(pic: Israeli settlers invade Artas village under military guard - IMEMC) Three separate settler attacks on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning resulted in one Palestinian dead and three injured, in different parts of the West Bank. On Tuesday evening, a Palestinian man identified as Abdul Muttaleb Hakim was rammed by an Israeli settler car, killing him instantly. The settler left the scene without being identified, and Israeli police called to the scene made no effort to identify the perpetrator. In a separate incident just before dawn on Wednesday, a group of Israeli settlers set fire to parked Palestinian cars near Hebron, in the southern part of the West Bank. According to local sources, three cars belonging to Habes Husein Baragheeth, Suheil Muhammad Hussein Baragheeth, and his brother Yousef, were completely destroyed by the fires. Anti-Palestinian graffiti was found spray painted on the walls next to the torched cars. The graffiti read 'price tag', which is a frequently-...

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A man died on Tuesday in a tunnel collapse in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said. Ramiz al-Shaer, 22, was working in the smuggling tunnel in Rafah near the Egyptian border when it collapsed, medical officials told Ma'an. His body was taken to the Abu Yousef Najjar Hospital. more

The Israeli Air Force carried out, on Wednesday at dawn, two airstrikes targeting Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip; damage was reported, no injuries. Local sources reported that the Air force fired a missile at a hothouse, northwest of Khan Younis, followed by another missile into the same area a few minutes after the initial attack. The two attacks came only hours after Israeli tanks fired several shells into Al Waha area, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip leading to damages. more

It seems that Israel is punishing the Gaza blockade runners that remain in its prisons in an effort to deter others from attempting to break the illegal naval blockade. Irish Friends of Palestine member John Mallon was shackled and handcuffed after refusing a second body search. Meanwhile, Paul Murphy MEP has managed to smuggle out a letter highlighting Israel's total disregard for the human rights of the prisoners. If this is what they do to Members of the European Parliament we can only imagine the the horrors that are inflicted on the thousands of Palestinians in the occupation jails. BRUSSELS - Irish left-wing MEP Paul Murphy has said he was badly treated after he and 26 activists were detained by Israeli armed forces when they tried to sail to Gaza at the weekend. "Our boat was almost sunk by the manner in which it was approached and boarded by the Israeli navy. People were shackled and deprived of all personal belongings," he said in a written statement from his de...

www.DemocracyNow.org - Israeli forces intercepted two Gaza-bound boats in international waters on Friday to prevent the boats from breaking the naval blockade of Gaza. The Canadian and Irish boats made up the "Freedom Waves to Gaza" flotilla. Israel detained the 27 activists on board, as well as all of the journalists — including Democracy Now! correspondent Jihan Hafiz. According to flotilla organizers, 21 people remain in Israeli custody, including Hafiz. The flotilla marked the latest failed attempt by international activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. Democracy Now! speaks to journalist Lina Atallah who was on the Canadian boat named "Tahrir" in the flotilla and was deported to Egypt yesterday. She is the managing editor of Al-Masry Al-Youm English Edition, an independent news website. The Israeli navy "cornered our boats from all sides. We were all equally put at gunpoint. Even before they boarded our boat, everyone was put at gunpoi...

With several Canadians still languishing in an Israeli prison, organizers of the Canadian Boat to Gaza are demanding Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird step down for failing to do his job. “Our friends have been assaulted, tasered, beaten, kidnapped, robbed, and imprisoned and we have now learned that the Department Foreign Affairs is telling them they have to pay for their deportation flight,” says Wendy Goldsmith, an organizer with the Canadian Boat to Gaza . “If Minister Baird wants to put the interests of a far-right Israeli government before Canadians, he should apply for the job of Israel’s ambassador,” adds Goldsmith. “Otherwise he should demand the immediate release of the Canadian political prisoners in Israel and an immediate end to Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza. Unfortunately, when it comes to Israel, Baird is soft on crime.” The Canadian Boat to Gaza organizers say the Minister has failed to seek the immediate release of the Canadians and internationals who have been p...

