The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set a car on fire and wrote racist graffiti on walls in Taybeh, and 3 cars were vandalized with graffiti and slashed tires in Dayr ‘Ammar. Israeli settlers also vandalized 30 Palestinian-owned olive trees in al-Sawiya. Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians trying to enter Israel south of Tulkarm; 1 Palestinian was injured by live ammunition. Elsewhere, in al-‘Arub refugee camp, Israeli forces and Palestinians clashed at a checkpoint, leading to tear-gas related injuries. There was no mass organized protest in Gaza, as the organizing committee behind the Great March of Return called off the protest on 11/27. However, some 300 Palestinians still protested east of Khan Yunis; Israeli forces violently dispersed the protest and 1 minor was killed and 7 others injured by live ammunition. Later, 1 rocket was fired toward Israel, causing no damage or injuries, and Israel conducted several airstrikes in Gaza, causing damage but no injuries. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen 3 nautical miles from Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (AJ, HA, HA, PCHR, WAFA 11/29; HA 11/30; PCHR 12/5)

Iraq’s prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned after days of protest in Baghdad, where Iraqi security forces have killed at least 40 protesters. (AJ 12/1)

IDF troops shoot and injure 4 Palestinians during clashes sparked by an overnight arrest raid in Dahaysha refugee camp near Bethlehem. One of the injured Palestinians, a paramedic, succumbs to his wounds later in the day. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians gathering at Birzeit University to protest the recent killing in the West Bank and the recent violence in Israeli prisons; 8 protesters are injured. Israeli forces deliver stop-work orders to 5 Palestinian water wells under construction near Salfit. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian approaching the border fence near al-Bureij refugee camp. They also violently disperse Palestinians gathering near Khan Yunis in the evening to set tires on fire, throw stones, and otherwise continue the Great March of Return; 3 Palestinians are injured. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 3/27; MNA, MNA, MNA, PCHR 3/28)

A delegation of Egyptian officials arrives in Gaza to continue the ongoing talks with Hamas on the situation in Gaza. The Egyptians reportedly caution restraint ahead of the planned protests on 3/29 and 3/30, which will mark the 1-year anniversary of the first Great March of Return demonstration. They also present new terms for a possible cease-fire with Israel. (AP, TOI 3/27; HA, YA 3/28)  

The UN Security Council convenes to discuss the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which President Donald Trump formally conveyed on 3/25. The other 14 members of the council all condemn the move as detrimental to the long-term chances for peace in the region. During the meeting, a senior U.S. representative says that the U.S. would like for the UN Disengagement Observer Force to stay in the Golan Heights, where it has monitored the buffer zone between Israel and Syria since 1974. (TOI 3/27; TOI 3/28)

The Israeli Air Force conducts air strikes on ammunition depots outside the Aleppo International Airport late at night. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 7 Iranian troops are killed in the strike. The Syrian army reports that the strike causes only material damage. (HA, JP, REU, YA 3/28)

After a relatively calm day in Gaza, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducts dozens of air strikes on Hamas sites near Rafah and Khan Yunis late at night, causing extensive damage. The IDF says that the strikes were retaliation for previously unreported incendiary balloons launched into southern Israel earlier in the day. A senior Palestinian official says that the IAF has destroyed 30 residential buildings and damaged at least 500 others since the recent campaign of air strikes began on 3/25. After the air strikes resume, unidentified Gazans fire a projectile into southern Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinians gather along the border fence near al-Bureij refugee camp to set tires on fire, throw stones, and otherwise continue the Great March of Return. A number of protesters sneak across the border fence and set fire to an IDF post before returning to Gaza. IDF troops violently disperse the demonstrations, injuring 1 Palestinian minor. In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attempt to enter 2 Palestinian elementary schools in Tuqu‘ village near Bethlehem. Palestinian teachers and staff block them, but they are forced to dismiss their students early. IDF troops shoot and injure 2 Palestinians during clashes sparked by an arrest raid in Jalazun refugee camp near Ramallah; arrest 22 Palestinians and issue 4 arrest summons during further raids in and around Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, and Ramallah; and patrol near Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians during late-night raids in Issawiyya and the Old City. A Palestinian demolishes his own home in Issawiyya in order to avoid paying Israeli demolition fees. (EI, HA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/26; MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, YA 3/27; PCHR 3/28)

A senior Israeli official says that despite the reports of an Egypt- and UN-brokered cease-fire late last night, the Israeli assault on Gaza that began on 3/25 is “not over.” The official also says that the IDF struck “very harsh blows” on Hamas. “We’re ready to deal even more.” Separately, Palestinian sources in Gaza say that the Israelis are demanding an end to all resistance activities along the border fence, including the planned Great March of Return protest this Friday, in exchange for a cease-fire. (HA, TOI, TOI, YA 3/26)