In Nablus, a Palestinian said Saturday eight of his relatives — including a pregnant woman — were killed when Israeli bulldozers demolished a building last week. The Israeli military said it “wasn't aware of the deaths.”
The army added that it was "unlikely" that the collapse was caused by army demolition work because an army engineer was used to ensure surrounding buildings would not be in danger.
Mahmoud Shobi, 35, said rescue workers pulled the bodies of eight of his relatives from a home demolished by Israeli bulldozers in the city center. Shobi said the home of his brother and father toppled over April 5 in the crowded Old City when Israeli bulldozers demolished an empty building next door, AP reported.
The demolition, he said, killed Samer Shobi, 49, his pregnant wife, Nabela, 40, and the couple's three sons. Also killed were Mahmoud Shobi's two sisters and his 85-year-old father.
Meanwhile, several Israeli tanks shelled the Palestinian government complex in Nablus on Saturday, punching large holes the building.
Also on Saturday, shooting erupted in the area of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, where Palestinians, some armed, have been besieged by Israeli troops for 12 days, witnesses said.
Mazen Hussein, a Palestinian policeman inside the church, said a 60-year-old civilian inside had been hit by two gunshots in the chest and later died of his wounds.
"They opened fire on us from outside, one Palestinian has been seriously wounded," he told Reuters by telephone, adding that the shooting appeared to have come from Manger Square, where Israeli troops have taken up positions around the church.
An Israeli reserve officer was seriously injured Saturday when a bomb exploded in central Bethlehem."
In the morning a Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank town of Dahariyeh.
The Israeli army shot dead a Palestinian man who, according to Israeli calims, was trying to infiltrate the settlement of Dugit, in the Gaza Strip, on Saturday night. An Israeli ambush identified three Palestinians trying to approach the settlement. The soldiers opened fire and killed on of them. The other two managed to flee. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
