In the West Bank, Israeli settlers graze their sheep on Palestinian land in al-‘Awja, damaging wheat and barley crops. Israeli settlers also throw stones at Palestinian vehicles and block the road...
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April 1, 2024
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March 20, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 2 Palestinians herding sheep near Burin. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian man and set fire to his car during a raid in Burqa. Elsewhere,...
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January 10, 2024
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man shot by Israeli forces on 1/8 in Beitunia succumbs to his wounds. Israeli settlers set olive trees and an agriculture structure on fire near Kafr ad-Dik....
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November 20, 2023
In the West Bank, a Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 11/9 in Jenin refugee camp. Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian herders and stole some of their sheep in...
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October 18, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort shot and killed a Palestinian man during a raid in Dura al-Qara’. Israeli settlers also shot and injured a Palestinian in Shufa. Elsewhere...
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October 13, 2023
In the West Bank, an Israeli settler was filmed shooting a Palestinian man point-blank in the stomach, critically injuring him during a settler raid in al-Twana. Israeli settlers also shot and...
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October 12, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli...
August 6, 2023
July 3, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces conducted 10 airstrikes on Jenin before beginning a large-scale ground force invasion with more than 1,000 soldiers, killing 8 Palestinians, injuring at least 50...
June 23, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort raided Deir Dibwan, setting fire to trees; 1 Palestinian was injured by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces during the raid. Israeli...
May 24, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort raided Burqa, attacking Palestinians and setting a barn and olive trees on fire; tear-gas related injuries were reported. Israeli forces...
April 3, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians during a raid in Nablus, 1 was injured by an Israeli police dog biting him in the leg, and 2 were arrested. Israeli forces also...
March 5, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces seized 1 bulldozer in Jalbun. 7 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Beit Sira, Turmus ‘Ayya, Sanjar, Sa’ir, and Fawwar refugee camp. (...
February 2, 2023
In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler pepper sprayed 1 Palestinian minor in Huwwara. Israeli forces demolished 1 residential structure and 1 agricultural structure in Nabi Musa, demolished 15...
January 9, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians with live ammunition during a raid in Aqraba. Israeli forces also issued a demolition notice for a house in Idhna, giving the...
December 5, 2022
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 30 olive tree saplings in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man during a raid in Dheisheh refugee camp, 6 others were...
November 25, 2022
In the West Bank, 1 Israeli soldier attacked 1 Israeli activist in Hebron, hitting him in the face after forcing him to the ground in Hebron; the activist was later sentenced to 5 days of house...
November 7, 2022
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized more than 100 olive trees near Turmus ‘Ayya. Israeli settlers also vandalized 60 olive trees in Jalud, spraying them with chemicals. Israeli forces...
November 2, 2022
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles in Hebron, causing damage. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man after he allegedly rammed his car into an...
June 27, 2022
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Yatma before being repelled by Palestinians. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian with live ammunition during a raid in Jenin. Israeli forces...
June 7, 2022
In the West Bank, Israeli forces delivered demolition notices for 4 houses, 8 water wells, and 1 agricultural structure in a-Tabban in the Masafer Yatta area and stop-work notices for 2 water...
March 20, 2022
In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided al-Ibrahimi Mosque and prevented Muslim worshippers from entering the mosque. Israeli forces also sealed the entrance to Nabi Saleh. Elsewhere, Israeli...
March 15, 2022
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Burqa but were chased away by Palestinian residents; no injuries were reported. Israeli settlers also uprooted some 200 olive tree saplings in Khallet...
March 9, 2022
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian who was shot by Israeli forces during a protest in Burqa on 3/1 succumbed to his wounds. Israeli settlers uprooted and stole grape saplings and damaged a stone wall...
January 12, 2022
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian surveyor in Kafr Qalil, causing injuries to his head. Israeli settlers with military escort made roadblocks around Sabastia. Israeli...
October 24, 2021
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers tried to steal sheep in Qarawat Bani Hassan before being chased away by Palestinians. Israeli forces delivered stop-work notices for 1 house, 1 water well, and 1...
March 18, 2021
In the West Bank, 9 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Bayt Umar, Ya‘bad, Hebron, Jalazun, Qalandia, Salfit, Abu Dis, and Hizma; during a raid in Bayt Umar, Israeli forces assaulted 4...
September 1, 2019
In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 8 Palestinians, including 7 during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Ramallah, Halhul, and Salfit, and 1 at a flying checkpoint in Hebron; among...
April 9, 2019
In the West Bank, 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Jenin, and Salfit. Israeli forces also raided houses in the Hebron area and set up flying...
January 24, 2018
Hundreds of Palestinians gather in Jabaliya refugee camp to protest U.S. pres. Trump’s 12/6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the recent U.S. decision to cut aid to UNRWA. In the...
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers graze their sheep on Palestinian land in al-‘Awja, damaging wheat and barley crops. Israeli settlers also throw stones at Palestinian vehicles and block the road leading to the Huwwara checkpoint. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, causing damage. Israeli settlers also attack a Palestinian home in Khalayl al-Louz. Israeli forces violently disperse Palestinians in Huwwara, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also demolish 6 commercial structures in al-‘Awja and issue a stop-work notice for a home in Deir Balut. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seize a tractor in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Israeli forces also close the entrance to Husan. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 25 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarm, Aqraba, Hebron, and Bethlehem. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Khan Yunis, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 63 people, including 7 aid workers of Palestinian, Polish, American, British, and Australian nationality from World Central Kitchen in Dayr al-Balah. Israeli forces also withdraw from al-Shifa Hospital after a 14-day siege, leaving it completely destroyed; witnesses say that hundreds of bodies are found in and around the hospital. The Gaza Media Office says that 400 Palestinians were killed during the attack on al-Shifa. In the Naqab, Israeli police arrest the sister of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who is an Israeli citizen, in Tel as-Sabi. A drone launched from Iraq damages an Israeli military building in Eliat; no injuries are reported. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq takes responsibility. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Rachaya Al Foukhar. In Jordan, protesters demonstrate near the Israeli embassy in Amman for the ninth day in a row. In Syria, Israeli forces target an Iranian consulate building in Damascus with airstrikes, assassinating Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp senior commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and killing 11 others. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/1; AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA 4/2; AP, UNOCHA 4/3; NYT 4/4)
More than 32,845 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,750 children and 8,900 women, and around 75,392 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 445 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 112 children. More than 4,700 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 254 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,520 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 190 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (AJ, HA, WAFA 4/1; AP, AP, NYT 4/2; UNOCHA, UNOCHA 4/3)
