killed as Hani Abu Eid and Haytham Abu Al’ola, of the Khan Younis city in southern Gaza. Abu Hasanin said that five others have been wounded including one critically, as bodies of the wounded have been sustaining burns, ’apparently due to use of fletchet’. Sources at the Islamic Jihad group confirmed one of its armed wing’s members, called Mohammad aL-Masri, was killed during the air strike. Witnesses said that an Israeli warplane fired at least one missile at a position in Khan Younis, believed to be linked to the ruling Hamas movement. Meanwhile, Israeli tanks rolled into the southern Gaza Strip village of Faraheen in Khan Younis city, as bulldozers demolished a three-storey house, owned by Ahmad Abu Tair. more..
A new Israeli air strike on Gaza kills two resistance fighters
Rami Almeghari, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007
A new Israeli air strike on Gaza has killed two Palestinians and injured a third, medics and witnesses said. An Israeli war plane struck a local car, while driving along the Salah Eldin main road, in central Gaza Strip, killing instantly two people inside and injuring a third passerby, who happened to drive next to the targeted car. Islamic Jihad sources said two of its field members have been killed during the fresh air strike. These deaths bring to five the number of those killed during a an earlier air strike a position in southern Gaza Strip on Thursday. Israeli military has declared it would step up attacks on the coastal region’s resistance factions, within what Israel has said ’ a crackdown on launchers of homemade shells onto nearby Israeli towns’. Israel has declared Gaza a ’hostile entity’ in September, adding more pressure on the Hamas-ruled Strip, which has been taken over by Hamas in June. more..
An Israeli warplane strikes a target in central Gaza, kills a fighter
Rami Almeghari, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007
An Israeli warplane struck a target in central Gaza Strip on Thursday evening, apparently, near the Gaza power plant. Witnesses said that unknown target was hit in the air strike, as no further details were reported. Unconfirmed reports said that a number of resistance fighters, of whom the Islamic Jihad’s armed group leader, were killed during the air strike. Tow more injuries were also reported. Israeli air strikes today killed at least 7 people and injured 12 others, while Palestinian resistance groups claimed those killed were members of which. The Israeli military has warned recently of stepping up attacks on Palestinian resistance fighters, Israel says launch homemade shells on nearby Israeli towns. Last week, Israeli army killed at least 20 Palestinians, most of whom are were resistance fighters. more..
Al-Qassam Brigades activist killed in Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 12/27/2007
Gaza Ma’an A twenty-four-year-old activist in the military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, was killed during a "Jihad" mission on Thursday morning, the Brigades said. The Al-Qassam Brigades said that the man, Muhammad Dhair, from the Rafah region of the southern Gaza Strip, was a member of the group’s "tunnels unit." Separately, the Al-Qassam Brigades said their fighters launched two explosive devices at Israeli forces from the southern Gaza Strip. [end]
Palestinian military groups in Gaza Strip target Israeli towns
Ma’an News Agency 12/27/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement claimed responsibility on Wednesday evening for firing four homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot in western Negev. They said in a statement that they have launched 19 projectiles at Sderot since the morning. Separately, Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades said their fighters launched a homemade projectile at the same town on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for lobbing a homemade projectile at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. The Brigades said in statements that their military activity will continue in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. more..
Palestinian security forces detain 13 Hamas supporters in the West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 12/27/2007
Nablus Ma’an Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces detained thirteen Hamas members in the West Bank on Wednesday night, Hamas said. Two Hamas members were seized in Ramallah, five in Nablus, as well as two university students in Tulkarem. Two others were detained in Hebron, one in Jenin, and one in Salfit. [end]
Palestinian military factions claim the destruction of Israeli jeep in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 12/27/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for launching two explosive devices weighing 140 kilograms each at an Israeli military jeep in the evacuated Israeli settlement of Dugit, at the northern end of the Gaza Strip on Thursday. A joint force of Al-Quds Brigades, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s (PFLP) Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and the Fatah-affiliated Sacred Jihad Brigades participated in the operation. A statement released by the Al-Quds Brigades claimed that the jeep was completely destroyed and all its occupants were killed. The statement added that the operation was retaliation for ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and in retaliation for the Israeli assassination of Al-Quds Brigades leaders. more..
