Saturday, January 8, 2011

Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire 6 mortars fr. Gaza at the IDF base at the fmr. Nahal Oz crossing (closed in 1/2010), injuring 3 Thai workers (1 seriously) at a kibbutz nearby. Late in the evening, unidentified Palestinians fire 1 mortar, 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel in 3 barrages; 1 rocket lands nr. a truck, causing light damage and lightly injuring the driver. In the West Bank, IDF troops fatally shoot a Palestinian who runs toward a checkpoint nr. Nablus (the same one where another Palestinian was fatally shot on 1/2) and ignores orders to halt; the IDF says he was carrying a bag that contained a pipe bomb and other explosives, but Palestinian witnesses say he was not carrying anything. The IDF also patrols in villages nr. Jenin and Salfit in the morning; conducts late-night arrest raids, searches in and around Qalqilya; conducts late-night patrols in 3 villages nr. Salfit, summoning 2 Palestinians for questioning. Jewish settlers fr. Gilad settlement nr. Qalqilya vandalize nearby Palestinian agricultural land and damage a well. Israeli authorities conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches in Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem. (HA, JP, MNA 1/8; WP, UPI 1/9; NYT 1/11; PCHR 1/13; OCHA 1/14)