The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) announced on Sunday it would take part in olives picking along the Gaza-Israeli border lines, to help Palestinian farmers pick their olive trees without fear.

In a statement, emailed to press, the ISM confirmed that its upcoming action will be focused in the southeastern parts of Gaza Strip as well as in the north of Gaza, where the movement has established contacts with local farmers.

The ISM will take part in picking the olive trees for the next several weeks, in a bid to send out a message of support and solidarity with the Palestinian farmers who are subject to Israeli gunshots near the border lines with Israel, the statement read.

In June of this year, the Israeli army set a buffer zone along the Gaza-Israel border lines in eastern Gaza, where Palestinian residents are prohibited to move within a range of 300 meters.

Many of the Palestinian farmers who own farm lands on the said areas, have been recently exposed to Israeli army gun fire over the past four months.

Approximately 10 percent of the Gaza Strip area, have been razed by the Israeli army since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in 2000 until the end of 2007, according to the Almizan center for human rights in Gaza.

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, based in Gaza, condemned Israel for barring physicians from the Israeli Physicians for Human Rights group from visiting the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

The Center reported that soldiers barred nine physicians from entering Gaza that specialized in orthopedic and general surgeries as well as physicians specialized in treating tumors and psychiatric specialists. They were banned from entering Gaza even though they obtained authorization from Israeli Authorities.

The Center added that this is the tenth time that the army has barred physicians from entering Gaza.

The physicians who were barred from entering Gaza on Wednesday were granted a permit on Monday from Israel to enter the coastal region. Physicians for Human Rights in Tel Aviv conducted the needed arrangements with hospitals in Gaza and with Israeli officials.

The physicians were supposed to examine 350 patients and were scheduled to perform 40 surgeries in addition to holding lectures and training sessions. They were planning to remain in Gaza for three days.

On Wednesday morning, the physicians arrived at the Eretz Crossing that leads to Gaza and were told that they could not cross into the Gaza Strip. An official from the Israeli Physicians for Human Rights contacted the Southern Command of the Israeli Army, the Israeli Security Agency, the Internal Security Chief and the Prime Minister's office, but to no avail.

The Al Mezan Center strongly denounced barring the physicians from entering Gaza and stated that it valued the efforts of Physicians For Human Rights and its attempts to ease the suffering of the Gaza residents.

The Center added that this incident was part of the ongoing Israeli violations and crimes against the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip. Gaza remains under strict Israeli siege, which is causing hundreds of casualties and has caused the collapse of the Palestinian economy.

The Center demanded the International Community, who are signatories of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to intervene and stop Israeli crimes against Palestinian people and to stop the illegal Israeli policies of collective punishment.

Hamas advisor to the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr. Ahmad Yousef, said on Wednesday that failure of the underway dialogue in Cairo can not be accepted by the Palestinian people.

In an emailed press statement, Yousef maintained that if Egyptian mediators will be able to reach a common ground among the rival Palestinian factions, mainly between Hamas and Fatah, “we will thus overcome a major obstacle in the path of national unity.”

According to Yousef, the five major criterions for a successful dialogue for the ruling Hamas party are; forming a national unity government, returning the situation back prior to June14, 2007, dealing with all division-related problems, holding presidential and parliamentary elections and reconstructing the Palestinian security services on a professional and national basis.

The advisor further explained that "Such internal fighting with all its political and security dimensions require a third party like Egypt to pressure all parties concerned into a national consensus that protects the Palestinian national interests from being scattered."

He slammed statements by the head of Fatah's parliamentary bloc, Azzam Alahmad, over the legality of president Abbas's office after January 08, 2009 as 'illogic'.

"The Palestinian people have the right to say their word regarding renewal or non-renewal of their president's term in office after January 2009."

Yousef's remarks produced controversy among the rival Fatah and Hamas parties over the legality of President Mahmoud Abbas's post, which continues to rise as both factions' representatives are meeting in Cairo in a bid to end differences.

Fatah and Hamas have been at loggerheads since Hamas took power after January 2006's parliamentary elections.

In February 2007, they formed a national unity government, yet four months later fighting escalated, ending with Hamas seizing control of Gaza and Abbas installing a Fatah-loyal government in the West Bank.

The Alqassam brigades, the military wing of the ruling Hamas party in Gaza, warned on Wednesday of an imminent Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, given notable Israeli military exercises to the east of the Strip.

In a statement emailed to press, spokesman of the brigades, called Abu Obaida, said that underway Israeli military exercises on the Israeli side of Gaza-Israel border lines indicate Israel's 'aggressive/criminal intentions'.

Abu Obaida responded to an Israeli military spokesman's remarks that such trainings are conducted for defense purposes, as ' ironical', saying that the upcoming days would likely reveal the real purposes for such exercises.

He also preserved what he called the Palestinian resistance's right to defend any Israeli attack on the coastal region , despite a ceasefire deal, brokered four months ago by Egypt.

" the occupation will pay a very heavy price if it dares to attack Gaza", Abu Obaida warned.

Early this week, Israeli army spokesman, Afihai Der'y, announced that the Israeli troops would begin military exercises near the Gaza Strip, explaining that such trainings are for defense purposes.

In June of this year, the ruling Hamas party in Gaza agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel, stipulating halt of Israeli army attacks on Gaza and lifting a 17-month-old blockade, in return for stopping Qassam homemade shells fire onto Israel.

Israel denied entry to a medical staff into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, holding the staff at the Eritz checkpoint in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources reported.

Head of the public relations department at the Gaza-European hospital in southern Gaza, Auda Kaware', confirmed to media outlets that Israeli occupation troops, manning the Eritz checkpoint, prevented the entry of 9 Israel-Arab physicians as well as denying entry of medical assistance.

The said delegation was supposed to conduct urgent surgeries under the Israeli siege, which has so far caused the death of 250 patients, Kawere' explained.

He added that the delegation consists of bone, tumor and general surgery surgeons and that they brought with them some transplant organs and medical stuff, worth about $22,000 U.S dollars.

The Gaza-European hospital has already prepared a list of 330 patients with urgent surgery needs to be dealt with starting from tomorrow Thursday.

For 17 months now, Israel has imposed a debilitating closure of Gaza's crossings, preventing normal movement of people, goods and commodities in and out of the coastal territory.

According the local committee for breaking the Israeli siege in Gaza, Israeli restrictive measures have caused the death of more than 250 patients who are in need for urgent referral outside of Gaza hospitals.