Palestinian interior ministry declares state of emergency in Gaza

[ 09/04/2011 - 02:13 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Palestinian ministry of interior declared on Saturday a state of emergency throughout the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing Israeli military attacks that escalated during the last two days.

Spokesman for the ministry Ihab Al-Ghussain said that Israel's bombing of the interior ministry's buildings would not discourage its cadres from fulfilling their national duties and protecting the internal front.

The spokesman affirmed that the interior ministry and all its security apparatuses are working round the clock after declaring a state of emergency.

"The Palestinian police maintain the public security and protect citizens and their property, while the civil defense and medical services are working round the clock throughout the Strip to save civilians from the Zionist occupation's attacks," the spokesman said.

"Yesterday, the factions respected the Palestinian consensus on the need to stop firing retaliatory rockets, but the Zionist occupation forces foiled this agreement by continuing its attacks and killing civilians, women, children and elderly people in addition to its persistence in committing war crimes by targeting medical crews and ambulances, and firing white phosphorus shells which are internationally prohibited," he underlined.

IOF artillery fire kills Palestinian citizen

[ 09/04/2011 - 07:26 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

A Palestinian citizen was killed and another wounded in Israeli occupation forces' artillery fire in northern Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, medical sources reported.

The sources told the PIC reporter that Ahmed Zaitouna was killed and another citizen was injured when the IOF artillery fired at them north of the Strip while riding a bike.

The sources, noting that the wounded was in a very serious condition, said that the number of Palestinian casualties as a result of the Israeli aggression since Thursday rose to 17 martyrs and 65 wounded.

Two Qassam fighters were killed earlier at dawn Saturday and a third was critically wounded in an IOF raid south of the Strip.

For its part, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad movement, the Quds Brigades, declared responsibility for firing a rocket at Beer Sheba at dawn Saturday in response to the IOF onslaught.

Israeli sources said that four were injured in the blast while a number of homes were damaged.

Qassam field commander assassinated in Israeli raid

[ 09/04/2011 - 07:10 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

One of the field commanders of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, was killed in a pre dawn Israeli raid along with his assistant, medical sources said on Saturday.

They told the PIC that an Israeli reconnaissance plane fired a missile at their car in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, killing Tayseer Abu Sunaima and his assistant Mohammed Awaja.

They pointed out that a third Qassam fighter Shadi Al-Zatma was seriously wounded in the air strike.

Thus the number of victims of the Israeli aggression on the Strip since Thursday reached 16 including 7 of the Qassam Brigades while 65 citizens were injured.

14 Martyrs in Gaza since Thursday

[ 08/04/2011 - 10:57 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Israeli occupation aggression on the Gaza Strip continued on Friday evening resulting in the death of a Palestinian child and a resistance fighter affiliated with the Quds Brigades and the wounding of ten others including six children and a paramedic.

The bodies of the two martyrs, 10-year-old Mahmoud al-Jarew and resistance fighter Bilal al-Ar’eer, were badly mutilated.

 Israeli occupation aircraft carried out four further attacks Friday night resulting in the wounding of a number of people; a drone fired a missile at a group of people near the Khazendar station resulting in casualties, the same place was targeted again by the drone.

Israeli occupation aircraft also fired a rocket at a car in the Radwan neighbourhood in north Gaza City, however the passangers of the car managed to escape just before it was hit and completely destroyed.

A drone fired a rocket at the home of Abu Jalal al-amour to the north east of Rafah causing a number of casualties.

The Qassam Brigades announced earlier the death of one of its field commanders at the Shati refugee camp on Friday afternoon, who was followed by another fighter who succumbed to wounds he sustained in an earlier attack on Friday, bringing the number of martyrs since Thursday to 14 and the number of wounded to at least 60 people.

Spokesman for the emergency services, Adham Abu Selmeyyah told PIC on Friday afternoon that there were 11 martyrs since Thursday, including two elderly men and a woman and her daughter. He also said that there were 45 civilians wounded, 10 of them in serious condition.

Ten Palestinians Killed In Gaza Since Thursday

Friday April 08, 2011 14:38 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Medical Sources in Gaza stated that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli shells since Thursday arrived to ten. A woman and her daughter were the latest casualty until the time of this report.

The sources stated that the army bombarded a home on resident Ibrahim Qudai'h, in Abasan Al Kubra area, east of Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killing his wife, Naja'h, 41, and her 21-year-old daughter.

At least four residents who were at the bombarded home were also wounded, including a young woman who suffered serious injuries.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the army will continue its offensive against Gaza at least for several more days.

