Palestine Today 051507

Tuesday May 15, 2007 16:37 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept.

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Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Tuesday May 15th, 2007.

Ten people were killed and at least 20 others were wounded during renewed Hamas-Fatah clashes in the Gaza Strip, while Israel attacks and injures civilians in the West Bank. These stories and more coming up stay tuned.

The Gaza strip

Palestinian medical sources reported Tuesday that ten people were killed and at least 20 others were wounded during renewed Hamas-Fatah clashes in Gaza. Fighting flared up today after a Hamas gunman was killed at a roadblock manned by the Palestinian presidential guards in Gaza city.

Right after the incident, dozens of members of the Al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, attacked a Palestinian security post in eastern Gaza, where seven security personnel were reportedly killed and seventeen others wounded. A Hamas statement denied responsibility for the killings, while Fatah accused Hamas of killing the security personnel. Hamas claimed those killed were hit by Israeli tank shells, as Israeli forces are currently widely present on the Gaza-Israel border.

Dr. Moawiya Abu Hasanain, spokesman of the Palestinian health ministry, disclosed that among the injuries were bullets and shrapnel wounds. An Israeli army spokesperson claimed the army’s responsibility for killing two Palestinian security officers after the latter fled towards the border fence between Gaza and Israel. Today’s deaths brought the death toll of Gaza infighting since Friday to 19, the highest since Hamas and Fatah agreed to a national unity power-sharing government in March.

The West Bank

A group of armed Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers east of Hebron city in the southern West Bank on Tuesday afternoon. Palestinian media sources reported that around 20 armed settlers from Kharsena, an illegal settlement that is built on stolen Palestinian land located to the east of Hebron city, attacked Palestinian farmers with rifle butts and batons, injuring two.

Medical sources stated that Sarah Sultan, 60, and 'A'isha Sultan, 17, sustained cuts and bruises all over their bodies. Both women were moved to a nearby clinic for treatment. In related news, another group of right-wing Israeli settlers, along with several Israeli soldiers, attacked and ransacked a Palestinian home in the same area. This incident also took place on Tuesday. The family reported that the soldiers and settlers surrounded the house and threw stones and rocks at it. Following this, soldiers entered the house and ransacked it, destroying the personal property of the owners.

In Sa'er village east of Hebron city, troops attacked and searched homes. During the attack, local youths hurled stones at the Israeli forces who responded with sound bombs and rubber bullets. Jalal Al Jabareen, 22, was lightly injured by a rubber bullet while walking on a street near to the clashes. Israeli forces invaded Jenin refugee camp in the northern part of the West bank and injured one child. In the meantime another force invaded a nearby village and kidnapped one civilian on Tuesday morning. Medical sources in Jenin refugee camp stated that Mohamed Mofed, 16, was in his house when he was injured after Israeli troops opened fire randomly into residents' homes and searched a number of them. The boy was moderately injured and moved to a nearby hospital for treatment, the sources added.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, brought to you by Eliza Sprout and Ghassan Bannoura.

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