The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound a Palestinian farmer working his land nr. the border fence e. of Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Bethlehem, and in Aida r.c., Jenin (detaining a senior Islamic Jihad cmdr.), Nablus; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall s. of Bethlehem nr. Um Salamuna; fences off areas along a settler bypass road through Jinata village nr. Bethlehem, declaring the areas closed military zones. (In response to the Jenin arrest, Islamic Jihad fires 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, seriously wounding 2 13-yr.-old Israeli boys in Sederot.) Israel announces approval for a new Jewish settlement, Maskiyot, in the n. Jordan Valley, where construction work to house 23 settler families evacuated fr. Shirat Hayam in the Gaza disengagement began several mos. ago, though 100 families are expected to move there in the near future; the approval violates pledges to the U.S. to halt settlement expansion and marking the government’s 1st official announcement of a new settlement since 1992 (though more than 100 unauthorized settlements have been built since 3/01); Israel claims the settlement is not new but the revival of a settlement approved in 1981; the site has been in use as an IDF base. (NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 12/27; PCHR 12/28)

The Israeli navy fires a shell at Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, causing no damage or injuries. Islamic Jihad fires several rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF warns that if the rocket fire of recent days continues, it will lead to an Israeli response. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Hebron. (NYT 12/25; OCHA 12/27; PCHR 12/28)

Palestinians fire at least 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; 1 rocket lands inside Gaza, injuring a 2-yr.-old Palestinian boy; Hamas says that it has not fired any of the nearly 50 rockets fired since the 11/26 Gaza truce was declared; Islamic Jihad has taken responsibility for many. Jewish settlers fr. Tal Rumayda stone a Palestinian girl, vandalize her family’s home in Hebron. Abbas blocks a number of government appointments made by Hamas-led PA offices. In Gaza City, a Fatah-linked clan kidnaps a Hamas mbr., sparking heaving exchanges of fire btwn. Fatah-Hamas supporters that leaves 1 Hamas mbr. dead. In Nablus, PA security forces loyal to Abbas fire on a group of 1,000 Hamas supporters celebrating the anniversary of the movement’s founding, wounding 9; Fatah-Hamas tensions have been high in Nablus, where Fatah protests the Hamas-led PA’s efforts to form an ESF branch under Siyam’s control. (MM 12/22; NYT, WP, WT 12/23; OCHA 12/27; PCHR 12/28; AIC 1/17)

An IDF soldier is lightly injured by a roadside bomb placed along the Gaza border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit into Nablus in 2 vehicles with Palestinian license plates to ambush a carload of AMB mbrs., assassinating AMB mbr. ‘Inab Abu Kishik, wounding 2 others; sends an undercover unit in a taxi with Palestinian license plates into al-Til where they ambush, assassinate local AMB leader Muhammad Hamad, wounding 1 bystander; fatally shoots a 13-yr.-old Palestinian girl who strays close to the separation wall nr. Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Allar and al-Til nr. Tulkarm, ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Bethlehem, Nablus. Jewish settlers leave the Homesh settlement site after camping there overnight. Jewish settlers fr. Emmanuel bulldoze Palestinian land in Qalqilya to expand the settlement. Fatah-Hamas clashes continue across Gaza throughout the day (involving automatic weapons fire, mortars, RPGs), leaving 6 Palestinians dead, at least 22 wounded: an ESF mbr. is shot dead, 11 Palestinians are wounded in an hr.-long exchange with Fatah mbrs. outside al-Shifa hospital; 2 Fatah mbrs. are killed and 9 wounded in an ambush in Gaza City; 2 Fatah mbrs. are kidnapped, killed and a Hamas mbr. is fatally shot elsewhere in Gaza. In the evening, Egyptian mediators in Gaza bring together Interior M Siyam with the heads of the Fatah-dominated PA security forces to broker a new cease-fire agmt. that goes into effect immediately; the sides also agree to form a joint operating center to coordinate all of the security forces. A Palestinian wounded in the 12/14 IDF assassination of AMB mbr. Zaytawi in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. dies. (NYT, WT 12/20; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)