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shelled the eastern Shujaiyeh district of Gaza City on Monday, with medics reporting three people were injured. Witnesses told Ma'an that up to 10 shells were fired from the direction of Israeli crossing Nahal Oz to the east of the city throughout the morning. Medics said three people were transferred to Shifa hospital in Gaza City. An Israeli army statement said soldiers fired towards "a terrorist squad planting two explosive devices adjacent to the security fence... confirming a hit." more

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Israeli army and intelligence agencies' websites were offline on Sunday, two days after hacker group Anonymous warned it would "strike back" for Israel's capture of Gaza-bound ships on Friday. Anonymous, a network of online activists who have attacked government and financial websites around the world, released a statement Friday warning that the group would take action against the navy's seizure of two ships aiming to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip. "Your actions are illegal, against democracy, human rights, international, and maritime laws," the statement addressed to the government of Israel and posted on Youtube and Anonymous-affiliated sites said. more

LONDON, ON - A Canadian man aboard a Gaza-bound vessel was apparently beaten and injured when arrested by Israeli authorities when it was intercepted Friday, a colleagues says. Israeli authorities on Saturday began deporting pro-Palestinian activists who tried to breach the Jewish state's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. David Heap (pictured above), Peace and Social Justice chair for the London chapter of the Council of Canadians, is still in custody at Givon prison. Heap also sits on a steering committee with People for Peace, London and teaches French studies and linguistics at the University of Western Ontario. The Israeli navy on Friday intercepted a Canadian vessel and an Irish boat carrying 27 activists and medical supplies which had set sail from Turkey toward the Gaza Strip. Wendy Goldsmith, of People for Peace, said the boat was intercepted 30 miles from the Gaza coast in international waters. "Our folks peacefully refused to leave and they were violently taken off t...

GAZA, (PIC)-- One Palestinian was killed and three others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday evening targeting the Qarara village to the east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. The attack was followed by machinegun fire and flares in the skies of the area on the eve of Eid al-Adha. PIC correspondent said that Israeli occupation aircraft fired two rockets at a group of resistance fighters affiliated with the Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad in the Ghawafeer neighbourhood of Qarara village eas of Khan Younis, before opening heavy machinegun fire at the area. The airstrike and the machinegun fire resulted in the death of Abdullah Muhanna (22 years) and the wounding of three others whose wounds were described as moderate. The Israeli occupation forces fired a third rocket while the local residents were trying to evacuate the wounded. more

(Reuters) - Israeli authorities on Saturday began deporting pro-Palestinian activists who tried to breach the Jewish state's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli navy on Friday intercepted a Canadian vessel and an Irish boat carrying 27 activists and medical supplies which had set sail from Turkey toward the Gaza Strip. An Israeli Immigration Authority spokeswoman said two Greek citizens were flown home on Saturday and two journalists, one American and one Spanish, were to board flights on Sunday. One Israeli citizen was released, as was an Egyptian woman who had crossed back to neighboring Egypt overnight, the spokeswoman said. Twenty one other activists were being held in custody in Israel and were awaiting deportation. more

( A greenhouse in Khan Yunis bombarded by Israeli warplanes, 30 October 2011 ) 12 Palestinian resistance activists were killed and 5 others were wounded by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded by IOF in the Gaza Strip. Israeli war planes launched 17 air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip. A country house, a room and two containers were destroyed and a number of houses, shops and fields were damaged. IOF have continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. A Palestinian civilian was wounded. Dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation. The Israeli Navy has continued to attack Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip. Israeli naval troops arrested two Palestinian fishermen. . IOF conducted 56 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and a limited one into the Gaza Strip. IOF arrested 8 Palestinians. IOF used...

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Israeli military boarded on Friday two vessels bound for the Gaza Strip, activists and army officials said. The Tahrir, a yacht crewed by Canadian activists, was being boarded about 35 kilometers north of the Gaza Strip, activists on board announced Friday afternoon. Contact with the boat ended shortly thereafter. "We have lost contact with the Tahrir and the (Irish) Saoirse and are hoping for the best, but we fear the worst," said organizer Dylan Penner. more

This video was released by the Israel military. The IDF claims its action is justified under international law. This is not the case, unless a state of war exists between two states and the vessels are carrying weapons on behalf of a belligerent power, which they are not - unless you count letters to children in Gaza as 'weapons'. The Israeli navy's action is piracy.

