Gaza plunged in darkness

[ 04/01/2009 - 11:12 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Palestinian energy authority in Gaza has warned of an unprecedented humanitarian, health and environmental disaster as a result of the total blackout in the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening following the Israeli occupation forces' ground invasion.

Kana'an Obaid, the head of the authority, told the PIC that the Gaza Strip was on the brink of an unparalleled catastrophe that is further complicated by the IOF aggression that did not spare any sector.

He stressed that one and a half million Palestinians are actually suffering from the electricity outage as the entire Strip plunged into darkness.

Obeid said that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) had destroyed all electricity supply lines and networks reaching the Strip from Israel during bombardment of border areas.

It is difficult at present to estimate the exact volume of destruction that befell the electricity networks, the energy official said. He asked the world to intervene to enable his technicians to repair the damaged lines.

Obaid said that many of his technical teams came under shelling while maintaining lines in civilian suburbs, which meant that repairing damage at border areas would be impossible.

He also warned that electricity generators in hospitals could not work round the clock, which entailed big dangers on the already difficult conditions in those hospitals as many of their wards depend on electricity to operate live-saving medical equipment.

PA Minister of Health condemns Israeli killing of medical team in Gaza, says wounded should come to West Bank

Date: 04 / 01 / 2009  Time:  16:15
Ramallah – Ma’an –

Health Minister with the caretaker government Fat'hi Abu Moghli appealed to all medical and national and international institutions to immediately intervene to stop Israeli massacres in the Gaza Strip.

Abu Moghli expressed his fear over reports that Israeli occupation forces are attacking ambulances and medical crew in the Gaza Strip.

The latest was the killing a doctor and the injury of four other medical workers as well as preventing patients from accessing hospitals for medical treatment, he said.

Abu Moghli said the injured in Gaza were better off coming to hospitals in the West Bank and Jerusalem to ensure their proper care.

Israeli war planes bomb mosque in Gaza during prayers

[ 04/01/2009 - 03:23 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed Saturday fresh massacre against Palestinian worshipers in Gaza as Israeli warplanes bombed a local mosque in the northern Gaza Strip and demolished it over heads of tens of Palestinian worshippers inside, local eyewitnesses confirmed.

Medical sources in Gaza confirmed to the PIC that the air strike on the mosque killed 16 Palestinian citizens, many were children, and wounded 60 others, many in serious condition.

The raid on the mosque wasn’t isolated as the Israeli warplanes bombed and flattened around 11 mosques in Gaza without paying attention to the sanctity of those places.

According to eyewitnesses in Beit Lahia city where the massacre took place, tens of Palestinian worshippers were performing their Maghreb (sunset) prayer when an Israeli F-16 war jet dropped tons of bombs on the mosque.

Close to 500 Palestinian citizens were killed and nearly 2500 were wounded in the continued Israeli carnage in the Gaza Strip that entered its eighth day amidst unexplainable silence from the international community.

Al-Qassam: Our fighters inflicted heavy casualties in the ranks of IOF troops

[ 04/01/2009 - 11:23 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that its fighters inflicted heavy casualties on the invading Israeli occupation terrorist forces (IOTF) in the east and north of the Gaza Strip, affirming that it managed to kill more than five Israeli soldiers and wound about 30 others.

According to reports published by the Israeli media, which are subject to military censorship on the publication of any information about the number of soldiers killed or wounded, the Israeli soldiers who were injured were from the infantry, artillery, armored brigades and the engineering corps.

In a communiqué received by the PIC, the Qassam Brigades stated that its fighters detonated anti-personnel explosive devices in an Israeli occupation special force near the Beit Hanoon crossing and an Israeli tank.

The communiqué added that the Qassam fighters also managed to detonate other explosive devices in different special units in Al-Zaytoon suburb, east of Gaza city, and in Al-Atatra area, northwest of Beit Lahiya.

According to the communiqué, the Qassam fighters were able to penetrate the radio waves of the IOTFs and heard Israeli soldiers as they were screaming in pain and talking about the death of five soldiers in their ranks.

A Palestinian field commander affiliated with the Qassam Brigades revealed that the armed wing of Hamas uses in the confrontations with the IOTFs new methods and tactics which cannot be penetrated or discovered by the invading Israeli forces.

The field commander pointed out that Qassam rocket firing units operate cautiously and skillfully and no one is able to know the places from which rockets are fired.

"We continue our mission normally and we are not affected by these raids because we have taken all precautions for such an operation and a larger one as well. We have the ability to operate in this way for a long time," the commander underscored.

In the same context, Palestinian eyewitnesses have reported that ferocious confrontations were raging between Qassam fighters and the invading IOTFs who advanced from the eastern side of Zaytoon district, east of Gaza city.

According to the eyewitnesses, the IOTFs failed to advance several meters because of the intensity of the confrontations they faced in the area despite the heavy aerial reconnaissance.