The IDF raids, occupies a Palestinian home in Nablus as an observation post. Jewish settlers set up tents at the evacuated Homesh settlement site. Dozens of Jewish settlers fr. several settlements in the Nablus march through Wadi Malih village e. of Tubas, rally in the area throughout the day, preventing Palestinian farmers fr. working their land. The Fatah-Hamas truce holds during the day, but in the evening, Hamas mbrs. kidnap and briefly hold fmr. Fatah PC mbr. Sufian Abu Zayda in n. Gaza; Fatah mbrs. kidnap and briefly holdlocal Hamas leader Imad Deeb in n. Gaza, also releasing several Hamas mbrs. kidnapped on 12/17; Hamas, Fatah gunmen trade fire in Jabaliya r.c., leaving 1 Fatah mbr. dead, 12 Palestinians wounded; PA security officers, ESF mbrs. trade fire in Gaza City, wounding 2 bystanders; suspected Hamas gunmen open fire on a car carrying Fatah mbrs. in Gaza City, wounding 1 Palestinian. (NYT, WP, WT 12/19; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

Jewish settlers fr. Haggai settlement nr. Hebron vandalize nearby Palestinian homes. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa nr. Hebron uproot 60 Palestinian olive trees in nearby al-Sammu‘. Jewish settlers fr. Avigail nr. Hebron rampage through nearby Um Fagarah village. Jewish settlers rampage through Madama village nr. Nablus, fire in the air, attack local Palestinians before being evacuated by the IDF. Fatah mbrs. hold rallies in Gaza, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah, Tubas, Tulkarm to celebrate Abbas’s decision today to call for early elections; in Gaza, Fatah and Hamas mbrs. clash, exchange fire, leaving 18 Palestinians injured (7 wounded by gunfire). Angry over the death of a Palestinian boy in Jenin on 12/15, Palestinian gunmen briefly kidnap a PA official, release him unharmed. (AP 12/16; NYT, WT 12/17; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)

The IDF patrols in al-Sammu‘ (firing flash bombs and live ammunition, searching a police station, causing no injuries), al-Zahiriyya nr. Hebron (searching cars, firing on weapons, percussion grenades, causing no injuries); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus. To mark the 19th anniversary of the movement, Hamas supporters stage rallies across Gaza and the West Bank after Friday prayers, with Haniyeh addressing 10,000s of supporters in Gaza City, where he said that the his government has the names of those involved in the 12/14 assassination attempt against him and will turn them over to the Interior Min. for investigation; Fatah mbrs. fire on some rallies in Gaza but cause no injuries. At a large rally in Ramallah, PA security forces controlled by Abbas clash with Hamas supporters, who denounce Fatah for the 2/14 attempted assassination of Haniyeh, beating marchers and firing into crowds, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding 32 unarmed Hamas supporters. A 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy injured in clashes btwn. the AMB and PA police in Jenin on 12/13 dies. (BBC, REU 12/15; NYT, REU, WP, WT 12/16; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