World Central Kitchen (WCK) suspends all operations in Gaza after 7 of its workers are killed in an Israeli airstrike (see above), returning 3 ships docked off the coast of Gaza carrying 240 tons of aid to Cyprus. The organization runs 68 community kitchens in Gaza and has sent some 1,700 truckloads of aid into Gaza. Several investigations into the Israeli bombing of the WCK aid convoy reveal that the 3 vehicles the aid workers were in were targeted in 3 strikes 1.5 miles apart. The 3 vehicles were clearly marked with WCK’s logo on the top of the cars. The Israeli narrative changes several times during the period after the attack, from saying an armed person was traveling with the vehicles to saying the clearly marked vehicles were misidentified. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the attack “unintended” and “tragic” and says “[t]hese things happen in wartime.” UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese says the Israeli attack was a deliberate effort to starve the population of Gaza. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese calls Netanyahu, expressing “anger and concern” at the killing of the Australian aid worker. U.S. president Joe Biden says he is “outraged and heartbroken,” adding Israel is not doing enough to protect aid workers. The White House claims that there is no evidence that the aid workers were killed deliberately. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres says 196 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since 10/7/2023. Refugees International president Jeremy Konyndyk calls the attack “a clear war crime.” Hamas labels the attack terrorism. (REU 4/1; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, AX, BC, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/2; AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 4/3; NYT 4/4)
The Israeli Civil Administration announces that it will seize 206.3 dunams (51 acres) of land in Jiftlik, adding it to the settlement council in the Jordan Valley and declare 170 dunams (42 acres) of Palestinian land south of Furaydis near the Etzion settlement bloc as state land. (AJ, PCN, WAFA 4/1; PCN 4/2)
The Knesset passes a law allowing the Israeli government to ban Al Jazeera in Israel in a 71-10 vote. Al Jazeera says Prime Minister Netanyahu, who called it a “terror channel,” is lying about the news organization to justify the killing of its employees. Minister for the development of the Negev (Naqab) and Galilee Yitzhak Wasserlauf calls for the resettlement of Gaza. (AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, REU 4/1; AJ 4/2)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas speaks with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken in a phone call, calling on the U.S. to stop the Israeli attacks on Gaza. The 2 also discuss the new PA government. PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour calls on the UN Security Council to schedule a vote on full Palestinian membership of the UN in April. The UN General Assembly voted to grant Palestine full membership in 2011 but the decision was never discussed at the Security Council. (AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 4/1; AP 4/2)
U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary Blinken hold a virtual meeting with Israeli national security advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, discussing Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah. A joint statement says Israel has agreed to take U.S. concerns into account. Reuters reports that the U.S. considering approving an arms transfer to Israel worth $18 billion, including 25 F-15 fighter jets. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre says the Biden administration is seeking more information from Israel about footage of executions at al-Shifa Hospital. Jean-Pierre also express concern over Israel’s push to ban Al Jazeera. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 4/1; AJ, AP, HA, NYT 4/2; AX 4/3)
At the UN Security Council, France circulates a draft resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, condemning Hamas’ attack on Israel on 10/7/2023, and demanding immediate access for aid into Gaza. (AP 4/2)
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Israeli failures in Gaza have led to Israel targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus, calling for a serious international response. Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi says the attack will not go unanswered. Pakistan and Syria condemn Israel’s attack. Russia requests that the UN Security Council convene on 4/2 to discuss the attack. Axios reports that the U.S. tells Iran that it did not have any involvement in the attack. (AJ, HA, HA, NYT 4/1; AP, AX, HA, REU 4/2; AP, REU 4/3)
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez tells reporters in Amman that he expects Spain will recognize the State of Palestine by July and that many other countries in the EU would do the same. (AJ, HA, HA, REU 4/2)
Sri Lanka donates $1 million to UNRWA. (WAFA 4/1)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 2 Palestinians herding sheep near Burin. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian man and set fire to his car during a raid in Burqa. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers raid Arab al-Malihat, threatening shepherds with guns. An Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle kills the 3 Palestinian occupants. PA forces subsequently violently disperse Palestinians protesting outside of the Jenin governor’s office demanding that a Palestinian prisoner is released to participate in the funeral procession, 30 are injured. A Palestinian allegedly collaborating with Israel is reportedly killed after the airstrike. Israeli forces also raid Tulkarm, razing infrastructure and damaging buildings. Elsewhere, Israeli forces arrest 30 Palestinians during raids in and around Tulkarm, Nablus, Hebron, Ramallah, Jericho, and Jalazone refugee camp. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, and al-Bureij, killing at least 104 people, including the head of aid distribution in Gaza Amjad Hathat. Israeli forces also continue the siege of al-Shifa Hospital and arrest Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud al-Aliwa, the second Al Jazeera journalist to be arrested by Israeli forces at the hospital. Israeli military chief of staff Herzl Helevi tours the hospital. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Marjayoun, Houla, and Ghandouriya. Hezbollah forces fire rockets at Israeli soldiers in Metula and Avivim. (AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/20; AJ, HA, HA, REU, UNOCHA 3/21)
More than 31,923 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 74,096 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 431 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 111 children. More than 4,665 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 250 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,489 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 181 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. Jordan, the U.S., Egypt, Singapore, and Germany airdrop aid over Gaza. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/20; UNOCHA 3/21)
Israel says its forces have killed 90 people in and around al-Shifa Hospital since 3/18 and brought 160 out of 300 arrested Palestinians to Israeli detention centers in the Naqab. Hamas denies Israeli claims that Hamas members were in the hospital. The Gaza Media Office says Israeli attacks have killed more than 100 aid workers in the past week. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU 3/20; NYT 3/21)
Autopsy reports reveal that a Palestinian prisoner who died at the Ofer Prison on 2/8 died due to medical neglect while a prisoner who died on 1/1 at the Megiddo Prison died after being beaten. (HA 3/20)
The Israeli High Court of Justice approves the demolition of the family home of a Palestinian man who was killed by Israeli forces after he injured an Israeli soldier in East Jerusalem on 10/12/2023. It is the first time the Israeli court has approved a punitive demolition based on an attack that did not lead to Israeli fatalities. (AJ, HA, HA 3/20)
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) urges FIFA to sanction Israel due to the Israeli attacks on Gaza. The PFA says 6 other national soccer associations endorse the proposal that will be discussed at the next FIFA congress in May. (AJ 3/20)
Palestinian MK Ayman Odeh is expelled from the Knesset after saying “[w]hat the Israeli army is doing [in Gaza] is murder, a massacre, the starvation of children.” (HA 3/20)
U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin urges Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant to consider alternatives to a ground invasion of Rafah during a phone call. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says “gaps are narrowing” in the ceasefire negotiations. Hamas official Osama Hamdan says the Israeli response to the Hamas counterproposal was negative. Blinken also meets with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Jeddah and UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the UAE. Blinken says the U.S. has submitted a new draft resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU, REU 3/20; AJ, AJ, AX, HA, NYT, NYT, REU 3/21; AJ 3/22)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with U.S. Republican senators via video link, telling them that he will continue attacking Gaza. Netanyahu also speaks with House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer reportedly declined a request by Netanyahu to address the Senate Democrats. (HA, HA, NYT, REU 3/20; AJ, AJ 3/21)
19 Democratic senators, led by Tom Carper (D-DE), call on the Biden administration to “promptly establish a bold, public framework outlining the steps necessary” to establish a Palestinian state. (AJ 3/21)
Saudi Arabia donates $40 million to UNRWA. (AJ, REU, WAFA 3/20; AJ 3/21)
