UPDATE: War in Bethlehem

2300: We had been notified that the army was allowing the transit of ambulances, after much international pressure, from Deheishe to Bethlehem.
The first time the ambulance was able to retrieve 6 corpses.
The medical team set out a second time for Bethlehem. As soon as they arrived there, the army blindfolded, tied, and undressed the doctor, driver, nurse and a wounded person inside the ambulance. They made them lie down on the floor for one hour and then arrested them, seizing the ambulance. We don't know where they have been taken at this time. The name of the driver is Jamal Balbul. We are trying to find out the names of the others in the ambulance.
1840: Wounded Palestinians remain in the churches at Manger Square, Bethlehem, waiting for the IDF to admit ambulances and other humanitarian aid. Many of the wounded fled across the square when the Umar Ibn al-Khattab mosque was heavily shelled by IDF tanks last night. The Mosque was so damaged people can no longer stay inside. While they have been cared for by the priests and nuns of the churches no official medical assistance has been able to reach them and the option of venturing out into the square for help is impossible due to the presence of Israeli snipers and nearby tanks who now have an official shoot to kill policy. Several of the injuries are critical and those trapped inside the churches are calling for immediate emergency assistance. Earlier this evening a family was being transferred to a medical center with x-ray facilities needed by a 4 year old girl with them. As they approached the medical center two tanks obstructed their path. They moved the canons of the tanks to point at the vehicles and the soldiers aimed their machine guns at them. Another tank came up the rear, effectively blocking them completely. A senior ranking officer then approached, speaking over a megaphone, requesting that the tanks halt. The family were then taken out of the car and removed to the nearby medical center. They were then interrogated for over one and a half hours with young man man of the group being physically abused. They were then informed that they were "not going anywhere until everyone in the Nativity Church has been killed."
This statement was recounted to us by a relative of the family. We cannot stress how concerned and frightened we are. We are witnessing abuses of human rights that are absolutely disgusting, perpetrated by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian civilians and again we demand immediate intervention from foreign governments to prevent the massacre we fear is imminent.

A group of eleven international civilians and one Palestinian man attempting to deliver medical supplies and food to the injured had to stop when the group came under fire upon embarking from Al-Husayn Hospital. Earlier in the day an Israeli tank crushed an ambulance en route to Manger Square in Wadi Ma’ali. Several journalists attempting to cover the situation from Manger Square were arrested in the Bethlehem municipality building this morning.