Israel closes the Rafah border to prevent Haniyeh fr. returning to Gaza, alleging that Haniyeh’s delegation intended to bring in some $30 m. in cash donations collected during his 16-day regional tour. In response, 10s of Hamas mbrs. raid the Rafah crossing, exchanging fire with expelling Presidential Guard mbrs. guarding the post, occupying the transit hall on the Palestinian side of the border, later trading fire with Egyptian border police, leaving 15 Palestinians (mostly Hamas mbrs.) injured. Late in the evening, Israel allows Haniyeh to cross Rafah without the money, which is escorted to the Arab League by 2 Hamas officials under an arrangement brokered by Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Sulayman. Suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on Haniyeh’s convoy as it crosses into Gaza in an apparent assassination attempt, killing Haniyeh’s bodyguard, wounding his son and a political adviser, more than 10 other Palestinians; Hamas accuses fmr. PA security chief and powerful Fatah PC mbr. Muhammad Dahlan of orchestrating the attack; Dahlan denies responsibility. Separately in Gaza, PA security forces arrest PRC mbr. Hisham Mukhaymar for participation in the 12/11 shooting death of intelligence official Balusha’s children, sparking an exchange of gunfire btwn. PRC mbrs. and PA security forces. PRC mbrs. later kidnap a PA security officer, saying he would not be released until Mukhaymar is freed. In the West Bank, suspected Fatah gunmen fire on a rally in Balata r.c. marking Hamas’s 19th anniversary, leaving 4 Hamas supporters wounded. Other rallies to mark Hamas’s anniversary are held in Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Meanwhile, the IDF moves tanks, bulldozers 100 m into n. Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun, but no land leveling is reported. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel in violation of the 11/26 cease-fire, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in 2 vehicles with Palestinian license plates into ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus to ambush, assassinate wanted AMB mbr. Muhammad Zaytawi, wounding 1 woman, 5 children; fires on stone-throwing youths nr. Ariel settlement, fatally shooting a Palestinian bystander; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Tulkarm (confiscating film fr. journalists covering the incident). (BBC, al-Jazeera, REU 12/14; NYT, WP, WT 12/15; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

IDF troops at Gaza’s Qarni crossing fatally shoot a Palestinian who strays close to the border fence, marking the 1st IDF killing since the 11/26 cease-fire went into effect. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fisherman off the coast nr. Rafah, wounding 3. In the West Bank, a Palestinian stabs, wounds a private Israeli security contractor at Qalandia checkpoint outside Jerusalem. The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Tulkarm r.c. and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall s. of Tulkarm that will isolate 2,000 d. of Palestinian land btwn. the wall and the Green Line. The Israeli High Court rules that a section of the separation wall northeast of Jerusalem btwn. Dahiyat al-Barid and alRama may stand. In Jenin, AMB gunmen fire on the governorate building, set fire to a PA police station, exchange fire with police (injuring a 14-yr.-old bystander) to protest the fatal PA police shooting of an AMB mbr. in an incident involving a stolen vehicle. In Nussayrat r.c., unidentified assailants throw an explosive device into a crowd of Hamas supporters holding a rally, injuring several. In Gaza City, ESF, PSF mbrs. exchange fire, wounding a Palestinian girl. In Khan Yunis, suspected Fatah gunmen assassinate Hamas cmdr. Bassam al-Farra, forcing him to kneel, shooting him execution-style; Haniyeh, currently in the Sudan, cuts short his regional tour to return to Gaza to deal with the escalating intra-Palestinian violence. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/14; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)

DF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun open fire on Palestinian farmers who stray too nr. the border fence, seriously injuring 1. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries, bringing to 21 the number of rockets fired since the Gaza cease-fire went into effect on 11/26. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis, Jenin town and r.c., and nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm; bars a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a hospital in Nablus, allowing him to die. Following the 12/11 attack on Balusha’s car in Gaza City, Abbas deploys extra security forces under his command across the Strip, sparking an exchange of gunfire btwn. Fatah, Hamas mbrs. during a Fatah demonstration in Khan Yunis against the killings, leaving 4 Fatah mbrs. injured. Inside Israel, Israeli police demolish 4 homes in the unrecognized village of Um Mitnan in the Negev. (IMEMC, MM 12/12; OCHA, WP 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit into Tulkarm in a vehicle with Palestinian license plates to arrest 3 wanted Palestinians; demolishes a Palestinian home in Issawiyya nr. Jerusalem, partially demolishes a 2d home in nearby Ras al-Amud; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in ‘Askar r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya (firing percussion grenades into a Palestinian home causing a 56-yr.-old Palestinian woman to have a fatal heart attack). A Palestinian fires at an IDF checkpoint btwn. Sanur and Qabatya nr. Jenin, injuring 1 soldier. In Gaza City, suspected Hamas gunmen open fire on the car of PA General Intelligence col. and Fatah mbr. Baha Balusha on its way to drop off Balusha’s children at school, killing all 3 children (ages 6–9), the driver, wounding a bodyguard, 2 children outside the school in a failed assassination attempt; the gunmen are dispersed by ESF mbrs. who return fire; Hamas denounces the shooting as a “gruesome crime”; no group claims responsibility. (MM 12/11; NYT, WP, WT 12/12; OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14; MM 1/10)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border fence nr. Bayt Hanun, wounding 2. For the 3d day, the Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen w. of Rafah, damaging some boats but causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, Nablus. In Gaza, some 6,000 Palestinians turn out for 2 demonstrations in support of Haniyeh. (WT 12/9; OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border fence, wounding 4. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen w. of Rafah, damaging some boats but causing no injuries. The AMB fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Also in Gaza, Palestinian haulers hold a 1-day strike to protest new Israeli restrictions barring the passage of specific types of trailers through the Qarni industrial crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya, al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem. Inside Israel, Israeli police demolish Israeli police demolish 17 homes in the unrecognized village of Twayyil in the Negev. (Palestine Information Center, Palestine Times [London] 12/6; MM, PCHR 12/7; IMEMC 12/12; OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

