Palestinian Fighters Clash With Israeli occupation forces in Eastern Gaza

Thursday December 11, 2008 12:01 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies

A group of Palestinian fighters clashed, late Wednesday night, with Israeli occupation soldiers near the Johr Eldeik village in eastern Gaza Strip, a press release revealed.

In a joint press statement, emailed to media outlets, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Saraya Alquds brigades of the Islamic Jihad, declared responsibility for an armed clash with an Israeli occupation force in eastern Gaza yesterday night. The statement read that a group of fighters spotted the Israeli force just close to the border fence with Gaza and then opened fire at it, hitting soldiers directly.

"Such a clash with the Israeli occupation troops is a part of the Palestinian resistance's ongoing response to the Israeli army attacks on the Palestinian people", the statement explained. No other sources verified the report. The Gaza-based resistance factions resumed, in November, homemade shell fire into nearby Israeli towns, in response to an Israeli army attack on Gaza that claimed the lives of six Hamas fighters.

The resumption of violence in the region has threatened a six-month Egyptian-brokered ceasefire deal that is expected to come to an end by December 19.

Israeli occupation forces Invade Jenin, kidnap Residents in Nablus

Thursday December 11, 2008 10:35 by IMEMC Staff - IMEMC&Agencies

Early Thursday morning, Israeli occupation forces invaded the West Bank city of Jenin.  They also kidnapped a number of Palestinian residents in Nablus, media sources and witnesses reported.

Palestinian security sources said today that a contingent of Israeli occupation forces  invaded the downtown area of Jenin city in the occupied West Bank under a barrage of heavy gun fire. The sources added that scores of Israeli soldiers were deployed in main streets under a barrage of sound grenades, causing a state of panic among the local residents, especially children.

In related news, Israeli occupation soldiers ransacked several Palestinian-owned homes in Nablus city, detaining at least six Palestinian residents from the Ma'adamma village, one of the city's suburbs. Witnesses said that a number of Israeli armored vehicles swept into the village late Wednesday night, breaking into several houses and forcing the inhabitants outside amidst low temperatures.

Israeli occupation forces attacks in the Occupied West Bank occur almost on daily basis.  Arrest campaigns among Palestinian residents takes place in nearly every single part of the West Bank, with the number of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli occupation  jails now at more than 11,500, and climbing, according to Palestinian sources.

House burned, car destroyed during Israeli occupation forces raid near Nablus

Date: 11 / 12 / 2008  Time:  12:00
Nablus – Ma’an –

 Israeli occupation forces raided a village near Nablus early on Thursday morning, according to witnesses and a municipality official.

Soldiers overran the Burqa village west of Nablus just before dawn on Thursday, where a percussion grenade fired toward a house set fire to a room. The house reportedly belongs to 55-year-old Tawfiq Abdullah Yousuf.

Ghassan Daghlas, an official in the village’s local council, told Ma’an in a telephone interview that in addition to the house fire soldiers destroyed a car belonging to Muhammad Oddeh Abu Amer, which was parked in front of his home in the village.

Illegal Israeli settlers open fire on houses in Sebastia

Date: 11 / 12 / 2008  Time:  09:31
Nablus - Ma'an -

Dozens of illegal Israeli settlers opened fire on Palestinian homes near the illegal settlement of Shavei Shomron southwest of Nablus on Wednesday, residents told Ma'an.

Sources added that a number of illegal Israeli settlers had arrived after the commotion and fired dozens of bullets from automatic weapons before finally withdrawing when Israeli occupation forces arrived in coordination with the Palestinian Liaison Office.

Israeli occupation forces kidnap two Fatah members south of Nablus

Date: 11 / 12 / 2008  Time:  09:36
Nablus - Ma'an -

 Israeli occupation forces arrested two Fatah affiliates south of Nablus on Wednesday, according to local sources.

Residents told Ma'an that Israeli occupation forces  kidnapped the two men, 23-year-old Shahid Zyadeh and 19-year-old Mujahed Al-Qet after storming the village of Madama, south of Nablus on Wednesday evening.

Sources added that soldiers detained the two men just outside their homes before taking them to an undisclosed location.

  Report: Israel occupation forces kidnap West Bank Palestinians by the hundreds

Date: 11 / 12 / 2008  Time:  09:59
Gaza – Ma’an –

The Palestinian Authority (PA) Ministry of Prisoners and Prisoners’ Affairs on Thursday accused the Israeli government of carrying out multiple kidnapping operations in West Bank towns and cities.

The accusation comes just after Israel announced intentions to release 231 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The release, originally slated to take place before Eid Al-Adha - 8 December - has been postponed until 15 December.

In a report obtained by Ma’an, the ministry documents more than 300 incursions and invasions carried out by Israeli occupation forces in Palestinian towns and cities in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israel occupation forces also kidnapped 390 Palestinian residents, including 87 in the city of Hebron, of whom more than a dozen are patients, bringing the total number of people arrested by Israel since the beginning of this year to more than 5,000, including 700 from the Gaza Strip.

Last month also saw a noted increase in the detention of children below 18 years of age, as Israeli forces seized 65 children, compared with 33 in October.

According to a report published on the 21st anniversary of the first Intifada, the Israeli occupation forces kidnapped approximately 800,000 Palestinians since 1967, which is about 20 percent of the population.

The report notes that more kidnappings were made during the first Intifada than the second, as “direct contact” between Palestinian citizens and occupation forces was higher. During the first Intifada, Israel had more control of the Palestinian territories than it does today, citing recent agreements that allow more areas to be controlled by the PA.

There are still 339 prisoners in Israeli jails that were detained during the first Intifada; Israel has still refused to release them on the condition that they have “Jewish blood on their hands.” Among them are 136 prisoners from the West Bank and 134 from the Gaza Strip, according to the report.