The Palestine Chronology

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Jenin and Qalqilya. In Nablus, AMB mbrs. shoot, wound 3 alleged Palestinian collaborators. (OCHA 6/6; PCHR 6/7)

The IDF makes an air strike on a Hamas training facility nr. Jabaliya r.c., killing 2 Hamas mbrs.; fires at least 4 missiles at another empty training facility in al-Mawasi, destroying it; sends ground troops into areas nr. Jabaliya, shooting and wounding 1 Palestinian. In Nussayrat r.c., 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. are killed when a bomb they are making explodes prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Ramallah to ambush, assassinate AMB mbr. Omar ‘Abd al-Halim, wounding 5 bystanders; sends undercover units into Kafr Dan nr. Jenin to ambush, assassinate Islamic Jihad mbr. ‘Id Hisham Khalil; makes arrest raids in and around Jenin town and r.c. (fatally shooting Muhammad Marai‘, who announced a wk. ago the formation of a new Fatah splinter group, the Martyr Abu Ammar Brigades, in what may be an assassination) and in Nablus (detaining Fatah PC mbr. and PA General Intelligence Nablus head Jamal Tirawi, 3 others), Tulkarm r.c. (al-Haq press release, NYT, OCHA 5/30; NYT, PCHR, WP 5/31)

During the day, Palestinians fire 9 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 1 Israeli. Late in the evening, the IDF makes air strikes on 3 Hamas targets, damaging at least 20 Palestinian homes and a mosque but causing no reported injuries; conducting arrest raids and temporarily occupying 2 Palestinian homes in Khan Yunis, exchanging fire with armed Palestinians, leaving 2 Hamas mbrs. dead, 1 bystander seriously wounded. In Bayt Lahiya, 3 Palestinian children are injured by IDF UXO. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in the Old City of Jerusalem, 2 houses just s. of Jerusalem, 2 houses nr. Hebron (for the expansion of Harsina settlement); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jericho (exchanging fire with wanted AMB mbrs., wounding 1 and arresting 2), in and around Nablus and Ramallah (arresting senior AMB mbr. Khalid Shawish), and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Qalqilya. Fatah, ESF mbrs. exchange fire in Gaza City, set up rival road blocks and checkpoints to mark off areas of control; no injuries are reported. (NYT 5/29, 5/30; OCHA 5/30; PCHR 5/31)

After Hamas fires several rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, killing 1 Israeli and wounding 1 in separate strikes, Olmert convenes his security cabinet to discuss expanding attacks on Hamas. During the day, the IDF reinforces troops in its n. Gaza buffer zone; makes air strikes on 3 ESF positions in Bayt Lahiya, Jabaliya, Khan Yunis, causing no injuries; bulldozes a Palestinian home in n. Gaza; raids and temporarily occupies 4 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanun; fires on Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence e. of Khan Yunis. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Rafah coast for a 2d day, causing no injuries. Abbas, Egyptian mediators hold talks with the Palestinian factions aimed at securing a 1-mo. unilateral halt on attacks on Israel fr. Gaza, with hopes that an Israeli cease-fire would follow that could then be extended to the West Bank; the factions demand that the cease-fire include the West Bank fr. the outset. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home outside Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem and Nablus, in Jenin town and r.c. and Jericho (raiding a hospital to arrested a wounded wanted AMB mbr., firing on stone-throwing Palestinian youths), nr. Hebron and Salfit. (IFM 5/27; NYT, WP 5/28; OCHA 5/30; PCHR 5/31)

A bomb goes off in Beirut’s Berbir neighborhood, wounding 4 Lebanese; no group claims responsibility. (NYT 5/28)

For the 10th day, the IDF makes at least 7 air strikes on Hamas and ESF targets across Gaza (Gaza City, Jabaliya, Rafah, Shati‘), leaving 5 ESF mbrs. dead and at least 4 ESF mbrs. and 23 bystanders injured. The IDF also fires on Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence e. of Gaza City, wounding 1; fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore. Hamas fires 12 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly wounding 1 Israeli. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Salfit and in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem, Nablus, Tubas nr. Jenin; raids an elementary school nr. Hebron while classes are in session, searching for stone-throwing youths. In East Jerusalem, 2 Israeli Arab gunmen fire on an Israeli border police patrol in East Jerusalem, wounding 2 border police officers, 2 Israeli private security guards; both Israeli Arabs, 1 Palestinian bystander are killed by return fire; the AMB takes responsibility for the attack. In Gaza City, unidentified gunmen shoot, wound a Hamas mbr. Hamas’s Shabanah dies of injuries sustained when the IDF attempted to assassinate him on 5/17. (NYT, WP, WT 5/27; NYT 5/28; OCHA 5/30; PCHR 5/31)