Israel says it will not expand the Gaza cease-fire to the West Bank, noting that Palestinians have fired 15 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel since the unilateral truce went into effect on 11/26. IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Gaza City fire on Palestinian farmers who stray too close to the border fence, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF fires on stone-throwing youths in ‘Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, killing a 15-yr.-old Palestinian; patrols in Hebron’s al-Rajabi neighborhood, firing percussion grenades, severely beating a 16-yr.-old Palestinian boy who throws stones at troops; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah and in Hebron, Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm, al-Sammu‘. A Jewish settler injures 3 Palestinians in a deliberate hit-and-run at Hawara checkpoint outside Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Haggai nr. Hebron fire on a Palestinian home in nearby Khirbat Qalqas, seriously wounding a 6-yr.-old Palestinian boy. Under IDF protection, Jewish settler women fr. Kiryat Arba hold a gathering on a plot of Palestinian land, which they have planned to confiscate for some time, adjacent to the settlement. (MM, NYT, WP 12/4; OCHA 12/6; PCHR 12/7; AIC 1/17)

The IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on, wound a Palestinian who strays nr. the border fence nr. Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home, 3 shops, a warehouse in Qalqilya as well as 1 home in nearby Wad al-Rasha, 2 animal farms in nearby Wad Qana, 2 homes nr. Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them in Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian teenager, wounding 3), and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah. In Hebron, Israeli border police fatally shoot a Palestinian who throws a Molotov cocktail at police, lightly injuring 1 officer. (NYT 12/1, 12/2; OCHA 12/6; PCHR 12/7)

Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel in violation of the cease-fire, causing no damage or injuries; Olmert expresses “frustration,” but does not order a response. In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit in a vehicle with Palestinian license plates into Qabatya to arrest a wanted Palestinian; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Jala; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes under construction nr. Nablus, 4 homes in Jenin, 2 homes nr. Hebron, 2 offices of the Palestinian General Petrol Corp. (which supervises the import of fuel fr. Israeli companies in accordance with Israeli-Palestinian accords). (BBC 11/28; WT 11/29; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30)

In the West Bank, the IDF makes an arrest raid on Qalqilya, killing PRC mbr. ‘Abd al-Raziq Bakir Nazzal, a bystander; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron (severely damaging an electricity network in al-Sammu‘), Jenin. In retaliation for the deaths in Qalqilya, the AMB fires 2 rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel; 1 lands in Gaza the other nr. Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. In Hebron, 4 Jewish settler women fr. Ramat Yishai attack several Palestinian children, violently beating a 9-yr.- old girl. (NYT 11/28; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30)

