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. Share this article with your facebook friends

 

Israeli Occupation Soldiers Attack Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Kidnap Eleven, Open Fire on Gaza Fishing Boats, Raze Homes in Wadi Nais

October 8, 2014

 

Israeli police violently attack Palestinians at Aqsa Mosque

[ 08/10/2014 - 08:51 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

Violent clashes broke out on Wednesday morning at the Aqsa Mosque after special police forces stormed the holy place and embarked on attacking Palestinian worshipers in order to secure the entry of a large number of Jewish settlers to celebrate the biblical Sukkot holiday.

According to the Mosque's guards, the Israeli police tightened security at all entrances and gates leading to the Islamic holy place, especially at Al-Maghariba Gate, and at around 7:30 in the morning, its forces suddenly invaded its courtyards and started to attack the Muslim worshipers, mostly elders, with flashbang grenades and rubber bullets

The guards added that the police forces launched baton charges to evacuate the Mosque's courtyards from all Muslim worshipers and spread out over the place to control it, noting that a number of Palestinians suffered injuries in the attack.

The guards affirmed that the confrontations are still ongoing near the old Aqsa Mosque area between police troops and Palestinian young men, who were able to stage I'tikaaf (a religious retreat) inside the Mosque building for a few days in order to protect it against Jewish desecration break-ins.

Since the early morning hours of today, the Israeli police have been imposing a tight military siege on the areas around the Aqsa Mosque and preventing all Palestinian women and young girls from entering it.

The police have also barred all Palestinian men under age 60 from praying inside the Aqsa Mosque compound and deployed huge numbers of its special forces at its gates and around its walls.

The employees and officials of the Islamic Waqf authority, the body responsible for managing the Aqsa Mosque's affairs, have also been denied entry to the holy place.

Alarms raised over Israeli bid to dig railway tunnel leading to al-Aqsa

[ 08/10/2014 - 08:34 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage warned of Israel’s exploitation of the transportation network in Occupied Jerusalem to boost up its Judaization schemes and to expand illegal settlement building at the expense of Muslims’ al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinians’ holy sites.

The Aqsa Foundation spoke out against Israeli schemes, propagated on media outlets, to build a high-speed railway tunnel for the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv line.

“Perhaps the renewed danger of the affair lies in the recent claims released Monday by the Israeli transportation minister Yisrael Katz on having given instructions to draft a bid for an underground railway tunnel that runs from the western entrance to Occupied Jerusalem down to the Buraq Wall and the ‘Temple Mount’ area,” the foundation warned in a statement.

Katz’s statements came during the inauguration ceremony of the high-speed railway tunnel dug along the route of the express train between Occupied Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and expected to carry out passengers in only 28 minutes

According to the Times of Israel newspaper, the project is likely to be completed by the end of 2017.

According to the Foundation, the fact that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu joined the opening ceremony opens the affair to a multiplicity of ambivalent, and, nevertheless, malevolent, scenarios.

“Is the Israeli occupation planning to establish a railway getting to as far as al-Aqsa undersides and linked to the tunnel network dug long time ago?” the Foundation wonders, corroborating its worries with a set of maps and documents, circulated sometime earlier, on Israel’s tenders to excavate a tunnel below holy al-Aqsa Mosque and running from the Buraq Square eastwards.

IOA to raze Palestinian homes in Wadi Nais village

[ 08/10/2014 - 08:17 AM ]

BETHLEHEM, (PIC)--

The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Tuesday notified nine Palestinian citizens in Wadi Al-Nais village, south of Bethlehem, of its intention to demolish their homes at the pretext of unlicensed construction.

Local sources said that Israeli troops stormed Wadi Al-Nais village and handed citizens demolition orders issued against their houses, which are under construction.

The notifications gave the owners 45 days to appeal against a court verdict ordering the removal of their homes.

The same citizens, who are denied building permits by the IOA, had been handed last month notifications to stop construction works on their own lands.

Palestinian injured in settlers' attack on olive farmers in Burin village

[ 08/10/2014 - 06:34 AM ]

NABLUS, (PIC)--

A Palestinian farmer was wounded on Tuesday evening when Jewish settlers attacked him during his presence along with other men on their cultivated lands in Burin village, south of Nablus city.

Specialist in settlement affairs Ghassan Daglas said that a citizen identified as Mahmoud Raja got injured when settlers threw a hail of stones at farmers harvesting olives in their own fields.

Daglas added that Israeli soldiers protected the Jewish assailants and clashed with the farmers.

In a separate incident, a jewish settler driving a car deliberately ran over a Palestinian boy in Minya village to the east of Bethlehem city, local sources said.   A medical source told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that 16-year-old Mu'aad Ghazal was hit on purpose by a speeding car driven by a settler during his presence near his house in Minya village.

The boy was rushed to Beit Jala hospital after suffering injuries and bruises in different areas of his body.

Israeli Occupation Soldiers Kidnap Eleven In The West Bank

Tuesday October 07, 2014 12:15 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli occupation soldiers kidnapped on Tuesday, at dawn, eleven Palestinians in different parts of the occupied West Bank, and took them to a number of military bases for interrogation.

Local sources in Husan town, west of Bethlehem, have reported that several armored military vehicles invaded the town, broke into a number of homes, and kidnapped two brothers identified as Amir Mohammad Hamamra, 20, and Meras, 25.

Also in Bethlehem, soldiers invaded Teqoua’ town, west of the city, broke into and searched at least one home and kidnapped a Palestinian identified as Zakariyya Mohammad Sabbah, 25.

In related news, Israeli army radio said the soldiers arrested eleven Palestinians, in different parts of the West Bank, adding that five Palestinians, allegedly members of the Hamas movement, have been kidnapped in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.

Among the kidnapped Palestinians are Anas Hatem Qfeish, one of the sons of legislator Hatem Qfeish, Fares al-Qawasma and Ra’fat Sharabati.

In related news, soldiers invaded Jenin city, in the northern part of the West Bank, and installed a roadblock on its eastern entrance.

Local sources said several armored vehicles invaded Jenin city, especially the area of Jenin-Nazareth road, invaded a number of areas, including the industrial zone, and installed a roadblock near Mawwal Park.

The soldiers stopped and searched dozens of cars, and interrogated several Palestinians while inspecting their ID cards.

Israeli Navy Opens Fire On Fishing Boats In Gaza

Tuesday October 07, 2014 11:32 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli navy boats and a navy chopper opened automatic fire, on Tuesday morning, at a number of Palestinian fishing boats close to the shore in the al-Waha area, northwest of the Gaza Strip, causing damage but no injuries.

Eyewitnesses said the navy ships, and a navy helicopter opened fire close to a number of fishing boats, before targeting the boats with several live rounds.

They added that the navy ships kept firing close to the fishing boats until they reached the Gaza shore.

The attack is the tenth documented Israeli violation of the cease-fire agreement, reached a month ago, and all previous ceasefire deals mediated between Tel Aviv and armed resistance groups in the Gaza Strip.

***

Share this article with your facebook friends