The two boats have now been surrounded by Israeli warships - ahram online URGENT: ACTION NEEDED NOW! Boats to Gaza Stopped by Israeli Warships At 7:43 am (east coast time) ground support crew lost contact with two ships, the Saoirse of Ireland and the Tahrir of Canada, carrying 27 civilian passengers, medical supplies and letters of support for the people of Gaza. On board the Tahrir is one American, Kit Kittredge. At 7:30 am the Tahrir was interrogated, via radio, by the Israeli Navy. The ships were approximately 48 nautical miles off the coastline, well into international waters. Asked by the Israeli Navy for their destination, Canadian activist Ehab Lotayef replied, "The conscience of humanity." When they repeated the question, asking for final destination, Lotayef said, "The betterment of mankind." Now is the time to act. Call the State Department and the White House and tell them to press the Israelis to ensure the safety of those aboard the two ships! ...

Two protest boats approached the Gaza coast Friday with the intent to violate Israel's naval blockade of the territory and were met by Israeli navy vessels, Palestinian activists said Friday. In Gaza, activist Amjad Shawwa said the boats were about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Gaza and had been warned over the radio by an Israeli navy ship to change course. more

The Miles of Smiles 7 solidarity convoy made it in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after crossing through the Rafah Border Terminal between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Issam Yousef, convoy coordinator, stated that the convoy carried more than 30 types of medications not found in Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli siege, 120 power-chairs, handicapped-friendly transport vehicles, and other essential medical supplies. Approximately 100 persons, from various Arab and European countries, (Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria, France, and Britain) participated in the convoy. The convoy entered Gaza while the Muslims started celebrating the Al Adha Feast; convoy members are expected to remain in Gaza all along the feast days. more

The two-ship flotilla heading for the Gaza Strip is the first in a series of small flotillas scheduled to arrive over the next few months, according to one of the organizers. Huwaida Arraf of the Free Gaza movement, speaking yesterday from Ramallah, where she is staying temporarily, said that in light of the previous flotilla's failure earlier this year, organizers have been operating quietly in an effort to avoid bureaucratic delays and Israeli efforts to stop the operation. "We want to send the world and public opinion the message that Gaza is still under siege," Arraf said. "The next boats will be launched in an organized manner, wave after wave, under the name Flotilla Waves of Freedom." more

Medical professionals in Israel are being accused of failing to document and report injuries caused by the ill-treatment and torture of detainees by security personnel in violation of their ethical code. A report by two Israeli human rights organisations, the Public Committee Against Torture (PCAT) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), claims that medical staff are also failing to report suspicion of torture and ill-treatment, returning detainees to their interrogators and passing medical information to interrogators. The report, Doctoring the Evidence, Abandoning the Victim, to be published later this month, is based on 100 cases of Palestinian detainees brought to PCAT since 2007. It says: "This report reveals significant evidence arousing the suspicion that many doctors ignore the complaints of their patients; that they allow Israeli Security Agency interrogators to use torture; approve the use of forbidden interrogation methods and the ill-treatment of helpless detainees; a...

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces killed two people in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, after clashes broke out between forces and unknown gunmen near the border with Israel, medics and witnesses said. Earlier, Israeli artillery fired on fighters near Beit Hanoun after gunfire from militants towards the northern border, witnesses told Ma'an. Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip and were joined by the Israeli air force, they said. Medical officials in the Gaza Strip said Muhammad Abu Halmiya, 22, and Nasser al-Layyan, 23, were killed by an Israeli helicopter after the clashes broke out. Al-Layyan is a member of the Al-Qassam Brigades, a representative from the Hamas armed wing told Ma'an. A Ma'an reporter said Abu Halmiya is a farmer. more