In overnight raids, the IDF, Shin Bet arrest 33 senior Hamas or Hamas-affiliated political figures across the West Bank (Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Salfit, Tulkarm), including PA Education M Nasir al-Sha‘ir, PA State M Wasfi Kabaha, at least 3 PC mbrs., 5 mayors, a number of heads of educational and charitable associations. The IDF also makes at least 7 air strikes on Gaza, targeting at least 3 ESF positions in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Rafah, injuring at least 2 ESF mbrs. and 13 bystanders; a guard house outside Haniyeh’s Shati‘ r.c. home, causing no casualties; the home of a PRC mbr. in Jabaliya r.c., hitting an adjacent home instead, wounding 2 Palestinians; an alleged weapons factory in Rafah, wounding 5 bystanders; a Hamas post in Dayr al-Balah, causing no injuries; and a money exchange in Gaza City. The IDF also fires on a group of Palestinians on the Bayt Lahiya shore, wounding 1 Palestinian fisherman. Palestinians fire 2 mortars at the IDF post at Erez (causing no injuries, but light damage that will slow processing of trucks going through the crossing) and at least 12 rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel (only 5 land inside Israel, causing light damage but no injuries). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Jenin (also searching the offices of the PA Waqf Min., confiscating documents) and nr. Qalqilya, Tulkarm. A Palestinian woman dies of injuries received in a 5/17 IDF air strike on Gaza City. A Hamas mbr. dies of wounds received in clashes with Fatah on 5/13. (BBC, IFM, WP 5/24; NYT, WT 5/25; NYT 5/27; OCHA 5/30; PCHR 5/31)

The IDF makes at least 4 air strikes on Gaza targeting Hamas, attempting to assassinate Hamas mbr. Muhammad Shatat as he drives in Gaza City (causing no injuries), hitting 2 suspected weapons caches and 2 money exchanges in Jabaliya r.c. (also destroying a Palestinian home) and Gaza City (wounding 7 Palestinians, including a pregnant woman, 2 children). Palestinians fire at least 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In Jabaliya, 2 Abu Rish Brigades mbrs. (affiliated with Fatah) are injured when explosives they are handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem and Nablus, in Qalqilya, and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah, Salfit, Tulkarm. Meanwhile, Abbas, Hamas-affiliated PA PM Ismail Haniyeh meet in Gaza to discuss ways of calming intra-Palestinian violence. Abbas also meets with reps. of other factions to urge them to halt rocket fire into Israel. Unidentified gunmen fire on the home of a Fatah leader in Gaza City, wounding 1 Palestinian. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in an 5/18 IDF air strike on Gaza City that assassinated 2 Hamas mbrs. (IFM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 5/24; OCHA 5/30; PCHR 5/31)

With the cease-fire at Nahr al-Barid r.c. holding, the Lebanese army reinforces troops around the camp. Palestinian refugees continue to flee the r.c. during the day, most heading to nearby Biddawi r.c.; at most, half of the 40,000 residents remain. The UN warns the camp is still without water, electricity; food supplies are low. The PLO says it would not object to the Lebanese army entering the r.c. if necessary; raises the possibility of sending in fighters fr. Palestinian factions who know the layout of the r.c. to roust the FI mbrs. Palestinian leaders in the camp and local Islamist figures in Tripoli attempt to negotiate a FI surrender. Meanwhile, a bomb explodes in the Druze village of Aley nr. Beirut, wounding 16 Lebanese; no group claims responsibility. (AFP, DS, LBC, OCS 5/23 in WNC 5/24; NYT, WP, WT 5/24; WT 5/25)