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man shot by Israeli forces on 1/8 in Beitunia succumbs to his wounds. Israeli settlers set olive trees and an agriculture structure on fire near Kafr ad-Dik. Israeli forces raid Nablus and Abud, injuring 8 people with live ammunition, including a child, and cause widespread destruction in Nablus. Israeli forces also demolish a car wash and a nursery in Kafl Haris. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raze 6 dunams (1.5 acres) of Palestinian-owned land planted with 50 olive trees in Hebron and 2 dunams (.5 acres) of Palestinian-owned land near Bethlehem. Israeli forces also raid a medical clinic near Bethlehem, causing damage. Israeli forces arrest 26 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Ramallah, Tulkarm, Tubas, Hebron, Jenin, and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities demolish a Palestinian home in Sur Baher, displacing 8 people. In Gaza, Israel bombs Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Maghazi, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least 147 people, including 4 crew members and 2 injured Palestinians being transported an ambulance, killing 40 people in a home at the entrance of al-Aqsa Hospital in Dayr al-Balah, and 15 people in an apartment building in Rafah. In the Naqab, Israeli forces demolish the al-Za’arura and Bir Hadaj Bedouin villages. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attack the home of a Hezbollah member in Kfarchouba, killing him. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/10; AJ 1/11)
More than 23,357 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 16,350 women and children, and around 59,410 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 335 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 84 children. More than 4,148 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 184 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,076 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 69,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 193 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (WAFA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/10)
Israel places Khalida Jarrar in administrative detention for an initial period of 6 months. (AJ 1/10)
Haaretz reports that Israel demolished 140 Palestinian homes and 84 other structures in East Jerusalem in 2023, marking a 60% increase in home demolitions compared to 2022. The newspaper notes that during the first 9 months of 2023 10 housing units were demolished per month and after 10/7 the figure rose to 17 a month. (HA 1/10)
Hamas official Osama Hamdan says there are no talks about a prisoner exchange, adding Israel is defrauding the Israeli public by circulating reports about talks. Hamdan maintains the Hamas position that it will not engage until Israel stops its attacks on Gaza. Hamdan also calls on the ICJ not to be pressured by the U.S. (AJ, HA, NYT 1/10)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken in Ramallah, discussing the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. Reports describe the meeting as intense, with Abbas pressing Blinken on Israel’s freezing of the PA’s tax revenue and Israel’s attacks on Gaza. Palestinians protest Blinken’s visit, saying he is not welcome. Blinken later tells the press in Bahrain that Abbas agreed to reform the PA in preparation to take control of Gaza. Abbas flies to Aqaba in Jordan after the meeting with Blinken where he meets Jordanian king Abdullah II and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, discussing ways to end Israel’s war in Gaza and prevent the displacement of Palestinians. PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh meets with U.S. deputy assistant secretary for Palestinian affairs Hady Amr in Ramallah. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/10; AJ, AJ, HA, NYT 1/11)
In an English language post on X Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, “Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population,” contradicting statements by several of his coalition members. Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz says Hamas no longer has ruling capabilities in Gaza and that Israel will continue its war to prevent Hamas from regaining control. Gantz also says that security in Gaza will remain “in our hands.” Likud member and deputy speaker of the Knesset Nissim Vatur tells the Kol Barama radio station that “Gaza and its people must be burned.” (AJ, AP, HA, HA 1/10)
Colombia and Brazil issue statements in support of the South African case against Israel at the ICJ. Palestinians rally in Ramallah in support of the case. (AJ 1/10; AJ 1/11)
The UN Security Council passes a resolution demanding that Yemen’s Houthi government ends its attacks on ships in the Red Sea and frees the ship Galaxy Leader and its crew. Russia, China, Mozambique, and Algeria abstain. 3 Russian amendments to the resolution fail. The Houthis call the resolution a “political game.” (AJ, AP, AP, HA 1/10; AJ, AJ, HA 1/11)
The ICC sets up a portal for submission of evidence of Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, or aggression. (AJ, WAFA 1/10)
The Chinese Foreign Ministry calls for an immediate ceasefire and for Israel to stop “collective punishment” of the people of Gaza. (AJ 1/10)
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis suggests at a presidential primary debate that Egypt or Saudi Arabia should resettle some Palestinians from Gaza if Israel “makes the calculation that [it is needed] to avert a second Holocaust.” Another candidate, Nikki Haley, says the U.S. should give Israel “whatever it wants.” (AJ, HA 1/11)
A poll conducted for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy finds that 96% of Saudis believe all Arab states should sever all ties with Israel. A YouGov poll commissioned by Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Council for Arab-British Understanding shows that 71% of people in the UK support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, while 17% approve of the UK government’s handling of the war on Gaza. (AJ 1/10)
The Jewish Forward reports that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has started including pro-Palestine rallies in its tally of anti-Semitic incidents. The report also says that the ADL now deems all anti-Zionist chants and slogans anti-Semitic, leading to pro-Palestine rallies where anti-Zionist slogan were chanted constituting 40% of incidents of anti-Semitism counted in a recent ADL report. (AJ, HA 1/10)
The International Ice Hockey Federation bars Israel from participating in world championship events, citing security concerns. Israel calls the ban “anti-Semitic.” The decision prevents the U20 Israeli hockey team from participating in a Division III world championship tournament later this month. (HA, TOI 1/11)
In the West Bank, a Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 11/9 in Jenin refugee camp. Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian herders and stole some of their sheep in Tuqu’. Israeli settlers also raided Kisan, stealing solar panels and a generator. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers raided Shaab al-Butum in the Masafer Yatta area, demolishing a residential structure and vandalizing solar panels, water tanks, and 70 olive tree saplings. Israeli settlers also attacked 2 Palestinians and 2 foreign journalists during a raid in Manizil and al-Rakiz in the Masafer Yatta, causing bruises. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during a raid near al-Arroub refugee camp. Israeli forces also shot and injured a Palestinian during a raid in Arrabah. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished a 4-story building under construction in al-Za’im. Nearly 50 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Deir al-Ghusun, Ramallah, Deir Ibzi, Bethlehem, and Qaryut. In Gaza, Israeli forces sealed off the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya; Israeli shelling of the hospital killed 12 people. 100 patients were later evacuated from the hospital. The Israeli seige of al-Shifa Hospital continued for the fifth day. Israeli forces also attacked a Doctors Without Borders clinic in Gaza City, destroying 4 of its vehicles that were clearly marked with the organization’s logo. Israeli airstrikes targeted Nuseirat refugee camp, killing 20, Rafah killing 15, and Khan Yunis killing a family of 5. The number of fatalities was likely much higher since the Gaza Ministry of Health was unable to communicate with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said it attacked 250 sites in Gaza. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed. In Tayibe, Israeli police arrested a 14-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel for allegedly posting support for Hamas on social media. In Lebanon, Israel attacked several areas, including the home of Amal party official Kabalan Kabalan; no injuries were reported. Israel said Hezbollah launched 25 rockets and 3 drones at Israel, hitting military sites; no injuries were reported. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, CNN, HA, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/20; AJ, HA, HA 11/21)
