11 Palestinians Killed, Scores Injured by Israeli Occupation Forces in Gaza Strip, 5 Palestinians Kidnapped, Family Attacked by Illegal Settlers in the West Bank

Eleven killed and dozens injured in bloody day in Gaza, explosion destroys house in Beit Lahiya

Date: 12 / 06 / 2008 Time: 14:54
Gaza – Ma'an –

The number of Palestinians killed in the explosion on Thursday at a Beit Lahiya home in the northern Gaza Strip increased to seven, after three members of the Hamas-affiliated Al-Qassam Brigades died from their injuries. The announcement of the deaths of Al-Qassam fighters Muhammed Hamdan Maqdad, Muhammed Sabri Abu Naja, and Ahmad Munir Subeih in the explosion brought the death toll on Thursday in Gaza to 11, with dozens injured.

Medical sources had earlier announced that the body of Al-Qassam fighter Ashraf Na'im Mashtahi was also retrieved from the rubble of the two-storey Hamoudeh family home in Beit Lahiya, which was destroyed by a massive explosion on Thursday afternoon. More than 40 people were reported wounded in the explosion, at least six of them seriously.

Four-month-old Nour Majdi Hamoudah, 22-year-old Mahmoud 'Ataya Hamoudah, and 27-year-old Omar Abdel Ra'ouf Abu Shaqfeh were also killed in the explosion.

Earlier on Thursday afternoon, Dr Mo'awiya Hassanain, Head of Ambulance and Emergency Services in the Ministry of Health, said that at least three corpses and 35 injured citizens arrived at Gazan hospitals after an explosion destroyed the Hamoudeh family home in Beit Lahiya. He said he expected the number of casualties to increase because of the serious nature of the injuries.

Eyewitnesses reported that the house was completely destroyed over its residents, and that emergency services evacuated the dead and wounded from the rubble.

Contradictory reports were received regarding the explosion at the house owned by Khaled Hamoudah. Hamas affirmed that the explosion was caused by Israeli F-16 aircraft bombing the house of an Al-Qassam Brigades leader. However, the Israeli military denied bombing the house.

Hamas and the de facto Palestinian government in Gaza accused Israel of responsibility for the "massacre" and called on the international community to "assume its responsibilities and move urgently to protect the Palestinian people under occupation and the Israeli killing machine."

In a separate incident, a Palestinian was killed and two others were injured in an Israeli air strike on the Khuza'a area, east of Khan Younis, on Thursday afternoon.

Earlier on Thursday morning, three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed by Israeli fire on Thursday in two separate operations in the northern Gaza Strip.

Two members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades and the National Resistance Brigades, the military wings of the Fatah and DFLP movements respectively, were killed in a joint operation on Thursday morning after infiltrating inside the Green Line near the evacuated settlement of Dugit, north of Beit Lahiya, and clashing with Israeli forces in the area. Armed with a machine gun and hand grenades, they fought Israeli forces for more than half an hour.

Two fighters were killed in the operation: 20-year-old Mohammad Dawla from the Al-Aqsa Brigades and 21-year-old Khaled Zaki Zohd from the National Resistance Brigades.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation army announced early on Thursday that Israeli forces killed an armed Palestinian near the electric fence in the northern Gaza Strip, stating that soldiers opened fire at a Palestinian fighter approaching the fence and killed him.

No Palestinian faction or brigade has claimed responsibility for this operation yet, and Israeli forces have still not returned his corpse to Palestinian authorities.

In related developments, several Israeli communities and towns in the western Negev and the Erez crossing were attacked with homemade projectiles and mortar shells launched by Palestinian fighters. An Israeli woman in Yad Mordechai was lightly injured, and a fire broke out from the shelling near Kibbutz Beiri in the Negev.

***updated at 21:00 Bethlehem time

Illegal Israeli settlers attack house in Huwwara and injure two civilians

Date: 12 / 06 / 2008 Time: 11:44
Nablus – Ma'an –

Local Palestinian sources said that two civilians were injured when illegal Israeli settlers attacked a house in Huwwara, south of Nablus, at dawn on Thursday.

Resident Mahmoud Khalaf told Ma'an that two settlers from the Yitzhar illegal settlement attacked his house on 'Ainabous Huwwara Street at dawn on Thursday, injuring his 33-year-old brother Ahmad Khalaf, who was stabbed with a knife, and 25-year-old Samer Mustafa Al-Haj Ali, who was hit on the head with a metal wrench and had to be transferred to the Rafidia hospital in Nablus.

Khalaf confirmed that this is not the first time his house has been attacked by illegal Israeli settlers in the area, and called on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Military Liaison Office to intervene with the Israeli authorities to stop these frequent settler attacks.

