Day 20 of Israel's attack on Gaza (includes report on disruption of Tzipi Livni's press conference)

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Thu, 01/15/2009 - 4:00pm

A total of 45 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza on Friday; bringing the number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli offensive to one thousand, one hundred sixty seven, including three hundred seventy children and eighty five women.
At least 5200, including 1745 children, have been wounded.

13 Israelis have been killed in the 20 days of Israeli attacks, nine of whom were soldiers.

Four of those killed on Friday were identified as resistance fighters.  The four were killed in two separate airstrikes in Gaza City and Rafah.
In separate Israeli attacks, ten of the Palestinians who were killed Friday night died while in a house of mourning where they had gathered for the funeral of a family member killed yesterday.

A mother and her five children were also killed in Al Boreij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

They were identified as Manal Al Batran, 30, and her children Wala' , 12, Islam, 11, Bilal, 10, Iz Ed Deen, 8and Ihsan 7.
Four more Palestinians were killed, and several others were injured, when the Israeli army shelled the house of Doctor Abu Al Eish, in Jabalia.
Ra'fat Abu Ola, was killed and his five-year old son was wounded when the army fired a missile at his motor scooter in Bani Solheila neighborhood in Khan Younis.

Two other men on motor scooters were also killed by Israeli missiles in separate incidents.
Also on Friday, four Palestinians, including three members of the same family, were killed and several other residents were wounded, in Rafah.
Medical sources at Kamal Adwan Hospital reported on Friday that a 6-year old child was killed and 2 other children were wounded when a shell fired by the army detonated among children playing near Palestine Bank in Jabalia.
A 14-year old child was also killed and several other children were injured when the army fired a shell at a local market in Al Shabboura refugee camp in Rafah.

The Salah Ed Deen Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, reported that three of its fighters were killed in an Israeli Air Strike in Gaza City.
The National Resistance Committees, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, reported that Hammouda Thabit, one of its leaders, died in an Israeli shelling on Friday at dawn.


Negotiators say Israel and Hamas are close to coming to a ceasefire agreement, but with Israeli negotiators still absent from the truce talks in Egypt, it's unclear just how effective the call for a ceasefire will be.
Israel has thus far ignored calls from the United Nations to withdraw.  And today the leadership of Hamas said they will not accept Israel's ceasefire demands. 

Meanwhile, in Washington DC, a press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni went off-script today.  No shoes were thrown by reporters, but several reporters were prevented from finishing their questions to Tzipi Livni.  Here's a clip of Sam Husseini with the Institute for Public Accuracy asking Tzipi Livni about the Israeli siege of Gaza, after having been previously cut off:

Israeli forces have stopped a humanitarian aid boat with the Free Gaza Movement from entering Gaza today.  The last ship sent by the Free Gaza movement two weeks ago was rammed three times by an Israeli navy ship, and almost sank.  Passengers on that ship included doctors, dignitaries, and former US Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney.
Today, Over 300 members and supporters of Physicians for Human Rights set out to accompany an emergency delivery of medical supplies to the Gaza Strip this morning in protest at the current Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Most of the buses were turned back by the Israeli authorities at roadblocks set up well before the border crossing with Gaza.

Special thanks to the International Middle East Media Center - http://www.imemc.org - for contributing to this report.
 

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