Soon after the 6:00 A.M. Palestinian ceasefire deadline, the IDF withdraws all troops fr. Gaza, ending n. Gaza operations that began on 11/21 that killed 22 Palestinians (including at least 6 civilians), wounded at least 67 (including 28 children), destroyed 10 houses and 10 businesses, razed 80 d. of agricultural land. (After the pullout, the UN reports extensive damage—estimated at $6.4 m.—to Dahaniyya airport buildings by the IDF stationed there, noting that damage could not have been caused by crossfire with Palestinians.) Btwn. 6:00 and 10:15 A.M. local time, Palestinians fire 9 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging a house but causing no injuries; Israel does not retaliate and the truce seems to hold. Two Palestinians are killed when a tunnel they are digging under the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, IDF troops patrol in ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 1; conduct arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qabatya (fatally shooting 2 Palestinian bystanders) and Qalqilya, nr. Bethlehem and Hebron; issues a military order confiscating 565 d. of land belonging to al-Nabi Samwil, Bayt Surik, Bayt Iqsa villages n. of Jerusalem for construction of the separation wall. The Israeli High Court rejects a petition to reroute a section of the separation wallthat would envelope Bayt Hanina, Bir Naballah, al-Jadira, al-Jib, and Qalandia villages, cutting them off fr. the rest of the West Bank. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in the 10/13 IDF attack on Abasan. (IFM, WP 11/26; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/27; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30; OCHA 12/13; PLONAD 2/14)

The IDF continues operations in n. Gaza, fatally shooting an armed Palestinian, a Palestinian cameraman filming nr. Jabaliya, and a 10-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding at least 7 civilians; 2 IDF soldiers are injured by a roadside bomb nr. Bayt Lahiya. The IDF also sends bulldozers into the Khan Yunis area to level land. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into ‘Askar r.c., fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 2 with live ammunition; patrols in Salfit, firing on stonethrowing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 1 with live ammunition; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, Tulkarm and nr. Hebron; raids a clinic in Nablus, confiscating medical files, computers. A Palestinian dies of injuries received during an 11/3 IDF attack on Bayt Hanun. (NYT 11/25; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30)

The IDF sends additional tanks, troops into n. Gaza, bringing the total number of troops in n. Gaza to around 1,000, placing snipers on the rooftops of Palestinian homes, occupying the home of Reform and Change PC mbr. Jamila Shanti, fatally shooting 2 Hamas mbrs., a Palestinian woman, a 17-yr.-old Palestinian boy and wounding at least 1 gunman, 14 bystanders in Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Jabaliya r.c. An IDF soldier is wounded by an antitank missile in Bayt Hanun. The IDF also fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Rafah coast, wounding 1. In Gaza City, the IDF makes an air strike destroying a money exchange, damaging several nearby homes. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PRCs claim responsibility for firing 8 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel today, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF assassinates al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. Fadi Armur in Jenin r.c., wounding a 2d target, Islamic Jihad mbr. Ashraf al-Sa‘di; bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes, 2 animal pens nr. Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qabatya and in and around Hebron, Nablus. A Jewish settler injures a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy in a deliberate hitand-run nr. Bethlehem. (MM 11/22; MM, NYT, PCHR, WP 11/23; NYT 11/24; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30)

