Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 
Israeli Occupation Forces Attack, Kidnap Palestinian Civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Scores Injured, Protests Erupt

19 Palestinians Injured In New Wave Of Airstrikes Targeting Gaza

Saturday June 23, 2012 04:28 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that 19 Palestinians were wounded in a series of renewed Israeli air strikes targeting the Gaza Strip. The attacks come after two Palestinians were killed on Friday, and several other residents were wounded.

The sources stated that the the Israeli occupation army bombarded, at 2 am local Gaza time, the As-Saraya Security Compound in Ar-Remal neighborhood in Gaza City, causing eight injuries and leading to excessive damage. Several nearby homes were damaged, while several of civilians, mainly children, suffered anxiety attacks.

Several residents were injured, one seriously, when the army bombarded the Tuwam, near Gaza City; the wounded residents were moved to Kamal Odwan Hospital, and the Ash-Shifa Medical Center.

Furthermore, the Israeli Air Force bombarded an area near the Waha Resort, west of Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

The army also fired at least one missile at residents near the Cars Market, east of Ash-Shejaeyya neighborhood, in Gaza City.

Adham Abu Salmiyya, spokesperson of the Medical and Emergency Services in Gaza said that the 10 of the 19 wounded residents, including one woman, were injured when the army bombarded a center for the Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

He added that eight more civilians were injured in the center of Gaza City after the army fired at least one missiles targeting a security center. One resident was wounded west of Dir Al-Balah, after the army fired two missiles targeting a Qassam center.

The recent wave of attacks comes after the army killed on Friday two Palestinians, and wounded several others, in two separate Israeli air strikes targeting Gaza.

Furthermore, the Hamas-led government in Gaza ordered all government and security centers evacuated fearing additional Israeli bombardment, especially since Israeli warplanes can still be heard and seen flying over different parts of the Gaza Strip.

Israel Continues to Strike Gaza Through the Night

Circarre Parrhesia - IMEMC & Agencies Sat, 23 Jun 2012 02:18:02

The shelling of Gaza has continued into the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Palestinian residents of the coastal enclave.

Young Palestinians have taken to the social networking platform Twitter for the last two hours to report multiple bombardments from Israeli Air Force jets resulting in damage and injuries.

In the area of As-Saraya was struck leading to a large fire, which was attended to by firefighters, and resulted in seven injuries.

Air strikes in the north of Gaza resulted in six more injuries.

This week 9 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of whom have been claimed as fighters by various groups. Furthermore dozens have been injured, mostly civilians.

The Gaza Strip is home to 1.7 million Palestinians, and is 356 square kilometers in size, making it the most densely populated part of the world.

IOF troops comb villages west of Jenin

[ 24/06/2012 - 10:53 AM ]

JENIN, (PIC)--

Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed at dawn Sunday the Yamon and Seelat Al-Harthiya villages, west of Jenin, local sources said.

They said that the troops launched a large-scale combing operation and deployed in olive groves.

The sources said that the IOF soldiers stormed Wudyan area between the two villages, set up ambushes, and broke into a number of homes on the outskirts of both villages.

They said that the soldiers were seen deployed near a mosque in Seelat Al-Harthiya and remained there for an hour before leaving at dawn.

Clashes Reported In Hebron After Soldiers Kidnapped A Child

Sunday June 24, 2012 11:47 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli occupation soldiers invaded, on Sunday at dawn, the town of Beit Ummar, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and kidnaped one child after invading his home and searching it; clashes were reported after the army abducted the child.

Local sources reported that soldiers broke into the home of Omar Jobrael As-Sleiby, and kidnapped his son Eyad, 14.

Dozens of residents clashed with the soldiers, and hurled stones at them; the army fired concussion grenades and gas bombs.

Also, soldiers assaulted resident Sharif Hasan Abu Hashem, 56, leading to a fracture in his right arm; he was moved to the Hebron Governmental Hospital in the city.

Soldiers also invaded the home of Issa Abdul-Hai Wahadeen after using ladders to climb to its rooftop and broke into it through its roof door. Issa was not at home; his wife Amna, 54, and his 14-year-old daughter, were alone at home and suffered anxiety attacks.

The army went on to invade the home of Ahmad Khalil Abu Hisham, and confiscated the ID card of his son Yousef, 20. Yousef is a former political prisoner who was released nearly three months ago.

In related news, soldiers invaded the nearby towns of Ithna and Halhoul, installed roadblocks on their main entrances, and drove around in the towns for several hours.

On Sunday morning, the army installed a roadblock at the entrance of the Al-Fawwar refugee camp, detained and interrogated several residents while inspecting their ID cards.

