***
Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Thursday July 5th, 2007.
Israeli troops invaded Gaza killing seven Palestinians, and in the West Bank Israeli forces kidnapped at least 13 civilians, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.
The Gaza strip
Israeli troops invaded Gaza on Thursday morning killing five Palestinian resistance fighters and two civilians.
At least four other Palestinian fighters and a dozen civilians, among them children, were wounded in the attack, according to hospital officials. The Israeli army invaded central Gaza and instigated clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in al-Maghazi and Bureij refugee camps.
Palestinian sources stated that the killed fighters are from Al Qassam brigades the armed wing of Hamas.
Hamas fighters encountered an underground Israeli unit in the area and opened fire, according to Hamas spokesperson Abu Obaida. Witnesses reported that the Israeli troops invaded backed up by tanks, bulldozers and aircrafts, and surrounded the camps, while Palestinian fighters took positions on rooftops.
Israeli media sources reported that two Israeli soldiers were slightly injured during the military offensive.
Also on Thursday Al Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad shelled an Israeli tank near Al Bereij refugee camp, and Karm Abu Salem crossing, causing damage but no injuries.
The West Bank update
Palestinian sources reported that Israeli army attacked and ransacked scores of Palestinian homes kidnapping 13 Palestinians during invasions in several West Bank cities on Thursday at dawn.
The sources added that six people were kidnapped from Hebron, four from Bethlehem, both cities located in southern West Bank, while three other Palestinians were seized from Ramallah and Jenin, cities in the central and northern parts of the West Bank.