Overnight, the IDF sends troops back into Gaza City, surrounding the home of senior Hamas military cmdr. Ayman Dayif Allah Hassanian, ordering him to surrender, fatally shooting him and 2 bystanders (including a 70-yr.-old woman) in an exchange of gunfire, also bulldozing 20 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of olive, citrus groves. Palestinians fire 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting a factory, killing an Israeli. Early in the morning, the IDF sends troops back into n. Gaza, clashing with Palestinians in Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Jabaliya and also shelling the area, killing 1 Palestinian gunman, wounding at least 17 Palestinians; also leaving 2 IDF soldiers injured. The IDF also fires on Palestinian fisherman off the s. Gaza coast, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin (firing on stone-throwing Palestinians, wounding 2) and Nablus, in al-Bireh, Jericho, Tulkarm r.c. In Gaza City, an unidentified gunman shoots, wounds fmr. Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Shahin (Fatah) as he leaves a radio studio after giving an interview criticizing Hamas. In Khan Yunis, unidentified gunman kidnap, hold for several hrs. 2 Italian Red Cross employees, releasing them unharmed without comment. (MM 11/21; MM, NYT, OCHA, WP 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the IDF pulls out of Bayt Lahiya early in the morning. Later in the day, the IDF calls off air strikes on the Jabaliya r.c. homes of local PRC leader Muhammad Barud, a senior Hamas mbr. when, after warning residents to leave, 100s of Palestinians, including Palestinian Authority (PA) PM Ismail Haniyeh, arrive to act as human shields to protect the homes. Also in Gaza, an IDF drone fires on a car of Hamas mbrs. driving nr. Gaza City, killing a 75-yr.- old Palestinian bystander, wounding 2 Hamas mbrs., 7 civilians (including 4 children) in an apparent assassination attempt. Hamas mbrs. fire 8 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, seriously wounding 1 Israeli, lightly wounding 2. In the West Bank, IDF undercover units make an arrest raid on Yatta nr. Hebron. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Kahil nr. Hebron, in and around Nablus. (NYT, WP, WT 11/20; OCHA 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the IDF sends troops into Bayt Lahiya, raiding homes, fatally shooting the body guard of senior Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) mbr. Salih Zaydan; makes air strikes destroying a Palestinian home, an ESF post in Shatti’ r.c. nr. Gaza City, 1 home in Jabaliya, offices of a Muslim charity nr. Gaza City after warning occupants to leave; fires missiles from a helicopter gunship at a mosque in Gaza City, causing severe damage. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches around Nablus, in Qalqilya (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 29, demolishing 2 Palestinian homes). (OCHA 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pulls out of al-Shuka nr. Rafah, ending a 3-day incursion, during which 7 Palestinian homes were destroyed, roads and water networks were damaged; makes an air strike on the homes of a mbr. of the Popular Resistance Comms. (PRCs) in Jabaliya refugee camp (r.c.), a mbr. of the Hamas-dominated Executive Support Force (ESF) in Rafah (also destroying 3 neighboring houses) after warning the residents to leave; makes air strikes destroying another home in Rafah, 1 in Bayt Lahiya, a workshop in Khan Yunis also giving advanced warning; bulldozes 3 homes nr. the Sufa crossing in Rafah; sends bulldozers into Abasan nr. Khan Yunis to level land. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and in Bethlehem, Balata r.c. and Dayr Ishtiyya nr. Nablus (searching a mosque), Tulkarm. (NYT 11/17; OCHA 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the IDF launches air strikes destroying the homes of 5 Palestinian militants in Jabaliya, Gaza City, and Rafah after warning residents to leave, destroying the homes of 2 bystanders, wounding 1 bystander. Hamas, Islamic Jihad fire at least 13 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, killing 1 Israeli woman in Sederot (marking the 1st fatality in a rocket strike since 7/05, the 7th fatality since rocket strikes began in 1/02; see Quarterly Update in JPS 123), wounding 2 Israelis in Ashqelon and Sederot, damaging a home. In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian bystander during an arrest raid in Nablus; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Qabatya, Tulkarm. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 11/16; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the IDF launches an air strike on Gaza City, damaging a workshop, several houses. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searched in al-Fawar r.c. and Jenin town and r.c., and nr. Bethlehem, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa bulldoze 5 d. of Palestinian land nearby the settlement. (OCHA 11/15; PCHR 11/16)