An-Nasser Brigades clash with Israeli forces in southern Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 12/27/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades claimed responsibility on Thursday for a clash with an Israeli infantry group east of the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The group claimed that Israeli soldiers were injured, while the Palestinian fighters went unharmed. The fighters added that the operation came in retaliation for Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people. [end]
IDF kills 4 gunmen in Gaza
Ali Waked, YNetNews 12/27/2007
Israeli soldiers attack Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants after latter fire mortars and anti-tank missiles at IDF force. At least 25 Gazan militants have died in combat with the IDF since the beginning of the month - Three Hamas members were killed Thursday afternoon and four others were injured in an IDF assault on a group of militants in Farahin area next to Khan Younis in central Gaza. According to reports, those killed were members of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. The IDF reports that the armed group fired an anti-tank missile at a force of Israeli soldiers, who returned fire. Palestinian sources told Ynet that around 1pm an IDF detachment began sweeping the Khan Younis area. The IDF force then encountered militants who began firing artillery, anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft fire. more..
IAF missile strike kills senior Islamic Jihad member
Ali Waked, YNetNews 12/27/2007
Mohammad Abu Murshud, head of organization’s armed wing in central Strip, killed by missile launched from Israeli aircraft. At least eight Hamas,Islamic Jihad members killed in IDF strikes throughout the day - A series of attacks launched by the IDF in Gaza Thursday has claimed the lives of at least eight militants, including Mohammad Abu Murshud, head of Islamic Jihad’s armed wing in the central Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian sources, Murshud was killed when the car he was traveling in north of al-Mugarka (near the former Israeli settlement of Netzarim) was struck by a missile fired by Israeli aircraft. Two other Jihad members were killed and a number of others were injured in the attack, which was the IDF’s third of the evening. Five Palestinians were killed in two attacks in Gaza earlier in the day: Two Hamas members and two Islamic Jihad gunmen... more..
VIDEO - IDF checking if Palestinian missile narrowly missed helicopter
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 12/27/2007
Reuters video published Thursday captures air force helicopter hovering over Gaza when unidentified object flies by, emitting smoke trail - The Israeli Air Force is examining a video clip in which a smoke trail passes by an IDF helicopter hovering over Gaza. IDF sources say that they received no report from the helicopter’s crew on an attempt to harm the aircraft Thursday or in previous days, but that in light of the pictures published today they will investigate whether the Palestinians attempted to down the helicopter. IDF helicopterin Gaza skies (Video: Reuters) IDF aircraft flew sorties over Gaza Thursday throughout the day, attacking different targets in the area. Palestinian terror organizations have recently announced their desire to hit an Israeli Air Force jet or helicopter, either through anti-aircraft weaponry or various missiles. more..
Palestinian resistance shells Sderot
Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 12/26/2007
The National resistance brigade, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestinian (DFLP), and the al Aqsa brigade, the armed wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility for targeting the Israeli city of Sderot with home-made shells on Wednesday morning. [end]
IAF still readying for Syrian response to Sept. airstrike
Haaretz Staff and Channel 10, Ha’aretz 12/27/2007
Haaretz. com/Channel 10 daily feature for December 27, 2007. Since Israel’s airstrike on Syria in September, the Israel Air Force’s level of readiness has been heightened due to the belief that a Syrian response is likely to come from the air. While the Israel Defense Forces’s intelligence assessment holds that war is less likely now, IAF pilots train for that crucial moment when they will be called on to act. Related articles: Report: IDF raid seized nuclear material before Syria air strike Assad says Syria turned down nuclear weapons offer in 2001 News: PM urges IDF to avoid moves that Syria may misinterpret For more video news and features, visit Haaretz. com TV more..
Oil-spill spat loses no momentum in 2007
Michael Bluhm, Daily Star 12/28/2007
BEIRUT: Almost a year and a half has passed since Israeli warplanes bombed the Jiyyeh power plant on the Mediterranean coast south of Beirut, and yet the ongoing clean-up of the ensuing oil spill still provokes almost endless recrimination. Accusations continued to fly this year over last winter’s first phase of the clean-up, while environmental groups also warn of the destruction of micro-organisms and unique ecosystems during the ongoing second clean-up phase along the coastline. The Lebanese company Promar is cleaning fuel from rocks at 23 sites from Tabarja to Enfeh, and the Environment Ministry admits it is not requiring its contractors to consult with marine experts before cleaning. In smaller projects, the Spanish government is handling the final work at the Palm Island Nature Reserve in North Lebanon, while Norway will pay for clean-up at lower-priority sites: two in Akkar, two... more..
A leader of the al Quds brigade kidnapped in Nablus by undercover Israeli unit
Ali Samoudi, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007
Undercover unit of Israeli forces kidnapped Samer Al Sa’di, 23 from Jenin refugee camp claiming him to be a leader of the al Quds brigade, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad on Thursday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that the undercover unit used a civilian car holding a Palestinian license plate to enter the camp and then kidnapped Al Sa’adi. Eyewitnesses reported that the car suddenly stopped a few meters from Al Sa’adi and several armed men jumped from the car, and surrounded him before he was kidnapped. An Israeli spokesperson reported that Al Sa’adi is considered an official leader of the al Aqsa brigade in Jenin refugee camp and was registered as the most wanted Palestinian the Israeli army list a year ago. This is believed to be the third operation executed this week in Jenin against Palestinians of the al Quds Brigades that are wanted by the Israeli Army. more..