Israeli occupation forces storm Jenin and Qabatia, kidnap 2 civilians in Maythaloun and Burqeen

Date: 12 / 06 / 2008 Time: 13:00
Jenin – Ma'an –

Israeli occupation forces stormed Jenin, its neighboring refugee camp and the town of Qabatia at dawn on Thursday, and kidnapped two civilians from the towns of Maythaloun and Burqeen in the Jenin governorate.

Security sources said that Israeli occupation forces detained 20-year-old Tawfiq As'ad Rabay'a in Maythaloun and Muhammed Qassem Shalameesh in Burqeen.

The sources said that Israeli occupation forces invaded the towns of Maythaloun and Burqeen after midnight, storming houses and transferring the two abductees to an unknown location.

Local sources also reported that Israeli occupation forces stormed Jenin and the neighboring refugee camp, where military vehicles patrolled the streets, opened intensive fire and released sound bombs.

An Israeli force also invaded the nearby town of Qabatia, storming houses in a widespread search operation, and firing sound bombs and bullets.

Civilians said that Israeli occupation soldiers caused severe damage and destruction to residential homes as they searched houses with police dogs, claiming they were looking for "wanted" Palestinians.

Israeli occupation forces kidnap three Palestinians in Nablus and Ramallah

Date: 12 / 06 / 2008 Time: 11:52
Bethlehem - Ma'an -

Israeli occupation forces kidnapped three civilians from different parts of the West Bank at dawn on Thursday, claiming they were "wanted".

Israeli sources said that the Israeli occupation army kidnapped three Palestinians in Nablus and Ramallah and transferred them to interrogation centers.

4 killed, 32 wounded in Gaza blast

Gaza, June 12, 2008 (RNA) –

At least 2 Palestinian were killed including 2 children, and about 32 others were injured in a vague blast in northern Gaza strip on Thursday afternoon.

Palestinian medical source said that more than 7 injuries are in critical conditions.

The explosion occurred in the home of Ahmed Hamouda, a member of Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas movement. The home was completely destroyed.

The Israeli army denied the strike and said that they had no activities in the area.

Palestinian security sources held responsibility of the explosion for the Israeli occupation army.

Gaza: Israeli occupation forces kill two Palestinian fighters east of Beit Lahiya, another near electric fence

Date: 12 / 06 / 2008 Time: 11:22
Gaza – Ma'an –

Three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed by Israeli occupation forces fire on Thursday in two separate operations in the northern Gaza Strip.

Two members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades and the National Resistance Brigades, the military wings of the Fatah and DFLP movements respectively, were killed in a joint military operation on Thursday morning. The brigades infiltrated into Israeli territory inside the Green Line north of Beit Lahiya and clashed with Israeli forces in the area for more than half an hour.

National Resistance Brigades spokesperson Abu Saleem told Ma'an that this operation was aimed at storming an Israeli military base north of Beit Lahiya. He stated that a joint group of fighters from the two brigades were able to infiltrate behind the Green Line and clashed with Israeli forces, where they attacked an Israeli military jeep with homemade grenades while other fighters fired mortar shells at the Israeli troops. Two fighters were killed in the operation: 20-year-old Muhammed Dawla from the Al-Aqsa Brigades and 21-year-old Khaled Zaki Zohd from the National Resistance Brigades.

Abu Saleem confirmed that the operation came in response to the ongoing Israeli atrocities and in revenge for Palestinian blood shed by Israeli occupation forces, and to show that their acceptance of a ceasefire is from a position of strength. He confirmed that both factions will accept a concurrent and bilateral ceasefire associated with ending the Israeli aggression, lifting the blockade, and reopening the crossings.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation army announced their responsibility for killing an armed Palestinian near the electric fence in the northern Gaza Strip, stating that they opened fire at a Palestinian fighter approaching the fence and killed him.

No Palestinian faction or brigade has claimed responsibility for this operation yet, and Israeli occupation forces have not yet returned his corpse to Palestinian authorities.

Gaza: three Palestinian resistance fighters killed by the Israeli occupation army fire

Thursday June 12, 2008 12:52 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli occupation army has killed three Palestinian resistance fighters in two separate incidents on Thursday morning.

The Al-Aqsa Brigades the armed wing of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party and the National Resistance group the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestinian, announced that their fighters attacked a military site located at the northern Gaza-Israeli borders near Beit Lahyia town.

The two groups said that during the attack their fighters clashed with Israeli occupation soldiers for two hours and managed to detonate a home made bomb, adding that two of their fighters were killed during the attack.

The two were identified as Muhammed Dawlah, 20, and Zaki Zuhd, 22.

Meanwhile in a separate incident Israeli occupation army sources said that its forces shot and killed a Palestinian fighter on Thursday at dawn at the borders between the northern Gaza and Israel.

The name and the group he belongs to remains unknown since the Israeli occupation army still holds the body of the fighter, Palestinian sources in Gaza reported.

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