On Saturday at noon, the army attacked a nonviolent protest against the Wall and Settlements in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, and kidnapped three protesters.
One of the kidnapped is the coordinator of the National Committee Against the Wall in Beit Ummar, Younis Arar, while the two other detained nonviolent protesters are from the United States and Germany.

The protesters denounced the ongoing Israeli escalation against the Gaza Strip, and the destruction of seven homes in Beit Ummar.

The army declared Beit Ummar as a closed military zone and prevented the protesters from entering privately-owned Palestinians lands that Israel wants to illegally grab for the construction and expansion of settlements.

Soldiers Attack Bil’in’s Weekly Protest

Saturday June 23, 2012 03:08 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

One Palestinian was injured, and dozens of protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, after Israeli occupation soldiers attacked dozens of nonviolent Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists participating in the weekly nonviolent protest against the Wall and Settlement, in Bil’in village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. The army also attacked nonviolent protests in Ni'lin and Nabi Saleh, in addition to Al-Ma'sara village near Bethlehem

The Friends of Freedom and Justice Committee in Bil’in reported that resident Ahmad Burnat, 18, sprained his knee while avoiding military fire, while dozens of protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.

The protest started after the residents conducted Friday prayers at the local mosque in Bil’in, and marched carrying Palestinian flags and chanting slogans calling for the end of the occupation, the destruction of the illegal apartheid wall, the liberation of all political prisoners held by Israel, and also chanted for unity and the liberation of occupied Jerusalem.

As the protesters arrived at the Abu Lemon national reserve, soldiers based behind the concrete Annexation Wall fired rubber-coated metal bullets, concussion grenades, and gas bombs at the protesters before spraying them with toxic water leading to dozens of injuries.

Later on, clashes took place between local youths and Israeli soldiers; the youths hurled stones and empty bottles at the soldiers and the army fired more gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets.

Also on Friday, soldiers attacked weekly nonviolent protests against the Wall and Settlements in the nearby villages of Ni’lin and Nabi Saleh.

Soldiers further attacked the weekly nonviolent protests in Al Ma’sara and Sousia villages, near Bethlehem. In Sousia, the army fired tear gas bombs at the protesters leading to several injuries.

It is worth mentioning that, this week, the Israeli army handed 58 home-demolition orders to families from Sousia to make way for new illegal Israeli settlement construction in the area.

Israeli Occupation Army Kidnaps Several Residents In The West Bank

Friday June 22, 2012 11:09 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli occupation soldiers invaded, on Friday at dawn, the West Bank districts of Hebron and Bethlehem, broke into and searched several homes and kidnapped three residents before taking them to unknown destinations.

The army invaded Beit Ummar town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and al-Arroub refugee camp, north of the city, and kidnapped two youths after breaking into their homes.

The two were identified as Abdullah Mohammad Abu Maria, 17, from al-Arroub, and Hasan Abdul-Karim at-Teety, 18, from Beit Ummar.

Soldiers also invaded the nearby towns of Doura and Bani Neim, and drove around in residential neighborhoods for several hours; no arrests were made.

In Bethlehem district, soldiers kidnapped Jihad Mohammad Zawahra, 22, after stopping him at a roadblock, southwest of Bethlehem. Zawahra is from Al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem.

Soldiers also invaded Husan town, near Bethlehem, and broke into the home of Ahmad Ramadan Za’loul, 22.

The latest invasions and kidnappings are part of ongoing Israeli military violations against the residents and their property in the occupied Palestinians territories.

In related news, Israeli sources reported that Palestinian youths hurled, on Thursday at night, three Molotov cocktails at Israeli military jeeps invading Sinjil village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Israeli media sources reported that the army invaded the village to kidnap a resident.

Demonstrators Protest Apartheid in al-Ma’sara

Friday June 22, 2012 15:56 by Craig Harrington - IMEMC & Agencies

Dozens of Palestinians, joined by participants from around the world, held a peaceful protest in the West Bank village of al-Ma’sara on Friday demanding an end to the Israeli occupation and the construction of the apartheid separation wall.

Al-Ma’sara is one of many Palestinian villages to be cut off from access to its agricultural lands and water supplies by illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Peaceful protestors have gathered after Friday prayers every week for the past six years to demonstrate against the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.

For the most part these demonstrations have been met with Israeli military blockade, but only rarely with violence – the same cannot be said for other peaceful weekly protests around the West Bank. Israeli soldiers often lob tear gas and flash grenades into crowds of demonstrators or fire rubber bullets into the crowds

Some Israeli soldiers laughed and spoke with a multinational group from the United States and Europe. They spoke of their own begrudging participation blockading the streets of al-Ma’sara each week to squash civil participation in such protests and demonstrations. At least one soldier issues verbal threats and swore at the peaceful demonstration, which included several unarmed children.