The Palestinian resistance managed to fire a homemade rockets at dawn Sunday on the Israeli Eshkol settlement built inside the 1948 occupied lands despite the intensive Israeli over flights and the ground military operation against Gaza.

The resistance also fired Saturday evening other homemade rockets on the Sha'er Hanegev settlement in the western Naqab.

According to the Israeli media, a Palestinian rocket landed on a crowd of Israeli occupation terrorist soldiers in the Sderot settlement and six others fell on the Eshkol settlement on the same day.

In a communiqué received by the PIC,  the Qassam Brigades announced that it fired 41 rockets and mortar shells on different Israeli settlements and posts on Saturday, the eighth day of the aggression on Gaza.

Hamas leader Mushir Al-Masri stated that the Palestinian resistance spearheaded by the Qassam Brigades pursues special tactics and move steadily in their confrontations with the invading IOTFs.

Five Israeli soldiers killed, about 29 wounded in clashes with the resistance

[ 04/01/2009 - 03:53 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas said on Saturday night that at least 5 Israeli occupation soldiers were killed an 29 others wounded during an IOF incursion into the Zaytoon neighborhood of Gaza.

The Qassam Brigades said that they managed to tap into the IOF communications and hear them report the death of five soldiers.

Israeli occupation sources admitted that five IOTF soldiers were killed and 29 others were wounded.

Local eyewitnesses said that a fierce confrontation between the Qassam Brigades fighters and the invading IOF troops took place at the Zaytoon neighborhood to the east of Gaza City.

Eleven Palestinians killed, Israel decides to bar humanitarian aid

Sunday January 04, 2009 08:21 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Sunday morning, that as the Israeli occupation terrorist army continued to advance into the Gaza Strip, and the resistance continued to clash with the invading forces; at least eleven Palestinians were killed on the eighth day of the Israeli offensive, and dozens have been wounded.

The Israeli occupation terrorist army reported that 30 soldiers were wounded, at least one seriously. At least 470 residents, including 75 children and 37 women, have been killed, and over 2,500 wounded during the ongoing Israeli offensive.

The ground invasion in the Gaza Strip was kicked off on Saturday morning. Infantry troops, tanks and armored vehicles invaded the Gaza Strip from several directions under the cover of artillery shells and air strikes.

Soldiers invaded Gaza City from the east, while tanks were stationed at the former Nitzarim settlement, firing shells at hundreds of homes. Several injuries have been, dozens of homes shelled.

Resistance fighters clashed with the invading forces in Al-Zaytoon neighborhood and in Al-Shuja'iya, firing dozens of mortar shells at the Israeli occupation army; at least thirty soldiers were wounded, two seriously.

Israeli tanks advanced towards Beit Hanoon and closed the main road that links the city with Gaza.

The Israeli occupation soldiers also invaded an area close to the American School in Beit Lahia and fired shells at the surrounding areas.

Sounds of explosions were heard over night, and during early morning hours in several parts of the Gaza Strip, especially in Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia.

During night hours, the Israeli occupation soldiers killed four Palestinians in Beit Hanoon, two in Beit Lahia, three in Al-Shuja'iya, and one in Khan Younis, several residents were wounded.

In Rafah, the Israeli occupation terrorist army killed one Palestinian and wounded several others during clashes with resistance fighters.

Furthermore, Israeli sources stated that 30 soldiers were wounded since the start of the ground offensive on Saturday evening.

The Israeli occupation terrorist air forces shelled at least 45 targets in several parts of the Gaza Strip, including tunnels and warehouses claimed to be used as storage for ammunition.

Israeli occupation soldiers, armored vehicles and tanks invaded an area close to Juhr Al-Deek in the central Gaza Strip, shelled a home in Jabalia and several areas in Al-Mighraqa, several injuries were reported.

Troops fired missiles at Al-Shouka town, east of Rafah, and wounded at least five residents.

The Gaza Strip did not sleep as Israeli Navy boats, tanks, artillery cannons and the Israeli Air Force shelled different areas including areas across the coast, the border, while also shelling a gas station and local radio and TV agencies.

The Israeli occupation terrorist army also hacked several local radio stations, threatened further shelling, and said that the residents should leave their homes.

It is worth mentioning that on Saturday evening, the Israel occupation terrorist army shelled a crowded mosque during evening prayers, and killed ten Palestinians, including two children; at least twenty others were wounded.

Also on Saturday, the Israel occupation terrorist army killed four Palestinians near the Salahuddin Gate in Gaza, while two others were killed after the Israel occupation terrorist army air forces shelled their vehicle in Khan Younis, at least one resident was wounded.

It is worth mentioning that a website affiliated with Hamas, reported on Sunday that resistance fighters of the Al Qassam Brigades of Hamas, apparently managed to capture an Israeli soldier, the Israeli military and media agencies did not report any abduction among Israeli soldiers.