Palestine Today 122707
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 3 m 0s || 2. 75 MB || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday December 28th, 2007. Three Palestinians were killed due to Israeli attacks on the Gaza strip and in the West Bank, Israeli troops kidnapped 19 civilians during morning invasions, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The news Cast Three Palestinians have been killed and nine others wounded after Israeli war planes launched an air strike on southern Gaza Strip. Dr. Moawiya Abu Hasianin, chief of the emergency room at the health ministry, said that five others have been wounded including one critically, and these bodies have sustained heavy burns. Sources at the Islamic Jihad group confirmed that one of it’s armed wing members was killed during the air strike. more..
Key Events
Electronic Intifada 12/27/2007
Israel declares Gaza "enemy entity" (19 September 2007) On Wednesday, 19 September 2007, Israel’s security cabinet unanimously declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity." The declaration, ostensibly in reaction to the firing of rockets from Gaza, was immediately backed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and followed by a series of collective punishment measures that have crippled Gaza’s already suffering economy. Israel has denied the importing of basic needs including medicine, severely limited exports, cut fuel supplies to the impoverished strip, and halted the movement of people to and from Gaza -- including those in need of urgent medical care. The "enemy entity" declaration follows months of Israeli closure of the Egyptian-Gazan border crossing at Rafah, during which thousands of Palestinians were stranded in Egypt. Rafah crossing remains closed since 9 June 2007. W more..
Palestinian farmers, including child, beaten by masked Israeli settlers near Nablus
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/26/2007
Palestinian sources reported Tuesday that a group of farmers in their fields near Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, were badly beaten by a group of Israeli settlers living illegally in the area. The settlements in the Nablus area are illegal under both international and Israeli law, but Israeli authorities allow the settlements there, deep within the Palestinian West Bank territory, to continue to expand on stolen Palestinian land. Local sources reported that four farmers, including one fifteen-year old boy, were badly beaten with sticks and sprayed with pepper gas by Israeli settlers. Israeli police were called, but did nothing about the incident, and the assailants were not apprehended. Of the four who were attacked, two were injured moderately and had to be treated at a local hospital in Nablus. more..
Report: Israeli crews manning UAVs in Turkish operations against Kurds
Yossi Melman, Ha’aretz 12/27/2007
Crews from Israel Aerospace Industries, operating unmanned aerial vehicles, are participating in Turkish military operations against PKK militants in northern Iraq, according to Turkish reports to be published today in the Turkish Daily News. Ten days ago, the Turkish television station Star reported that IAI Heron UAVs are being used in the offensive against the Kurds. The same report stated that Turkey’s Chief of Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, had observed the UAVs’ operations in real time, in the operations room of the Batman air force base near the border with Iraq. The intelligence relayed by the UAVs was used by the Turkish Air Force in targeting the Kurdish militants. However, in the Turkish Daily News report, a Turkish military source is quoted expressing criticism that the IAI and Elbit, which is also part of the Heron program, have failed to meet their contractual... more..
Ten Qassams strike western Negev; woman treated for shock
Mijal Grinberg and Yuval Azoulays, Ha’aretz 12/27/2007
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday fired ten Qassam rockets at the western Negev. There were no injuries reported in the incident, apart from a woman in Sderot who was treated for shock. One rocket hit near the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council and another fired earlier Wednesday failed to reach Israel. On Tuesday, three Qassam rockets were fired at the Negev region. The rockets struck the Erez crossing to Gaza, and the Negev kibbutzes of Kfar Aza and Zikim, but did not cause any injuries or damage. In response, an Israel Air Force helicopter struck a Qassam rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, 15 minutes after the rocket was fired at Zikim. Militants on Tuesday also fired three mortar shells at Israel, which struck near the security fence along the northern Gaza Strip. more..