The IDF expands military operations in Gaza, making at least 7 air strikes on Hamas, ESF, and PA General Intelligence targets in Gaza, targeting 4 suspected arms caches and 3 other sites (including PA Interior Min. offices in Rafah), injuring 16 Palestinians, damaging at least 25 Palestinian homes; sending tanks and bulldozers into the Strip to level agricultural land e. of Bayt Hanun; directing heavy machine gun fire at a rocket launching site in n. Gaza; conducting arrest raids in Khuza’a nr. Khan Yunis. Late in the evening, the IDF sends troops into Khan Yunis to conduct arrest raids and house searches. Palestinians fire 9 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly wounding 2 Israelis. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Bethlehem, and in Hebron, Jericho, Jenin, Qalqilya. Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinian vehicles in East Jerusalem. A Hamas mbr. is fatally shot by suspected Fatah mbrs. in Khan Yunis. (OCHA, WP 5/23; PCHR 5/24; OCHA 5/30)

Heavy clashes btwn. the Lebanese army, FI at Nahr al-Barid r.c. continue for a 3d day. In Tripoli, a lone FI suicide bomber, still hiding from the police crackdown on 5/20, detonates a device when police close in on his location, killing only himself. Later in the afternoon, the Lebanese army halts its shelling of Nahr al-Barid r.c. in response to a shaky, undeclared cease-fire by FI, prompting some 10,000 Palestinians to flee. Palestinians in ‘Ayn al-Hilwa r.c. and Rashidiyya r.c. demonstrate against the army’s heavy shelling of Nahr al-Barid. (Independent, REU 5/22; DS, LBC, MENA, al-Sharq al-Awsat, al-Safir 5/22 in WNC 5/23; NYT, WP, WT 5/23)

During the day in Gaza, the IDF fires on Jabaliya r.c., seriously wounding a Palestinian woman inside her home. In the evening, Olmert convenes his security cabinet, which authorized the IDF to step up attacks on Hamas, Islamic Jihad. Soon after, the IDF makes an air strike targeting IQB cmdr. Samih Farwanah in Gaza City, who is at the home of Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Khalil al-Haya, assassinating Farwanah, killing 7 of Haya’s relatives, wounding more than 12; fires a missile at Hamas mbr. Nasser Hammuda, biking through Gaza City, wounding him in an apparent assassination attempt; makes an air strike on an alleged Hamas weapons factory in Gaza City, killing 1 Palestinian security guard, wounding 3 bystanders; makes an air strike on the home of an Islamic Jihad mbr., destroying it and a neighboring meeting hall, causing no injuries; shells residential areas of Bayt Lahiya, heavily damaging 2 homes, wounding 6 Palestinians. Palestinians fire at least 12 rockets, 2 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging 2 trucks on the Israeli side of the Qarni crossing but causing no injuries. In Rafah, an al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. is injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Arub r.c nr. Hebron and in and around Bethlehem, Jenin town and r.c.; raids 4 TV and radio stations in Nablus seizing computers and broadcasting equipment; begins bulldozing 130 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of apricot and date orchards nr. Artas nr. Bethlehem to make way for the separation wall. Under IDF escort, Jewish settlers fr. Efrat nr. Bethlehem uproot Palestinian trees nr. the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur nr. Hebron unleash an attack dog on a Palestinian farmer working his land nr. the settlement, injuring him. Meanwhile, Hamas, Fatah observe a ceasefire during the day; stores begin to reopen and residents venture out for the 1st time in a wk. (HA, IFM, NYT, PCHR, WP 5/20; HA, NYT, OCHA, PCHR, WP, WT 5/21; OCHA 5/23; PCHR 5/24)

Overnight, Lebanese police and soldiers raid several homes in Tripoli in an attempt to capture a group connected to the tiny militant group, Fatah al-Islam (FI), that was suspected of carrying out a bank robbery on 5/19. The raids spark gun battles that quickly spread throughout the city and to the outskirts of Nahr al-Barid r.c. (pop. 40,000), where FI is based. When FI forces leave the camp to ambush and capture nearby army positions, the Lebanese army fires tank shells, mortars into the camp, quickly precipitating massive clashes (including RPG, heavy weapons fire by FI) that continue throughout the day. In total, at least 27 Lebanese soldiers, 20 FI mbrs., and 9 Palestinian civilians inside the camp are killed and scores are wounded during the day. By nightfall, the army regains control of areas surrounding the camp, seals the camp to prevent militants fr. escaping; cuts water and electricity to the camp to urge a surrender. Syria closes several border crossings n. and w. of Tripoli in reaction. Separately, a car bomb explodes nr. a shopping mall in the Christian neighborhood of Achrifiyya in Beirut, killing 1 Lebanese woman, wounding 12; no group claims responsibility. (AP, NYT, REU, WP, WT 5/21; WT 5/24; NYT 6/20, 7/7)

