Gaza fisherman seriously hurt by naval fire

Published today (updated) 29/01/2010 19:58

Gaza – Ma'an –

A Palestinian fisherman was injured overnight by Israeli warships, when they opened fire on a cluster of small fishing boats of the Rafah coast before sunrise on Friday, medics said.

Medical sources at Abu Yousef Najar Hospital identified the injured man as 39-year-old Wael Al-Bardawil, who arrived in critical condition after sustaining gunshot wounds to the back.

Al-Bardawil was transferred to the European Hospital in Khan Younis once he was stabilized, medics said. He is being kept in the intensive care unit.

An Israeli military spokesman said the navy was not familiar with any such incident.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report on the Protection of Civilians for 2009 said Israeli policing of the Gaza fishing waters and the resulting reduction of areas accessible by Palestinian fishermen "has been the main factor behind the sharp decline in the fishing catch from 3,117 tonnes in 2008 to 1,850 tonnes in 2009, according to the Fishing Syndicate in Gaza."

Israeli occupation forces injure 5 during home invasion

Published today (updated) 29/01/2010 17:35

Jerusalem – Ma'an –

Israeli occupation forces injured five members of the Awad family, including a pregnant woman, when an undercover force raided their home in the Shu'afat Refugee Camp on Thursday night, the family said.

Jamal Awad, director of the UNRWA office in the camp, said the forces entered his home on the pretext of pursuing a child fleeing the scene of crime that allegedly took place in the Pisgat Ze'ev settlement in Jerusalem.

The family refused entry to the force, which they said used tear gas and batons to force their way into the home. Jamal said that he, his son Muhammad, his pregnant daughter-in-law, and relatives Ashraf and Muammar were all injured in the assault.

All of the injured were transferred to hospital by Red Crescent ambulances. Medics said they were treated for mild to moderate injuries.

Nabi Saleh Protesters Met With Live Ammunition

Friday January 29, 2010 18:10 by Ghassan Bannoura & Walter Jones - IMEMC News

This Friday the 29th of January, a march protesting the illegal Israeli Land-Grab, Apartheid Wall and illegal Israeli settlements occurred in the village of Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah.

The march began after mid-day prayers in front of the village mosque, the procession moved towards the wall which annexes Palestinian owned land.

Participants of the march raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans condemning the Israeli occupation, separation wall and settlement activities.

An eyewitness reported a increased number of Israeli military using rubber coated metal bullets and tear gas to disperse the protest.

Many clashes erupted between village youth and Israeli soldiers. In response to Palestinian's throwing rocks, Israeli forces used both live ammunition, rubber coated bullets and tear gas.

A twenty year old man, Jihad al-Tamimi, was wounded in the foot with a rubber coated bullet. A 25 year old Photojournalist Essam Rimawi was also injured in the hand by a rubber coated bullet.

There were also dozen's of people who suffered tear gas inhalation, a few were reported to have fainted or suffocated.

The Israeli military has imposed a siege upon the village of Nabi Saleh in an attempt to prevent more protests against settlement expansion and the illegal occupation.