In related news, Israel announced on Sunday that it will not allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, due to the ongoing ground offensive. Israeli security officials said that the Israeli security would decide in the coming days whether to allow trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip.

Israeli media sources reported that the army managed to divide the Gaza Strip into three parts, and that, currently, thousands of soldiers are inside Gaza.

On Saturday evening, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, phoned UN Secretary-General, Ban ki-Moon, and demanded him to immediately intervene and stop the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Nabil Abu Rodaina, Palestinian presidency spokesperson, told France Press that President Abbas demanded international protection to the Palestinian civilians, and discussed with ki-Moon the importance of holding a session at the Security Council in order to make a decision obliging Israel to stop its military escalation.

At least 470 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Israeli offensive which started eight days ago, and nearly 2,500 residents have been wounded. According to initial sources, 75 children and 37 women are among the 470 slain residents.

It is worth mentioning that the official number of casualties could be much higher than reported, as dozens of wounded residents who suffered mild or even moderate injuries were release without registration due to the overcrowded hospitals as the Israeli offensive continues.

Gaza fighting continues - Israeli tanks escalate shelling - 30 dead since invasion, 500 total

Date: 04 / 01 / 2009  Time:  09:44
Gaza – Ma’an –

 The Israel occupation terrorist army escalated shelling in the Gaza Strip in recent hours, killing a number of Palestinians as resistance fighters continue to confront Israeli tanks and ground troops that entered the Strip from four points.

At least thirty Palestinians have been killed since the ground invasion began on Saturday night, and more than 500 since Israel began intense airstrikes on 27 December. Gaza medical officials put the number of wounded at 2,250 over nine days.

Ma’an’s journalists in Gaza have confirmed that Israeli forces killed a senior leader of one armed group, the National Resistance Brigades, the military arm of the leftist Democratic Front. The leader Muhmmed Barbakh was killed along with his father, two brothers, and his nephew in the Al-Nahdah neighborhood of the city of Rafah.

Separately at least five Palestinians were killed and forty others injured when a local market in the western section of Gaza City.

Medical sources at Kamal Udwan Hospital in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya said large numbers of casualties, including several children are arriving to seeking treatment. They said several of the dead were from the Al-Adham family.

Explosions are being heard across the Gaza Strip, and fierce fighting has been reported between Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and Israeli occupation soldiers. The group reported capturing two Israeli soldiers around eleven in the morning Sunday, though the capture has been denied by Israeli sources.

The afternoon’s strikes and clashes are as follows:

12:15pm Israeli artillery hit a market area killing at least five civilians and injuring more than 40.


11:45am Israeli missiles targeted the Palestinian Ministry of Waqf and Religious Affairs in Gaza City, injuring several passersby.

11:30am Israeli warplanes fired missiles at Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Ambulances were seen speeding up towards the area.

11:15am An Israeli reconnaissance plane fired a missile at the Rafah home of DFLP leader Muhammad Abed Barbakh, killing him and four members of his family including his father Abed, his two brothers Mahdi and Yousef, his nephew Musa Yousef.

11:00am An-Nasser Salahuddin activist dies of wounds in Saudi Arabia hospital

Tanks advance from four points

Israeli forces breached Gaza borders at ten Saturday evening and have been advancing ever since. Palestinian fighters clashed with the advancing army, reportedly killing 30 Israeli soldiers.

East of Gaza City tanks entered Gaza through the Nahal Oz and Karni crossing points, they advanced and headed south of Gaza City and are currently stationed at what used to be an Israeli settlement called Netsarim. Tank fire killed three in the Ashuja’yya neighborhood.

Two Israeli soldiers dead, at least 32 injured as Palestinian fighters resist invasion

Date: 04 / 01 / 2009  Time:  15:58
Bethlehem/Gaza - Ma’an -

Two Israeli soldiers were confirmed dead after suffering critical injuries sustained Saturday night as troops began a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Earlier reports from Israel of two critically injured soldiers moved to Israeli hospitals at Soroka, Barzilai and Tal Hashomar with 28 other injured Israelis corroborate the reports.

Four more were injured as Israeli attacks in Gaza continued throughout the day, and several clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters erupted. The soldiers were injured in a clash reported near Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV reported fighters captured two Israeli occupation soldiers, but later Hamas officials refused to confirm or deny the report.

Factions continue to fire projectiles

Palestinian military groups resumed the firing of homemade projectiles at Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning.

Since dawn at least a dozen projectiles have landed near Israeli targets. One projectile hit a home in Sderot. Israeli media sources said five were “treated for shock.”

The “Israeli Home Front” ordered southern Israel residents to stay in shelters despite the opening of a ground war in Gaza, warning that projectiles could be expected to increase. Schools in the area are also closed.