In Gaza, the IDF assassinates IQB mbrs. Ra’ed Habib and Munir al-Jamal in an air strike on their car in Gaza City, wounding 6 bystanders; makes 5 other air strikes on Hamas and ESF targets in Bayt Lahiya, Dayr al-Balah, and Gaza City, wounding 10 bystanders, destroying 2 alleged weapons factories, damaging several homes. In retaliation, Hamas fires 17 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, injuring 2 Israelis in Sederot. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza City coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Kafr Dan nr. Jenin, wounding 3 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and neighboring Balata r.c.; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists holding a weekly nonviolent protest against the separation wall in Bil‘in nr. Ramallah, injuring 2. Jewish settlers scuffle with Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists demonstrating against the wall in Bani Na‘im nr. Hebron; the IDF intervenes, detaining 5 activists. Meanwhile, Fatah-Hamas fighting in Gaza continues, leaving 4 Palestinians dead and more than a dozen wounded. Incidents include Abbas’s presidential guard firing RPGs and mortars at the predominantly Hamas Islamic University in Gaza City. A 7-yr.-old Palestinian boy dies of injuries received in the 5/17 Fatah attack on a funeral in Rafah. (AP, WP 5/18; NYT, WP, WT 5/19; PCHR 5/21; OCHA 5/23; PCHR 5/24)

The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Rafah, forcing them to return to shore. The IDF makes a helicopter rocket strike on a suspected rocket-launching site nr. Bayt Hanun, causing no injuries. Olmert’s security cabinet discusses military options for dealing with continued rocket fire fr. Gaza; no decisions are reached; talks are expected to continue over the next several days. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Jenin, and in Balata r.c., Nablus. Israel’s Jerusalem authorities issue an eviction order to the Palestinian al-Ansari Library in Jerusalem (one of the largest collections in Jerusalem with 45,000 books), slating the building for demolition to make way for a train station. A Jewish settler guard at Burkan settlement nr. Salfit shoots, wounds a Palestinian driver who routinely transports Palestinian workers to and fr. the settlement; no reason is given. Heavy Fatah-Hamas fighting in Gaza escalates, leaving 5 Palestinians dead (including AMB cmdr. Bahaa Abu Jarad and his bodyguard), around 20 wounded. Egyptian mediators broker a truce late in the day, but fighting continues. (Ma’an News Agency 5/13; NYT 5/14; OCHA 5/16; PCHR 5/17)

The IDF fires on Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the Gaza border fence nr. Qarni crossing, wounding 2 (including a 92-yr.- old man); sends troops, dogs into Shuka village nr. Rafah to conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches; sends a bulldozer, tank into Gaza to level land along the border fence nr. Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes the home of a wanted Palestinian nr. Bethlehem; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in Qabatya, Tulkarm and nr. Hebron, Jenin; issues a military order confiscating 369 d. of land nr. Qalqilya, 338 d. of Palestinian land nr. Tubas for “security purposes.” (NYT, PCHR, PLONAD, WP, WT 5/10; AHR 5/14; OCHA 5/16; PCHR 5/17)

The IDF demolishes a home for Palestinian special needs children in Wadi al-Juz, East Jerusalem, displacing 7 children, 2 caregivers; demolishes a Palestinian home in Issawiyya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., nr. Hebron, and in Balata r.c., Bethlehem, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Harish settlement nr. Tulkarm set fire to 170 d. of Palestinian-owned olive, citrus trees. In Rafah, 50 Fatah mbrs. break into, vandalize, set fire to the empty al-Salafiyya al-Bayan Center. (OCHA 5/9; PCHR 5/10; OCHA 5/16)

The IDF makes an air strike on a car n. of Bayt Hanun allegedly carrying rockets to fire into Israel; 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. escape unharmed, but a bystander is wounded. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Bayt Lahiya, forcing them to return to shore. Palestinians fire around 4 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel during the day, damaging a home in Sederot, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF enters Bita nr. Nablus, forces the closure of the local market; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Bethlehem (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 1) and Jenin, and in and around Hebron, Tulkarm; confiscates 10 d. of Palestinian land e. of Qalqilya for construction of a settler bypass road for Keddumim settlement. (NYT 5/8; OCHA 5/9; PCHR 5/10)