Three Palestinians Killed In Gaza

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:00:00

As the Israeli army continued its offensive against the Gaza Strip, three Palestinian were killed on Friday, while the total number of slain Palestinians killed by the army since Thursday reached eight; dozens of residents, including children, were injured.

An elderly man, identified as Talal Abu Taha, 55, was killed when the army bombarded homes in Al-Qarara area, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The man was praying at his home when it was hit by a shell fired by the army.

The army also killed two Palestinians fighters on Friday, the two are members of the Al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing Hamas.

The two fighters were killed when the Israeli Air Force bombarded an area at the entrance of Khuaza town, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. They were identified as Abdullah Al-Qarra and Mo’taz Abu Jame’.

Two Palestinians were wounded in the attack and were moved to a local hospital, medical sources reported. Furthermore, three family members were injured when the army bombarded a home in Al-Faraheen area in southern Gaza. Among the wounded is a woman who is currently in a serious condition.

At least two Palestinians were wounded as the army bombarded a civilian area, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. They were moved to the Gaza European Hospital in the city.

Meanwhile, Israeli sources stated that at least six mortars were fired at the Eshkol area, in the Western Negev, on Friday at noon.

The army added that nearly 50 mortars were fired at the Western Negev on Friday, and considered the issue as the “most serious escalation since Operation Cast Lead”.

The army also bombarded an area believed to be a training base for fighters of the Al Qassam Brigades in Gaza City.

On Friday at dawn, the army bombarded several areas in Gaza, and fired two missile at an abandoned home that belongs to a family in Al Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

The Ministry of Interior in Gaza said that it held talks with different factions in an attempt to restore calm and prevent Israel from conducting a larger scale offensive. Palestinian factions declared a ceasefire that came into effect on Thursday at 11 at night but Israel resumed its shelling.

The resistance groups said that the ceasefire does not mean maintaining calm while Israel continues to bombard Gaza.

Two Palestinians Killed Friday, At Least Three Injured

Sa'eed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies - Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:12:31

As the Israeli Army and Air Force continued its strikes against the Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire declared by the resistance in Gaza, two Palestinians were killed on Friday morning, while at least three residents were injured.

Medical sources in Gaza reported that two fighters, members of the Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, were killed as the army carried out a series of attacks against several areas in the coastal region.

The two fighters were killed when the Israeli Air Force bombarded an area at the entrance of Khuaza town, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. They were identified as Abdullah Al-Qarra and Mo’taz Abu Jame’.

On Thursday, at least five Palestinians were killed and more than 40, including children, were injured in a number of Israeli attacks targeting several areas in Gaza.

Three more residents were wounded when the army bombarded an area east of the Rafah International Airport that was repeatedly bombarded and destroyed by the Israeli army since the beginning of the Al0-Aqsa Intifada in 2000.

The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said that its stances never changed, and that resistance against the occupation and aggression will not stop.

The Brigades stated that “there will be no truce with the Israeli occupation while it continues its aggression and crimes against the Palestinian people”.

The Salahuddeen Brigades, the armed wing of the National Resistance Committees, also issued a release stating that “the Israeli crime committed on Thursday will not pass unpunished”.

Mohammad Bahar, deputy head of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) slammed the Israeli escalation against the Palestinian people, and voiced an appeal to Egypt, the Egyptian head of the Higher Command of the Armed Forces, Mohammad Tantawi, the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to intervene and stop the Israeli violations.

Army Bombards Gaza, One Resident Wounded

Thursday April 07, 2011 09:27 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Israeli Air Force bombarded on Wednesday night after midnight several areas in the Gaza Strip leading to excessive damage; at least one resident was injured.

Three consecutive air strikes were carried out against the “tunnels area” along the Gaza-Egypt border, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

At first, the Air force fired several missiles at a siege-busting tunnel in Yibna refugee camp, in Rafah.

Shortly afterwards, the Air Force carried out two consecutive air strikes targeting areas near Salahuddeen Gate and al-Barazil neighborhood in Rafah. One resident was wounded and was moved to Abu Yousuf Al-Najjar Hospital, in Rafah.

The third attack was carried out when the Air Force fired at least one missile at an open area, east of al-Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza city; damage was reported, no injuries.

On Wednesday at dawn, Israeli soldiers invaded several areas in the occupied West Bank, broke into and searched several homes and kidnapped three residents from the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and from Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank.

Soldiers also installed several roadblocks and searched dozens of vehicles while inspecting the ID card of the drivers and the passengers.