Window Into Palestine.blogspot.com – 2007-08-08 23:01:50
http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2007/08/occupied-palestine-news-articles_08.html
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=24580
Unexploded Rocket Detonates Killing Two Children in Gaza
Maan News Agency
GAZA (August 8, 2007) — A Palestinian child, Hala Wael Abdalah, aged 7, and her brother, Islam, aged 9, were killed in an explosion on Tuesday morning in a housing estate, in the An Nada area of the northern Gaza Strip.
Eight others were injured in the incident. The cause of the explosion has not been verified.
Palestinian medical sources from Kamal Adwan Hospital said that Hala arrived dead, with her body severely burnt and in pieces. Her brother, Islam, died shortly after arriving at hospital.
Ma’an contacted local residents in the area to decipher the cause of the incident. Many said they believe it was a Palestinian homemade projectile, launched by one of the factions and targeting Israel, which landed in the area and killed the two children.
None of the factions have as yet announced responsibility for launching the projectile.
A leader within the Palestinian resistance commented on Ma’an’s report of the death of the children. He said “the investigation of the resistance revealed that the explosion resulted from an unexploded rocket, launched by the Israelis.”
He added “the rocket was found by the children and while they were playing with it, it exploded and caused the disaster.”
The source vehemently denied any Palestinian resistance activity in that area at the time.
http://www.imemc.org/article/49776.html
Detainees in Azion Detention Facility Facing Solitary and Abuse
Najeeb Farraj – IMEMC
(August 07, 2007) — The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) reported on Tuesday that Palestinian detainees held in the Azion Israeli detention and interrogation facility, in Azion settlement bloc west of Bethlehem, are facing abuse, torture, and that their conditions are gradually declining.
One of the lawyers of the society stated that he visited a number of detainees in Azion and that there are 80 detainees imprisoned in the detention facility, totally isolated from the rest of the world since two months as visitation for their parents and are not allowed.
Detainee As’ad Al Haimouny stated that he was kidnapped by the army two months ago and was subjected to different sorts of torture during interrogation, and added that he and the rest of the detainees are placed in detention rooms that lack the basic component of human livelihood.
He said that he and the rest of the detainees are awaiting trials since they are still under interrogation, and stated that some detainees have been under interrogation since six months, and are still awaiting to be transferred to central prisons in order to be sent to court.
Al Haimouny also said that he is considering carrying an open-ended hunger strike in protest to the bad conditions and abuse practiced against the detainees, and to demand to be transferred to a central detention facility.
PPS lawyer also met with detainees Mohannad, Nitham, Mohammad and Eyad Abu Sneina, Amer Al Shareef, Imad Abu Aisha, Abdul-shafi Abu Turky, Sa’ad Abu Ramouz, Fuad Al Qasrawy, Eyad Al Karaky, all from Hebron, and detainee Moath Al Awawda from Doura, Mohammad Hameeda, Sufian Abu Hilal from Abu Dees, Ali Al Rashaida from Al Rahaida village near Bethlehem, Raed Ta’amra from Tiqoua near Bethlehem, and Ibrahim Al Zeer from Al Zeer near Bethlehem.
The detainees stated that they are placed in overcrowded rooms and that they are subjected to harsh living conditions and repeated attacks by the soldiers.
There are at least 10.000 Palestinians imprisoned by the Israeli occupations including a minimum of 124 female detainees and 400 children under the age of 18.
At least 950 detainees are extremely sick and are in life-threatening situations as they are not provided with the needed medical care and attentions, in addition to 250 detainees who suffer disabilities due to being shot and injured by the army prior to their arrest, among them 25 detainees who are paralyzed and 45 detainees who are suffering from psychological problems and epilepsy due to torture during interrogation.
Translated by Saed Bannoura – IMEMC
http://www.palestine-info.com/en/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7tWSwzp9zymK16ItG2wP52Me%2fRqzVcZEw4LvdzpXc9sPF4Of9E6%2bgBczgf7jotFUWSf0%2bMmTzWqN%2b2WG3afuASQfnCHxZBzvdhF%2bOEUeNshI%3d
IOF Troops Kidnap Wife, Sons of Wanted Activist
Palestine Info.com
TULKARM, (August 7, 2007) — IOF troops at dawn Tuesday kidnapped the wife and two sons of a wanted Hamas activist in the village of Ektaba, Tulkarm district, after failing to arrest him, locals reported.
Eyewitnesses reported that the soldiers broke into the home of Omar Abu Jaber, 45, one of the Hamas political leaders in the village, and thoroughly searched it before kidnapping his wife and both his sons Jaber and Osama along with his niece, son-in-law and two other young men in the village.
The Abu Jaber family got accustomed to such IOF storming of their home at the pretext of looking for Omar. They have been the target of repeated humiliation and threats that included a threat to kill Omar, who has been wanted for five years, if he did not turn himself in.
In Bala’a, another village in Tulkarm district, IOF soldiers burst into many homes and kidnapped three youths, witnesses said, adding that nine IOF armored vehicles stormed the village at 0200 am local time firing sonic bombs to terrorize the villagers.
The IOF soldiers also rounded up eight Palestinians in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday in the villages and refugee camps of Nablus, mostly affiliated with the Hamas Movement, including a teenager.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=24593
Israeli Occupational Army Prevents Children from Bil’in from Flying Kites
Maan News.net
RAMALLAH (August 7, 2007) — The Israeli army threw sound bombs at hundreds of children from a village near Ramallah on Monday afternoon, to prevent them from flying their kites near the separation wall.
The children from the village of Bil’in were taking part in activities as part of the summer camp for children, supervised by the local sports club.
The Director of the club, Hossam Al Khatib said, “the children have been waiting for this day for a long time. It was part of the programme go to the wall to visit the land behind it, play football, music, enjoy the natural surroundings and to fly kites”
“The Israeli occupying soldiers killed this dream in the hearts of the children, and denied them their most basic rights,” he added.
Al-Khatib described the actions of the Israeli army as an insult to the rights of children to live safely and freely.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3434988,00.html
Playing for Peace: Co-existence Summer Camp
Tova Dadon / Ynet News.com
(August 8, 2007) — Peres Center for Peace holds fifth annual summer camp for Israeli, Palestinian children. Hopes to create environment for children to interact in on regular basis
Israeli and Palestinian children recently took part in a special summer camp at kibbutz Gat. The summer camp, sponsored by the Peres Center for Peace, was a week long and hosted 180 children.
This is the project’s fifth year and, so far, more than 1,800 children, ages six to fourteen, have participated in it.
Creating an environment in which Palestinian and Israeli children can interact is part of the center’s ongoing mission to educate the country’s youth about the Israeli-Arab co-existence.
This week’s activities brought together young girls from Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi and Be’er Tuvia with girls from the West Bank city of Nablus and the town of Beit Safafa.
The center’s sports department also holds annual soccer and basketball tournaments for Israeli and Palestinian boys and girls, in hopes that children who play together will not grow up to be each others enemies.
The center’s requests to have children of the West Bank cities of Jenin and Hebron take part in the tournaments have so far been denied.
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