Palestinians fire some 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting a gas station in Sederot, lightly injuring 2 Israelis. An Islamic Jihad mbr. is injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Jenin town and r.c., firing on residential areas and stonethrowing youths who confront the troops, wounding 5 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in al-Khadir. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur and Kiryat Arba set up a tent on a hill northeast of Halhul, later leave but vow to establish a new settlement on the site; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Jewish settlers fr. Einav nr. Tulkarm set fire to 80 d. of Palestinian olive, almond trees nearby. Nr. Ramallah, Palestinian gunmen fire on a convoy delivering gas to a Jewish settlement, wounding an Israeli security guard. Some 70 Palestinian protesters thought to be aligned with the Army of Islam throw stones, possibly fire at Fatah lawmaker Majid Abu Shamalah as he leaves an end-of-the-school-year celebration at a Rafah UNRWA school, prompting his bodyguards to open fire, killing 1 of their own and leaving 2 teachers, 2 protesters, and 2 schoolchildren (ages 9, 14) wounded; the attack on the school comes days after the Army of Islam warned the school against holding the celebration, which they condemned for involving “the mixing of adolescent boys and girls, which is forbidden in Islam.” Unidentified gunmen fire on a Fatah base in Bureij r.c., causing no injuries. A Palestinian possibly affiliated with the Army of Islam orders UNRWA employees off an agency minibus in Rafah before tossing a hand grenade inside, damaging it. (Jerusalem Post 5/6; NYT 5/7; OCHA 5/9; PCHR 5/10; AHR 5/15)

The IDF releases 3 Palestinian farmers fr. Bayt Lahiya arrested on 5/4; sends troops into Gaza to level land along the border fence nr. ‘Abasan. Retaliating for the death of 2 mbrs. on 5/4, Islamic Jihad fires 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging a house in Sederot, but causing no injuries; the IDF sends troops into Gaza n. of Bayt Lahiya to capture the Islamic Jihad mbrs., wounding and arresting 1. A Palestinian is killed in Jabaliya r.c. when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Eli settlement nr. Nablus occupy a Palestinian home, leave after several hrs. when the IDF intervenes. Jewish settlers fr. Hebron detain, beat a Palestinian traveling by their settlement. Separately, Jewish settlers fr. Bayt Hadasah in Hebron beat an international peace activist escorting a Palestinian woman in the Israeli-controlled section of Hebron (H2). In Tubas, armed Palestinians fire on the local Palestinian Detainees Comm. offices, beat the office manager; no motive is stated. (WT 5/6; OCHA 5/9; PCHR 5/10)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border cross into Gaza, arrest 3 Palestinian farmers working their fields nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya; also sends bulldozers, tanks into Gaza nr. Nahal Oz to level land. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Silat al-Harithiyya nr. Jenin, seeking Palestinian gunmen who exchanged fire with troops gunmen earlier in the day, causing no injuries; they ambush a car, killing Islamic Jihad mbrs. Mahdi Abu al-Khayr, Khalid Ashur and a civilian bystander. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Tulkarm; fires tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades at Palestinians, Israeli and international peace activists conducting their weekly nonviolent protest against the separation wall nr. Bil‘in, wounding 3. (WT 5/6; NYT 5/7; OCHA 5/9; PCHR 5/10)

The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Nussayrat r.c., forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF shoots, wounds a Palestinian farmer working in his field nr. Ibna; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron, and in Jenin town and r.c., Qabatya, Qalqilya. Of note: By this date, the IDF has stopped requiring special permits for Palestinians to enter the Jordan Valley, but access is only possible on public transportation through 4 checkpoints. The PA says that it has made the 1st formal contact with the kidnappers holding BBC correspondent Johnston, confirming he is still alive, but that their demands for his release are unacceptable. Protesters in cities across Israel begin to march to Tel Aviv for a major demonstration on 5/3 calling for Olmert’s resignation in the wake of the Winograd Commission report on Israel’s handling of the summer 2006 war on Lebanon. (OCHA, WP, WT 5/2; PCHR 5/3)