In Gaza, the IDF shells an area outside Jabaliya used by Palestinians to launch rockets, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding 2 Palestinians; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Shuka. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. and Hebron, nr. Bethlehem (searching the offices of al-Rua‘a TV), Jenin. An ailing Palestinian infant dies after the IDF delays his parents fr. crossing a Nablus checkpoint to reach a hospital for 2 hrs. Jewish settlers fr. Shim’a settlement nr. Hebron prevent Palestinians fr. harvesting their fields. A Palestinian wounded on 11/3 in Bayt Lahiya, a Palestinian militant wounded on 11/3 in Bayt Hanun, and a Palestinian teenager wounded on 11/6 in Jabaliya die. (OCHA 11/15; PCHR 11/16; OCHA 11/22)

In Gaza, the IDF makes predawn artillery strikes on Bayt Hanun in retaliation for 11/7 rocket fire, hitting a residential area, killing 19 Palestinian civilians (17 in 1 family, including 8 children, 6 women), wounding 60–80 (including at least 26 children) in what the army says is a regrettable error; Israel suspends artillery fire on n. and e. Gaza pending an investigation. The IDF also fatally shoots 2 Palestinians (at least 1 armed), wounding 6 in Jabaliya; makes an air strike demolishing 1 Palestinian home in Gaza City after warning residents to leave. By nightfall, the IDF completes withdrawal of its forces fr. n. Gaza population centers into the border area btwn. the Strip and Israel officially ending Operation Autumn Clouds, leaving a total of 78 Palestinians dead (including 1 PSF officer and 50 civilians, including 16 children, 10 women), 262 wounded (including at least 67 children, 58 women), 250 d. of land razed, at least 16 homes and a mosque demolished, some 120 homes, 3 mosques, several schools, a hospital severely damaged Palestinians fire 13 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel in retaliation, causing no damage or injuries. In Damascus, Hamas leader Mishal calls on all factions to retaliate; a n. Gaza faction of Hamas’s Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades issues a statement blaming the U.S. for the casualties for its support of Israel and calls for attacks on U.S. targets worldwide, but a spokesman for Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades rejects the call, saying Hamas’s only theater of operations is Palestine. Bush sends his condolences, calls on all sides for restraint. The IDF also makes an air strike on a car in Gaza City, assassinating Hamas mbrs. Ahmad Awad (reportedly a chief rocket maker and son-in-law of PA FM Mahmud Zahhar), Ramzi Shuhaybir. In the West Bank, the IDF fires on Palestinians demonstrating against Operation Autumn Clouds, wounding 5; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and Nablus, nr. Bethlehem and Jerusalem; orders 71 bedouin to evacuate land nr. Ramallah on the grounds that it is “state land.” (BBC, HA, IFM, al-Mezan Center for Human Rights 11/8; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 11/9; OCHA 11/15; PCHR 11/16)

In Gaza, the IDF continues operations in n. Gaza, fatally shooting 2 Palestinian militants, 1 PA security officer in Bayt Hanun; expanding operations in Jabaliya r.c., firing on residential areas. Palestinians fire some 10 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no serious damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF searches homes in Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, firing on a PSF post, wounding 3 PSF officers; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Nablus. (NYT, WP 11/6; PCHR 11/9)

The IDF expands operations in n. Gaza, launching an air strike on a minivan in Gaza City, assassinating Hamas cmdr. Luay alBurnu, 2 other Hamas mbrs.; shelling Jabaliya r.c., killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding 4; later making an air strike on Jabaliya, killing 2 Hamas mbrs., wounding a by stander in what may be an assassination. An IDF sniper fatally shoots a 12-yr.-old Palestinian girl in the head in Gaza; the IDF say he was aiming at an armed Palestinian. In Bayt Hanun, the IDF fatally shoots a Hamas mbr. in exchanges that also leave an IDF officer seriously wounded; fires an antitank rocket to demolish the home of a Palestinian militant, collapsing the walls of a neighboring home, killing a Palestinian civilian; demolishes at least 4 other Palestinian homes; continues house to house searches; lifts the curfew for 3 hrs. to let residents buy food. IDF operations along the Rafah border also continue. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Ramallah, in Jenin and Nablus; demolishes a Palestinian home in Bethlehem. (NYT, WP, WT 11/5; PCHR 11/9)