The Gaza Ministry of Health was not able to fully update the casualty figures due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza, leaving the casualty numbers at around 13,000 Palestinians killed, including 5,500 children and 3,500 women, and around 32,000 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 3,250 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 208 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 52 children. More than 2,885 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. 71 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.61 million Palestinians, around 70% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 11/6, at least 40,000 housing units had been destroyed and 220,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 45% of all housing units. Some 25,000 people fled northern Gaza to the south. The UN said that since shelters are completely full newly arrived displaced people were sleeping on the streets. 51 aid trucks entered Gaza, including trucks carrying material to build 2 field hospitals run by the UAE and Jordan. 2 trucks carrying 17,000 gallons of fuel entered Gaza. 180 doctors and nurses entered Gaza. 571 foreign nationals and 67 injured Palestinians were evacuated from Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Jordanian crown prince Hussein arrived in Egypt to oversee the establishment of the Jordanian field hospital, which will be set up in Khan Yunis. The Committee to Protect Journalists said 50 journalists have been killed since 10/7, including 45 Palestinians and 1 Lebanese. (AJ, AP, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/20; HA, UNOCHA 11/21)
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak told CNN that the tunnels system Israel is claiming that Hamas uses under al-Shifa Hospital was built by Israel “five or four decades ago …. to enable more space for the operation of the hospital within the very limited size of the compound.” (CNN 11/20)
A witness said that the Palestinian man who died at the Ketziot Prison in the Naqab on 11/18, Thaer Samih Abu Assab, was beaten to death by Israeli forces after they raided his cell and assaulted 10 prisoners. (AJ 11/20)
Israeli forces reportedly arrested Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha on 11/18 while he was fleeing from northern Gaza to Rafah to get to the U.S. where his son has citizenship. (HA 11/21)
Israel indicted 2 Israelis on charges of terrorism for throwing Molotov cocktails at a court, a post office, banks, and Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah. (HA 11/20)
The Israeli military said there have been several incidents of friendly fire in Gaza, saying Israeli soldiers had been killed as a result. There were more than 10,000 Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Israel’s military also said it had transferred 300 Palestinians from Gaza to Israel. (AP, HA 11/20)
Foreign ministers from the PA, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Indonesia and a representative from the OIC met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing, calling for a ceasefire. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 11/20)
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh met with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) president Mirjana Spoljaric in Qatar, who demanded that Hamas release all captives immediately and that the ICRC be allowed to visit the captives. The Hamas information ministry called on Egypt to open the Rafah crossing permanently, saying it fears epidemics and famine will hit Gaza due to the lack of food and basic medical services. A Hamas military spokesperson said the Qassam Brigades had destroyed 60 military vehicles in the past 3 days and that Israeli forces had killed their own soldiers after thinking they were captured by Hamas militants. (AJ, AP, HA 11/20)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Latvian president Edgars Rinkević in Ramallah, discussing the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. (WAFA 11/20)
Israeli interior minister Moshe Arbel demanded that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) build an aid program for Israelis evacuated from the area around Gaza and near the Blue Line, during a meeting with UNHCR representative in Israel Matthias Larota. The Knesset Ethics Committee banned Likud MK Nissim Vaturi from speaking at the next 10 Knesset sessions after he accused 2 Palestinian, MKs Aida Touma-Sliman and Iman Khatib-Yassin, of supporting Hamas. (HA 11/20)
Israel recalled its ambassador to South Africa. South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel weeks ago and referred the situation in Gaza to the ICC on 10/7. The South African parliament is also scheduled to vote on 11/21 to close the Israeli embassy and cut all ties with Israel until a ceasefire is implemented. (AJ, HA 11/20; AJ, HA 11/21)
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he will not allow the issue of Israeli nuclear weapons to be dropped from the international agenda and said the “shame of the Holocaust has literally taken European leaders hostage,” referring to their support for Israel. (HA 11/20)
White House senior adviser for energy and investment Amos Hochstein met with Israeli officials, discussing the situation at the Blue Line and the development of the Gaza Marine gas field off the coast of Gaza, which he said would benefit the Palestinian economy. Hochstein arrived in Israel after meetings with Lebanese officials. (AJ, AX, HA, REU 11/20)
Amnesty International said Israel had committed war crimes by attacking a church in Gaza City on 10/19 and a residential building in Nuseirat refugee camp on 10/20, which killed 46 civilians, including 20 children. Amnesty said it had visited the sites, interviewed witnesses and survivors, and analyzed satellite imagery to reach its conclusion. (HA, WAFA 11/20)
13 U.S. senators urged President Joe Biden to work with Israel to increase aid to Gaza, including by reopening the Karem Abu Salem (Karem Shalom) crossing and to protect Palestinian civilians. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called for a ceasefire, the second U.S. senator to do so after Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). 41 members of the House have called for a ceasefire. (AJ, HA 11/20)
Qatar said the revenue from the Asia Cup 2023 soccer tournament held in the country will go to Palestinian relief efforts. The Australian soccer team, which is playing against the Palestinian soccer team in a World Cup qualifying game in Kuwait on 11/21, said its players and soccer association will donate a 5-figure sum to Palestinians in Gaza. (AJ, WAFA 11/20)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort shot and killed a Palestinian man during a raid in Dura al-Qara’. Israeli settlers also shot and injured a Palestinian in Shufa. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinians traveling near Burqa, injuring a Palestinian woman. Israeli settlers also opened fire at a Palestinian vehicle near Bizarya, causing damage. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers vandalized olive trees near Tell. Israeli forces shot and killed 3 Palestinians, including 2 minors, during raids in Shuqba and Jamma’in. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Huwwara, Tarqumiyah, and Dar Salah, injuring 3 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina. 65 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus. Around 750 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces since 10/7. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed around 100 Palestinians, including several people sheltering at an UNRWA school in Khan Yunis. Rockets were fired at Israel, causing damage. In Haifa, Israeli police violently dispersed anti-war protesters, arresting 4 and injuring others with batons. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile at Israeli soldiers in Shtula, injuring 5. Israel fired artillery shells and conducted drone strikes in Lebanon. Hezbollah said 2 of its members were killed. Protesters demonstrated outside of the German and U.S. embassies in Beirut. In Syria, Israel conducted airstrikes in the Quneitra province. In Turkey, 60 people, mostly police officers, were injured after protesters in Istanbul attempted to storm the Israeli consulate. There were also demonstrations in Jordan, Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Iran, and the West Bank. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, UNOCHA WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/18; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/19)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of 5 p.m. at least 3,500 Palestinians had been killed, including at least 853 children, and 12,500 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7, including 47 entire families consisting of 500 people. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 65 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 15 children. More than 1,284 have been injured, including at least 300 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals; 4,562 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that over 1 million Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 11,887 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The number is likely much higher as the latest data is from 10/14. The Palestinian civil defense team said that more than 1,000 Palestinians were under the rubble of buildings in Gaza. (AJ, AJ, HA, UNOCHA 10/18)
Palestinians in the West Bank observed a general strike in protest against the Israeli airstrike that killed 471 people at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on 10/17. (WAFA, WAFA 10/18)
The Israeli military again called on Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate south to the al-Mawasi area. (AJ 10/17; HA, UNOCHA 10/18)
The PA leadership held an emergency meeting chaired by President Mahmoud Abbas, confirming a July 2023 decision to end security coordination with Israel and reaffirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-defense. (WAFA 10/18)