Israeli forces arrest 13 West Bankers
Ma’an News Agency 12/26/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an The Israeli forces arrested on Wednesday morning 13 Palestinians from different West Bank cities claiming that they were "wanted", Hebrew sources said. According to the Hebrew media sources, ten arrestees were seized in Nablus in the northern West Bank, 2 in Qalqilia, also in the north and one in Ramallah in the central West Bank. In a different regard, Israeli sources said that Israeli forces came under fire in Qabatia south of Jenin in the northern West Bank and in Balata refugee camp east of Nablus. No casualties have been reported. [end]
Israeli nearly lynched in Ramallah
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 12/26/2007
Twenty-eight-year old Israeli ends up in Ramallah after GPS system goes haywire. Driver rescued from stone-throwing mob by two east Jerusalem residents he calls ’his guardian angels’ - And you thought your GPS system was trouble? For 28-year-old Bat Yam resident Amir Ochana flawed GPS navigation nearly proved fatal. Instead of a planned return trip to Jerusalem, Ochana’s GPS system directed him towards the West Bank City of Ramallah. Ochana had just finished work in the Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood of Jerusalem, and wanted to give his secretary a ride home to the Adam settlement northeast of Jerusalem. He plugged in the coordinates for a return trip to Jerusalem into his GPS system and set of on his merry way. The Bat Yam resident recounts the horror that followed. "I ended up at an army checkpoint"¦and they let me through even though I was wearing a kippah and had... more..
Islamic Jihad’s military wing claims damaging Israeli military vehicle in Jenin
Ma’an News Agency 12/26/2007
Jenin Ma’an Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing affiliated to the Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility on Wednesday for damaging an Israeli military vehicle as it attempted to enter the northern West Bank town of Qabatia from the south. The spokesperson of the Al-Quds Brigades said that their combatants detonated an explosive device, they planted earlier, as the Israeli patrol passed. Then, he added, the Islamic Jihad’s combatants clashed with the Israeli troops who were in the damaged vehicle. No injuries have been reported. [end]
Undercover Israeli forces abduct Islamic Jihad’s activist near Jenin
Ma’an News Agency 12/26/2007
Jenin Ma’an Undercover Israeli forces abducted on Tuesday evening an Islamic Jihad’s activist in an ambush on the road between the villages of Al-Jadida and Sanur west of Jenin in the northern West Bank, Ma’an’s reporter said. Sources in the Islamic Jihad named the abducted activist as Fadi As-Sa’di. They said that he had been pursued by the Israeli intelligence services since two years and that the Israelis failed to arrest him several times. [end]
Israeli helicopters target an open field in northern Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 12/26/2007
Gaza Ma’an Israeli helicopters on Tuesday evening fired two missiles towards an open field in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, Ma’an’s reporter said. Palestinian medical sources assured that there were no casualties after the raid. Muawiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency service in the Palestinian health ministry said that ambulance headed to the shelled area, but found no injuries. Security sources believe that the Israeli choppers launched the missiles after Palestinian activists fired homemade projectiles towards the Israeli city of Ashkelon. [end]
Palestinian military groups target Israeli towns bordering Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 12/26/2007
Gaza Ma’an Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility on Tuesday evening for firing a homemade projectile at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Later on Tuesday night, they added that they launched another projectile at the Erez Crossing in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. They said in a statement that their activity was in response to the ongoing Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Separately, the military group affiliated to the Islamic Jihad, Al-Quds Brigades said they launched a homemade projectile at Ashkelon on Tuesday evening. They released a statement after the sheling saying that they will continue to resist the Israeli occupation as it is their natural right to retaliate for the Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people. more..
13 Palestinians kidnapped across the West Bank by Israeli army
Ameen Abu Wardeh, International Middle East Media Center 12/26/2007
In pre-dawn invasions that targeted several parts of the West Bank the Israeli army kidnapped 13 Palestinians on Wednesday morning. [end]
Palestine Today 122607
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 12/26/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3. 67 MB || Time 4m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday December 20th, 2007. The Israeli army kidnaps 13 Palestinian civilians across the West Bank and settler attacks leaves four injured in the northern part of the West Bank, those stories and more coming up stay tuned. The news cast In pre-dawn invasions that targeted several parts of the West Bank the Israeli army kidnapped 13 Palestinians on Wednesday morning. Palestinian sources stated that the kidnappings took place in Nablus, Qalqilia and Ramallah; meanwhile local sources added that the invading troops had clashed with local resistance men in the town of Qabatiya and the Balata refugee camp, in the northern part of the West Bank. more..
Wednesday: 11 Qassam rockets fall in Sderot area
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 12/26/2007
Yet another day of Palestinian rocket barrages terrorize southern Israeli town, Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for attacks - A Qassam barrage on Sderot: Eight rockets fell Wednesday afternoon in open areas around Sderot and two inside the Gaza Strip. One woman was treated for shock. Al-Quds Brigade, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, assumed responsibility for the attack. Around 1:30 PM a "Code Red" warning siren was sounded after which five explosions were heard next to the city. The second salvo was launched around 5:20 PM, and three Qassam rockets landed in the Sderot area, with two falling far short of their destination in PA territory. No injuries or damages were reported. In the evening, another three Qassam rockets fell next to the security fence south of Ashkelon. Once again, the missiles caused no injuries or damages. more..