Hamas’ military wing claimed to have launched two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Mefalsim near Beit Hanoon, and at Israeli soldiers stationed near the Camera military post, as well as two more at the Zekeim military post, one at the town of Yad Murdakhai, one Grad at Ashdod city and three mortar shells at Nahal Oz.

Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades said they fired three mortar shells at Nahal Oz and one homemade projectile at Sderot.

Islamic Jihad’s military wing the Al-Quds Brigades said their fighters detonated an explosive near an Israeli tank in the Zaytoon neighborhood of Gaza City. They said the tank was completely destroyed and its ruins aflame. They said the soldiers in the tank were either dead or seriously injured.

The Brigades said they fired at least one projectile at an Israeli target and clashed with Israeli troops in the northern Strip.

The military wing affiliated to the Popular Resistance Committees, the Al-Nasser Salahuddin Brigades said they fired two projectiles at Kfar Azza.

***Updated 16:00 Bethlehem time

Hamas military spokesperson will not confirm report of captured Israeli soldiers

Date: 04 / 01 / 2009  Time:  12:30
Bethlehem – Ma’an –

Hamas’ military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades refused to confirm or deny a story the group’s Al-Aqsa TV aired claiming the group captured two Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip during clashes on Sunday.

Speaking to the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV, Al-Qassam spokesperson Abu Ubayda warned Israeli soldiers that more surprises were awaiting them in the Gaza Strip.

He described Israel’s ground invasion in Gaza as “folly” affirming that fierce clashes erupted with Israeli soldiers and military factions in all directions. He also pointed out that resistance fighters detonated an underground explosive device killing and injuring Israeli soldiers.

“In order to cover for their dilemma, Israeli forces are firing from the air as well as artillery shells at open areas,” he added.

Abu Ubayda went on to say that in case Israeli aggression continued, Palestinian resistance would capture Israeli soldiers. “Shalit might have several companions,” he said.

Abu Ubayda also told Al-Jazira TV that resistance technicians were able to intercept Israeli military radio broadcasts and heard military personnel confirm that at least five were dead and 20 injured.

“The enemy has advanced a few hundred meters in open areas,” so far, Abu Ubayda explained, “We will destroy their tanks in the streets of the Gaza Strip,” he added.

Abu Ubauda refused to comment on the number of casualties from the Brigades, but guaranteed that there would be more Israeli dead than fighters.

He confirmed that the Brigades were coordinating with other factions and leaders had congregated in a joint operation room. He assured the reporter that the Al-Qassam Brigades had been preparing for this eventuality for years, and reminded listeners about the 2004 invasion that lasted 17 days and did not stop Palestinian rocket attacks.

PA Minister of Health condemns Israeli killing of medical team in Gaza, says wounded should come to West Bank

Date: 04 / 01 / 2009  Time:  16:15
Ramallah – Ma’an –

Health Minister with the caretaker government Fat'hi Abu Moghli appealed to all medical and national and international institutions to immediately intervene to stop Israeli massacres in the Gaza Strip.

Abu Moghli expressed his fear over reports that Israeli forces are attacking ambulances and medical crew in the Gaza Strip.

The latest was the killing a doctor and the injury of four other medical workers as well as preventing patients from accessing hospitals for medical treatment, he said.

Abu Moghli said the injured in Gaza were better off coming to hospitals in the West Bank and Jerusalem to ensure their proper care.

Israel summons tens of thousands of reservists to bolster Gaza Op troops

Date: 04 / 01 / 2009  Time:  09:58
Bethlehem – Ma’an –

The Israeli occupation terrorist governent summoned tens of thousands of reservists to bolster troops for the massive ground operation launched in the Gaza Strip Saturday night.

According to Israeli sources the reservists will be split between the Gaza battleground and the ‘home front.’

The Israeli occupation terrorist army released a statement saying forces will be ready to begin the third stage of the offensive on the Gaza Strip whenever it is needed. They added that extra ammunition and military equipment is available.

The Israeli commander responsible for directing the Gaza invasion, Yoaf Galant, is reported to have begun the operation by getting troops close to ‘military zones’ in Gaza.

In southern Israel a state of high alert has been declared, meaning citizens in border towns with Gaza are not permitted to move in and out of cities in the area. Military permission must be attained before travel, since roads have been closed.

Brigades join forces; clash with Israeli troops east of Gaza City

Date: 04 / 01 / 2009  Time:  09:50
Gaza – Ma’an –

Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades, and another wing called “Eagles of Palestine” conducted a joint operation Saturday night where they clashed with Israeli forces near Karni crossing point east of Gaza City.

The group said they attacked Israeli Special Forces at close range using machine guns and Rocket-propelled Grenades (RPGs).

A statement from the groups said there were heavy casualties on the Israeli side. They further promised that “hundreds of fighters are waiting to defeat the invading Israeli forces.”