The Knesset approved temporary legislation to allow Israeli prisons to admit new inmates beyond their legal capacity, allowing worsening conditions for Palestinian prisoners, including reducing living spaces and forcing prisoners to sleep on mattresses on the floor. The bill will be in effect for 3 months. Israel prisons have received 500 new Palestinian prisoners since 10/7, including 118 who crossed from Gaza to Israel in relation to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. The Israeli High Court of Justice ruled in 2017 that prisoners must be given at least 37.7 square feet of space. The Knesset ethics panel also voted to suspend Jewish Hadash MK Ofer Cassif from the Knesset for 45 days and revoked his salary for 14 days over his anti-war stance. (AJ, HA 10/18; HA 10/19)
U.S. president Joe Biden landed in Israel for meetings with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and the war cabinet. Biden was supposed to travel to Amman for meetings with President Abbas, Jordanian king Abdullah II, and Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, but the meetings were cancelled by the 3 leaders after Israel bombed al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, killing 471 people. Biden told Netanyahu during a meeting that “it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you” in reference to the hospital bombing. Biden cautioned Israel not to be consumed by rage, saying the U.S. made mistakes after 9/11. Biden also announced $100 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians as the Senate was working on passing a bill providing $10 billion in extra military aid to Israel. Biden said aid to Gaza could start arriving on 10/20, as Egypt needs to “patch the road” to the crossing. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) blocked an attempt by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) to prevent the Biden administration from dispersing the $100 million in aid to Palestinians. 33 Democratic senators urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lead efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. Around 300 Jewish Americans were arrested at the U.S. Capitol while protesting Israel’s war in Gaza. The protest was arranged by Jewish Voice for Peace. (HA 10/17; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU 10/18; AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA 10/19; AJ 10/20)
After President Biden’s meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying that Israel will not allow aid from its territory to enter Gaza until the captives are returned. The statement also said Israel demands that the Red Cross be able to visit the captives and that Israel will not “thwart” humanitarian aid from Egypt as long as it only consists of food, water, and medicine. (AJ 10/17; AJ, HA 10/18)
President el-Sisi said during a press conference with German chancellor Olaf Schulz that Israel could allow Palestinians in Gaza to stay in the Naqab desert until Israel can “do what they wish to do with the militant operatives in the Gaza Strip.” El-Sisi also spoke with President Biden about aid coming through the Rafah crossing. Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in the sidelines of an OIC meeting in Jeddah, discussing the situation in Gaza. Amir-Abdollahian called on the OIC members to sanction Israel and expel Israeli ambassadors. The OIC called for an immediate ceasefire and for Israel to lift the siege of Gaza. (AP 10/16; AJ 10/17; AJ, HA, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 10/18; WAFA 10/19)
The U.S. blocked a UN Security Council resolution calling for humanitarian access to Gaza, protection of civilians, and condemning Hamas’ operation in Israel. The resolution, introduced by Brazil, was approved by 12 members of the Security Council, while Russia and the UK abstained. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called “for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East.” (AJ 10/17; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU 10/18)
U.S. State Department director of the office of public and congressional affairs Josh Paul resigned in protest over the Biden administration’s policy toward the Israeli assault on Gaza and its “impulsive reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia.” (AJ, HA 10/18; AJ, NYT 10/19)
Jewish Currents reported that the Palestinian academics and analysts Noura Erakat, Yousef Munayyer, and Omar Baddar had their interviews cut from segments on CBS and CNN. MSNBC last week temporarily removed 3 Muslim hosts, Mehdi Hasan, Ali Velshi, and Ayman Mohyeldin, who is Palestinian, from their programming. (JC 10/18)
In the West Bank, an Israeli settler was filmed shooting a Palestinian man point-blank in the stomach, critically injuring him during a settler raid in al-Twana. Israeli settlers also shot and injured 3 Palestinians with live ammunition in Nablus, Elsewhere, Israeli settlers vandalized 2 agricultural structures and uprooted fruit trees in Masafer Yatta, damaged vehicles near Nahalin, and homes in Silat ad-Dhahr. Israeli forces shot and killed 15 Palestinians, including 3 minors, during raids in Tulkarm, Beit Furik, Beit Ula, al-Ram, Atuf, Biddu, Bayt Liqya, and Hebron. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Halhul, Dheisheh refugee camp, Qalandia, Huwwara, Budrus, al-Khader, Bethlehem, al-Twana, Jenin, Hebron, and Qalqilya, injuring 53 with live ammunition and baton rounds. An Israeli soldier was killed in friendly fire in Nablus. 36 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Hebron, Fawwar refugee camp, Qalqilya, Dheisheh refugee camp, Beit Umar, and Halhul. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinians children in Isawiya. Israel also refused Palestinians under the age of 35 entry to the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, 70 Palestinians following Israeli evacuation orders were killed and more than 200 wounded in an airstrike on a road. Around 300 others were also killed and more than 1,100 were injured in Israeli airstrikes throughout Gaza. Israeli forces also made incursions into Gaza, retrieving the bodies of several Israelis. Rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza; no deaths were reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdullah and injured 6 others in a missile strike. Al Jazeera said Israel targeted the group of journalists intentionally. (AP 10/7; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/13; AJ, HA, HA, REU 10/14; AP, REU, REU 10/15)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said that as of 2 p.m. at least 1,799 Palestinians had been killed and 7,388 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. Hamas said 13 of the captives from Israel, including foreign nationals, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours. Israel said it hit 750 targets overnight and destroyed 12 high-rise buildings within a minute. 51 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 11 children. More than 700 have been injured. Israeli officials said 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 3,436 injured since 10/7. The UN reported that 423,378 Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 9,283 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 10/13)
The Israeli military told around 1.1 million Palestinians in the northern part of Gaza, including Gaza City, that they should flee south within the next 24 hours. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that would have “devastating humanitarian consequences” and strongly appealed to Israel to rescind the order. Many countries also called on Israel to reverse its order. The WHO called relocating severely ill people a “death sentence.” UNRWA offered its staff and their families shelter at an UNRWA compound in southern Gaza but said it did not have plans to evacuate Palestinians sheltering in UNRWA schools throughout Gaza as it does not have any capacity in the south and has no means of transporting the many thousands of people. Hamas’ refugee affairs authority called on Palestinians to remain in their homes, calling the Israeli evacuation order “disgusting phycological war.” Egypt moved thousands of troops to its Gaza border to prevent Palestinians fleeing Israeli attacks from breaching the border fence. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, HA, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/13; AJ, AJ, AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/14; WAFA, WAFA 10/15)
Adalah, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, ACRI, and HaMoked sent letters to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara, and Israel Prison Service head Katy Perry demanding that water and electricity be restored in the security wings of Israeli prisons that hold Palestinians. The Commission for the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs said on 10/12 that Israel had started collectively punishing prisoners in the Naqab prison on 10/11. (Adalah, WAFA 10/14)
The UN appealed for $294 million in aid to help around 1.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. (REU 10/13)
A Turkish cargo plane with humanitarian aid arrived in Egypt for transfer to Gaza. (AJ 10/13)
PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. (AJ 10/13)
Israeli president Isaac Herzog blamed Palestinian civilians in Gaza for the Hamas operation, saying “[i]t is not true this rhetoric about civilians [being] not aware, responsible for the attack . . . They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état.” (FT 10/13)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said Israel received a second plane carrying U.S. ammunition. (AJ 10/13)
Tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated in Baghdad and Tehran against the Israeli attacks in Gaza. Jordanians marched toward the border with the West Bank in protest against the Israeli attacks. Jordanian police violently dispersed protesters at the border. Large protests were also held in Yemen, Pakistan, and elsewhere. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, WAFA 10/13)
After meeting Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati and Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel that if it does not stop its attacks on Gaza the war could spread to other parts of the Middle East. (AP, REU, REU 10/13)
U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin III arrived in Israel to meet with Israeli leaders. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Jordan for meetings with Jordanian king Abdullah II and PA president Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas told Blinken that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people and called for the opening of humanitarian corridors and for aid to enter Gaza. Blinken offered condolences for the Palestinian victims of the Israel-Hamas war. Abbas also spoke with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. 55 members of Congress wrote a letter to U.S. president Joe Biden, urging him to pressure Israel to protect civilians in Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/13)
Russia introduced a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. President Vladimir Putin compared the siege of Gaza to the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II. (HA 10/13)
Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia had frozen normalization talks with Israel and the U.S. due to the attacks on Gaza. (HA, HA 10/13; AJ 10/14)
The New York Times and NBC News reported that they had obtained documents that allegedly show how Hamas instructed militants to target schools and seize captives during its 10/7 operation. Israeli schools were closed on 10/7 as it was a Saturday. The documents were allegedly found on the bodies of militants killed by Israel and were labeled “top secret” in Arabic. Other media outlets questioned whether the documents were fabricated. (HA 10/13; HA 10/14)
The Huffington Post reported that the U.S. State Department was telling its diplomats not to use the terms “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed,” and “restoring calm,” when referring to Israel and Gaza. (AJ 10/13)
New South Wales police force said it has sought legal advice on if it can use special stop-and-search powers for the first time since 2005 to demand the identities of pro-Palestinian protesters attending an unauthorized demonstration in Sydney, Australia on 10/15. (REU 10/13)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shot and killed 2 Palestinians during a funeral procession for 4 Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers in Qusra on 10/11. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians and Palestinian property in Nabi Salih, Huwwara, Abu Kabash, Khirbet Zanuta, Jaba’, and al-Twana, injuring at least 2. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian minor in Jayyus. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly shot and injured an Israeli soldier near Ibziq. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian woman traveling in a car with her son, who was injured, in Ein Yabrud. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters, injuring 7 with live ammunition in Nabi Ilyas, Sinjil, Bethlehem, and Beit Umar. Meanwhile, Israeli forces assaulted 2 Palestinians, including a 9-year-old, demolished a gate to a school, and seized a Palestinian flag in Khirbet Zanuta. Israeli forces also demolished 2 Palestinian homes in al-Janiya. Separately, Israeli forces sealed a pizzeria in Huwwara that had used a picture of one of the Israeli captives for an online ad; Israeli settlers had earlier tried to attack the pizzeria. 60 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Jenin, Jericho, Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus, Qalandia, Qalqilya, and Tulkarm. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said Israel has arrested more than 200 people in the West Bank since 10/7. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian after he allegedly shot and injured 2 Israeli police officers in near Bab al-Zahra. The PFLP said that the man was of a member of its organization. In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 45 people in Jabalia refugee camp. Further airstrikes killed hundreds of Palestinians and destroyed at least 8 high-rise residential towers, with the most severely hit areas being Gaza City, Rafah Nuseirat, and Dayr al-Balah. The UN said that while rockets were still fired from Gaza they had dissipated in intensity. Rockets from Gaza killed 2 Israelis and wounded several others. In the Naqab, Israeli police shot and injured 2 Palestinian citizens of Israel in Rahat, claiming they were from Gaza. In Lebanon, militants killed an Israeli soldier using an anti-tank missile. A drone from Lebanon was shot down over Israel. In Syria, Israeli forces attacked the international airports in Damascus and Aleppo, damaging the runways. (AP 10/7; AJ 10/11; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/12; AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA 10/13; HA 10/14)
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor confirmed earlier reports that Israel had used white phosphorus munitions to attack Gaza and Lebanon. The Israeli military said that it was “currently not aware of the use” of white phosphorous munitions in Gaza. The Gaza Ministry of Health said at as of 2 p.m. least 1,417 Palestinians had been killed and 6,268 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 34 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 6 children. More than 500 Palestinians had been injured, including at least 175 with live ammunition. Israeli media reported that around 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 3,391 injured in Israel since 10/7. The UN reported that 423,000 Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 2 p.m. on 10/11 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 4,626 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said hospitals in Gaza were turning to graveyards as medical equipment has stopped working due to the lack of power and that 3 out of 5 water plants in Gaza, serving 1.1 million people, were out of service due to the Israeli bombing and blockade. The ICRC also said it was in contact with Hamas and Israel about the captives held in Gaza. The Israeli Air Force bragged on X that Israel had dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza since 10/7. (AJ 10/11; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HRW, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/12; AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 10/13)
Israeli energy minister Yisrael Katz said Israel would continue preventing energy, water, and fuel from entering Gaza until the Israeli captives are released. (AJ 10/11; AJ, REU 10/12)
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said that Israel must allow fuel, food, and water into Gaza. (AJ 10/11)
Jordan said it will send a military plane with humanitarian aid for Gaza to Egypt. (AJ 10/11; HA 10/12)
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Palestinians must “stay steadfast and remain on their land” as Egypt feared that allowing Palestinians to flee to Egypt would mean their permanent displacement from Gaza. Egypt also said planes carrying international aid to Gaza should use the al-Arish Airport 28 miles from the Gaza border. (AJ 10/11; REU 10/12; REU 10/14)
The UK said it had deployed 2 naval ships and a surveillance aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel. (AJ 10/11; HA 10/12)
The Commission for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs said that, starting on 10/11, Israel cut off water and electricity to Palestinian prisoners in the Naqab Prison. (WAFA 10/12)
Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obeida said Hamas began preparing for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in 2022 and managed to recruit 4,500 fighters for the operation. He added that Hamas is prepared for an Israeli ground invasion. Hamas deputy political leader Salah al-Arouri called the operation a “preemptive strike” based on intelligence that Israel was planning to attack after the Sukkot holidays. Al-Aruri also said it initially only took soldiers as captives but that the entry of armed civilians resulted in chaos and that many of the Israeli deaths were the result of Israeli actions, citing the Hannibal Directive that allows Israeli forces to kill Israelis rather than allow enemies to hold them captive. Hamas also released a video produced last month of its training exercise “Strong Pillar” preparing militants for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. (AJ 10/11; AP, HA 10/12)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Jordanian king Abdullah II in Amman, saying that he rejects the killing of civilians by Israel and Hamas. (AJ 10/11; HA, REU, REU, WAFA 10/12)