’Masked settlers beat Palestinian farmers’
Ali Waked, YNetNews 12/25/2007
Palestinian officials say farmers, youth assaulted by group of Israeli settlers wielding sticks, pepper gas in field near Nablus - A group of masked Israeli settlers beat and injured four Palestinian farmers tending to their field in the West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian officials reported. ’’They parked on the road and we thought they were just hiking but suddenly they put on masks and they sprayed me in my eyes and beat me and I couldn’t see who it was,’’ said farmer Hussein Asida, 46. 50-year-old Hashem Hamed, who was working alongside Asida in the field, was moderately injured and evacuated to the nearby hospital in Nablus with a broken arm and badly injured pelvis. Hospital officials told Ynet he also sustained a serious head injury and required eight stitches. Hamed resting in Nablus’ hospital "They kept beating his head and body... more..
IAF helicopter strikes Gaza rocket launcher; 3 Qassams hit Israel
Yuval Azoulay and Mijal Grinbergs, Ha’aretz 12/26/2007
An Israel Air Force helicopter struck a Qassam rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, 15 minutes after it fired a rocket at Zikim. The rocket did not cause any injuries or damage. Earlier, Palestinians fired two Qassam rockets at Israel, one of which struck the Erez Crossing. The second hit near Kfar Aza. Militants also fired three mortar shells at Israel, which struck near the security fence along the northern Gaza Strip. The security cabinet approved Sunday funding for the development of the "Iron Dome" rocket defense system, which is designed to intercept short- and medium-range rockets such as Qassams and Katyushas [end]
Israeli army fire wounds a Palestinian youth in a West Bank village
Rami Almeghari, International Middle East Media Center 12/25/2007
An Israeli soldier shot and wounded on Tuesday a Palestinian youth in the West Bank village of Nahalin, Palestinian media sources reported. Local medical sources confirmed that Salah Najajra,18, was moderately wounded after sustaining an Israeli bullet. Witnesses said that Najajra was walking, along with some villagers, along the nearby Israeli settlement of Betar, when Israeli soldiers opened fire from a hilltop. Witnesses added that no clashes were talking place in the area and that the Israeli army fire was opened abruptly randomly. Israeli settlements are scattered in different parts of the West Bank, just close to or inside Palestinian-owned lands, constituting flashpoints across the occupied Palestinian territory. more..
9 Qassam rockets land in Israel on Tuesday
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 12/25/2007
Three rockets land in open field in south of Ashkelon Tuesday night. No injuries or property damage reported. IDF strikes at Qassam launchers in northern Gaza - Three Qassam rockets landed south of Ashkelon and in an open field near the security fence along the border between Israel and Gaza on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday evening, the IAF struck at a Qassam launch site in the northern Gaza Strip. The first rocket landed in an open field south of Ashkelon. Later in the evening, two additional Qassams landed in an open field near the security fence. Tuesday morning, six Qassam rockets were fired from the northern Gaza strip into the western Negev. The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing, claimed responsibility for these attacks. Early Tuesday morning a Qassam rocket landed in an open field within the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council. more..
Palestinian military groups fire at Israeli targets in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 12/25/2007
Gaza Ma’an Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades and the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine DFLP, claimed responsibility on Monday for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot in western Negev. They said in a joint statement that the shelling came as natural retaliation for Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians. Separately, Al-Quds Brigades, the military group affiliated to the Islamic Jihad movement said their fighters fired two Rocket-propelled Grenades RPG at an Israeli military jeep near the Kissufim military post in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip before they clashed with Israeli troops. They said in a statement that they will always stick to their natural right to respond to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. more..
Israeli soldiers injure a Palestinian near Bethlehem
Ma’an News Agency 12/25/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Israeli reservist soldiers on Monday shot and injured a Palestinian young man near the Israeli settlement of Beitar Elite, which is located near the southern West Bank village of Husan west of Bethlehem, said the Israeli army’s spokesperson. The Israeli spokesperson justified the assault saying that the troops suspected that the Palestinian was layingan ambiguous devicef near the Israeli settlement. The injured man was evacuated to hospital in Bethlehem by ambulance of the Palestinian Red Crescent. Later, he was transferred to the Israeli Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem due to his serious injury. [end]
Palestinian hurls Molotov cocktail at police car; none wounded
JPOST.COM STAFF, Jerusalem Post 12/26/2007
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