The Knesset approved the new war cabinet and swore-in National Unity Party members Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, Gideon Sa’ar, Chili Tropper, and Yifat Shasha-Biton as ministers without portfolio. (HA 10/12)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken landed in Israel for meetings with Israeli leaders. In a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken invoked the Holocaust and said he was in Israel to support the country “as the United States Secretary of State, but also as a Jew.” Blinken and Netanyahu compared Hamas to ISIS, with Blinken saying the Israeli government had showed him pictures and videos of infants shot, soldiers beheaded, and people burned alive. Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed that a guide by ISIS and al-Qaeda on producing IEDs was left behind by militants near Gaza. Blinken is expected to meet with PA president Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman on 10/13 and later travel to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Qatar. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. is in contact with Egyptian and Israeli officials to help evacuate around 500-600 U.S. citizens living in Gaza via the Rafah crossing. 17 members of Congress, led by Sara Jacobs (D-CA), signed a letter to the State Department urging it to evacuate Palestinian Americans from Gaza and the West Bank. (AJ 10/11; AJ, HA, HA, HA, REU, REU, REU 10/12; REU 10/13)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant spoke to NATO defense ministers, claiming Israeli women were raped and dragged to Gaza and that the Hamas operation was the worst for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. These widely circulated rape claims have not been verified. (HA, HA 10/12)
Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati urged all Lebanese groups not to get pulled into “Israel’s plans,” and condemned the Israeli attacks. (AJ 10/11)
The OIC condemned Israel’s attacks on Gaza. (WAFA 10/12)
South Africa offered to help mediate a “conflict resolution,” calling for the immediate and unconditional opening of “humanitarian corridors.” (AJ 10/11; HA 10/12)
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called on Israeli president Isaac Herzog to establish a humanitarian corridor to Egypt and to end the total blockade of Gaza, allowing electricity, water, and medicine in hospitals. (AJ 10/13)
German chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized PA president Mahmoud Abbas for not speaking out against the Hamas operation on 10/7 and said Germany will suspend all development aid to Palestine until Germany has completed a review of its aid. Scholz also said Germany would ban the organization Samidoun because it handed out pastries at a pro-Palestinian protest on 10/7. (AP, HA 10/12; HA 10/16)
The Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee said it had received multiple calls about Palestinians being detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or receiving visits from the FBI, and that the FBI visited several mosques in the U.S. (AJ 10/11; REU 10/13)
France banned pro-Palestinian protests, claiming they would “generate disturbances to public order.” When protesters took to the street in Paris in defiance of the ban, French police assaulted them using water cannons and tear gas. More than 1,000 Tunisians also protested in Tunis. (AJ 10/11; AJ, AP, HA 10/12; REU 10/13)
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan spoke for the first time since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, saying the ICC does have jurisdiction over potential war crimes carried out by either Israel or Palestinian militants in the current war. (REU 10/12; AJ 10/18)
Former U.S. president and current Republican front-runner for the next presidential election, Donald Trump, said that he will “never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down,” and called Defense Minister Gallant “a jerk.” Trump complained that Netanyahu tried to take credit for killing Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020, saying that “did not make me feel too good.” Rolling Stone reported that Trump had told allies that he wants Netanyahu impeached. (HA, HA, HA 10/12; REU 10/13)
In the West Bank, an Israeli settler rammed a 4-year-old Palestinian in Kisan, causing life-threatening injuries. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near al-Bireh and Shufa and vandalized a barn in Khirbet Makhul. Israeli forces raided Arrabah, assassinating 3 Palestinians sitting in a car, including a minor. Israeli forces also issued 15 demolition and stop-work orders for homes and 2 demolition notices for walls on agricultural lands in Yatma. 5 Palestinians were arrested during a late-night raid in Burqa; Israel said the arrests were related to the settler attack on Burqa on 8/4. 5 others were arrested during late-night raids in Hebron, Fawwar refugee camp, Bayt Awa, and Rumana. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids. In the Naqab, Israeli police detained and deported a Palestinian woman to Gaza after stopping her and examining her papers. The woman, who had lived in Israel since 1992 after marrying a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was forced to leave her 12 children behind, including 4 minors. (AJ, CNN, HA, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/6; AP, HA, PCHR 8/7; PCHR 8/10; UNOCHA 8/11; HA 8/27; HA 8/28)
6 Palestinian families living in al-Qaboun fled their homes due to Israeli settler violence and attacks by Israeli forces. (WAFA 8/6; MEE, UNOCHA 8/10; AP 8/24)
In Tel Aviv, thousands of Palestinian citizens of Israel, carrying 141 coffins, protested Israeli police inaction in addressing the homicide rate in Palestinian communities. 141 Palestinian citizens of Israel have been killed in 2023. (HA, HA 8/6; HA, MEE 8/7)
The court of appeal in Gaza issued death sentences to 7 Palestinians for allegedly collaborating with Israel. (MEMO, PCHR 8/7)
PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour sent letters to the UN secretary-general, the president of the UN Security Council, and the president of the UN General Assembly, demanding that the international community intervene to protect Palestinians. (WAFA 8/6)
The Israeli organization Retired Police Commissioners and Major Generals’ Forum sent a letter to Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar warning that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is trying to interfere in the investigation into the settler terror attack on Burqa on 8/4 after he praised 2 of the arrested settlers, saying the suspects should get a “medal of honor.” (JP, TOI, TOI, WAFA 8/6; MEMO 8/7)
The Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich blocked the funding of a preparatory course that would help Palestinians living in East Jerusalem get admitted to Israeli universities. $54 million had been allocated to the program. (JP, TOI 8/6; JP 8/7)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces conducted 10 airstrikes on Jenin before beginning a large-scale ground force invasion with more than 1,000 soldiers, killing 8 Palestinians, injuring at least 50 others, and causing extensive damage to infrastructure and homes. The Israeli forces also shot at clearly marked Palestinian journalists, destroying their equipment, and used bulldozers to make streets in Jenin refugee camp impassable to vehicles. At night, 3,000 Palestinians fled Jenin refugee camp after Israeli loudspeakers were said to order them to leave them camp, an order the Israeli military denied. Jenin suffered widespread power, internet, and water outages as a result of the Israeli damage. The Palestinian Red Crescent said it was having trouble reaching the many injured in the camp. Israel dubbed the attack ‘Operation House and Garden.’ Palestinians protested the Israeli attack in many towns and cities throughout Palestine. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian during a protest in Ramallah against the Israeli attack in Jenin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinian minors with live ammunition in Beit Umar. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian with live ammunition near Hebron. Meanwhile, Israeli forces uprooted 45 grape tree saplings in Jawarish near Nablus. Israeli settlers stole 3 sheep from Palestinians in Aqraba. Israeli settlers also vandalized a Palestinian home in Burqa, causing damage. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family was forced to demolish parts of their home in Jabel Mukaber. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, BBC, GDN, HA, HA, HA, HA, IN, LT, MDW, MEE, MEE, MEE, NYT, PCHR, PCHR, QDS, REU, SKY, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/3; AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA, MDW 7/4; AJ, HA, HA 7/5; AJ, HA, PCHR, UNOCHA 7/6; HA, UNOCHA 7/8)
The PA called the Israeli attack on Jenin refugee camp (see above) a war crime and said it had suspended security coordination with Israel. Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan condemned the Israeli attack. The Arab League issued a statement saying the Israeli attack was “tantamount to a war crime” and called on the UN Security Council to intervene. The U.S. national security council spokesperson said that the U.S. supported “Israel’s security and right to defend its people against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups.” U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides also attended a U.S. embassy event with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the attacks were unfolding. UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese said the Israel attack amounted “to egregious violations of international law and standards on the use of force and may constitute a war crime.” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called the airstrikes and use of violence in Jenin the worst in the West Bank in years and said Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation to protect civilians. (AJ, AJ, AJ, ALM, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/3; AJ, MDW, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/4; HA, WAFA 7/5; AP, GDN, HA, WAFA 7/6; AJ, WAFA, WP 7/7; AJ, AP, HA 7/8)
Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen linked Israel’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara to Morocco hosting the Negev Forum normalization summit, which has been repeatedly postponed by Morocco. (AJ, MEE, REU 7/3)
The UK parliament passed a second reading of the anti-BDS Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill. (HA, MEE 7/4)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort raided Deir Dibwan, setting fire to trees; 1 Palestinian was injured by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces during the raid. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles near Beitin and Hebron. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man during a raid in Nablus. Israeli forces also shot a 5-year-old Palestinian boy in the eye with a rubber-coated bullet in Bizarya; the boy’s eye was later removed at a hospital. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 4 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, causing tear-gas related injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli forces seized 1 excavator in Dahariya. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Askar refugee camp, Bethlehem, Abu Nuyaim, Beit Umar, Dura, and Tulkarm; 2 Palestinians were injured by Israeli live ammunition during the raid in Askar refugee camp. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/23; WAFA, WAFA 6/24; HA 6/27; PCHR 7/6; UNOCHA 7/8)
The Shin Bet said it had arrested 3 Israeli settlers following several Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian towns and villages in the past week. (AP 6/23)
Representatives from 20 EU countries visited Turmus ‘Ayya to express condolences to the victims of the Israeli settler attack on 6/21. In a statement the countries said as the occupier Israel is obligated to protect Palestinians and prosecute the violent settlers. (WAFA 6/23; HA 6/24)
Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told Israeli settlers at the partly resettled Evyatar settlement outpost that the settlers should “[r]un to the hilltops” and build settlements “in all the hills around.” Ben-Gvir also called for the Israeli military to “launch a military operation, take down buildings and eliminate terrorists. Not just one or two, but dozens and hundreds and if needed, thousands.” Later on 6/25, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said such calls to grab land are “unacceptable to me.” (HA, WAFA, WAFA 6/23; WAFA 6/24; CNN 6/25)
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi, expressing concern about Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages. Several Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including pro-Israel representatives, condemned the settler attacks, as did the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee. Morocco also officially canceled the second summit of the normalization organization the Negev Forum, citing “uncomfortable diplomatic relations.” The summit, scheduled to be held in Rabat, has been postponed since March. (HA, REU 6/23; HA, HA 6/24; HA, WAFA, WAFA 6/25)
U.S. national security spokesperson John Kirby said that U.S. officials had met with victims of the Israeli settler attacks on Turmus ‘Ayya on 6/21 and that U.S. citizens were among the victims. (AJ 6/23)
UN human rights commissioner Volker Türk criticized the Israeli usage of “advanced weapons” in the West Bank this week, saying it was adding to volatility of the situation. For the first time since the Second Intifada, Israel used drones and helicopters to attack Palestinians in the West Bank. (AJ, WAFA 6/23)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort raided Burqa, attacking Palestinians and setting a barn and olive trees on fire; tear-gas related injuries were reported. Israeli forces demolished 1 house in Dahariya, 1 agricultural structure in Beit Jala, 1 agricultural structure in Hebron, and 1 commercial structure in al-Walaja and razed land in Sur Bahir. A delegation of EU officials met with Sebastia mayor Mohammad Azem to learn about the recent Israeli measures to seize Sebastia’s archeological site. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli authorities demolished 1 house in Jabel Mukaber, displacing 5. 4 Palestinians were arrested during raids in al-Tur and Ras al-Amud. (TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/24; ALM, PCHR 5/25; AJ 6/1; UNOCHA 6/2)
In Syria, Israeli forces opened fire at people who shot at a surveillance drone. (REU 5/24)
The Hamas-affiliated voting bloc Islamic Wafa won 25 of 51 seats in the Birzeit University student union elections. The election result follows another win by Islamic Wafa on 5/16 at An-Najah National University. (QDS 5/24; HA, MEE 5/25)
3 Israeli soldiers were sentenced for abducting and assaulting 1 Palestinian man before releasing him in a remote area. 2 of the soldiers were sentenced to 60 days in prison while the third was sentenced to 40 days. (TOI, TOI 5/24; AJ 5/25)
The Knesset approved the Israeli government’s 2023-24 budget, which was criticized for heavily favoring ultra-orthodox communities in Israel. Approximately $4 billion is allocated in discretionary funds for ultra-Orthodox and pro-settler parties. The Otzma Yehudit party also said it had been appeased by the allocation of $67 million to Judaize the Naqab and Galilee through the Negev and Galilee development ministry. After the passing of the budget, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters he would focus on the judicial overhaul. (HA 5/22; AP, HA, HA, REU 5/23; AJ, AP, HA, HA, MEE, NYT, QDS, TOI 5/24)
The EU and U.S. expressed dismay with a bill that the Knesset Ministerial Committee for Legislation was set to debate on 5/28. The bill would impose a 65% tax on non-profits that receive funding from foreign governments while engaging in public advocacy. According to the bill it seeks to curb foreign interference. After days of lobbying by EU countries, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he would shelve the bill. (HA 5/24; HA, MEE 5/25; AJ 5/26; HA, WAFA 5/27; AX 5/31; TOI 6/2)
PayPal shareholders warned the company that they will take action if it does not expand access to the platform to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. At the same time, U.S. congressperson Mark Pocan (D-WI) circulated a letter among his colleagues calling on PayPal CEO Dan Shulman to allow Palestinians equal access to the company’s services. (GDN, HA, MEE 5/24; WAFA 5/25; MDW 5/26)
Forensic Architecture released an investigation in cooperation with Adalah on the Tantura Massacre committed by the Israeli army 1 week after the establishment of Israel. The investigation located at least 1 more mass grave and 2 additional possible mass grave sites. (FA 5/24; GDN 5/25; HA, MEE 5/26)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians during a raid in Nablus, 1 was injured by an Israeli police dog biting him in the leg, and 2 were arrested. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Nabi Salih, injuring 4 with tear gas and damaging 1 car with a canister. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians attempting to fend off Israeli settlers throwing stones at their homes in Surif, injuring 1 by assault and others with tear gas. In the Naqab, Israeli forces demolished al-Araqib for the 215th time since 2010. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/3; PCHR 4/6; UNOCHA 4/20)
Israel handed over the body of 1 Palestinian who was shot and killed by Israeli forces on 1/11 near Hebron. (WAFA 4/3)
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Palestinian family in Silwan, ending a 32-year legal battle to have the family displaced. The Jewish National Fund and the settler organization Elad, which had tried to evict the Sumreen family from their home in Silwan since 1991, were also ordered to pay the family $5,560 in compensation. (ALM, HA 4/3; PCN 4/11)
The PA cabinet approved a budget annex for the 2023 fiscal year with a $360 million deficit. (WAFA 4/3)
The New York Times reported that the U.S. government bought NSO Group’s spyware through a front company on 11/8/2021. The U.S. reportedly acquired a geolocation tool that can be used track people’s locations via their phones 5 days after Biden administration placed the NSO Group on the Department of Commerce’s blacklist. (HA, NYT 4/3)
The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution demanding accountability for the Israeli occupation and human rights violations against Palestinians. 38 members voted for, 2 against, and 8 abstained. The resolution was presented by Chile and Pakistan. (UN 3/28; WAFA 4/3)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces seized 1 bulldozer in Jalbun. 7 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Beit Sira, Turmus ‘Ayya, Sanjar, Sa’ir, and Fawwar refugee camp. (WAFA, WAFA 3/5; PCHR 3/9; UNOCHA 3/19)
Israel said it will close all crossings to the West Bank and Gaza from 5:00 p.m. on 3/6 to 12:00 a.m. on 3/8 for the Jewish Purim holiday. (HA 3/5)
Israel deported 1 Palestinian released from the Naqab Prison to Hebron when he was released after serving 20 years. The man who was a resident of Haifa before he was arrested had his Israeli residency status revoked in 2019. (WAFA 3/5)
The Knesset extended the Citizenship Law, banning Palestinians from the West Bank who marry Israeli citizens from being granted residency status. The Citizenship Law has been extended yearly since 2002. (HA, TOI 3/6)
In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler pepper sprayed 1 Palestinian minor in Huwwara. Israeli forces demolished 1 residential structure and 1 agricultural structure in Nabi Musa, demolished 15 commercial structures in Wadi al-Qelt, and demolished 2 homes in Duma. During the demolitions in Duma, Israeli forces shot and injured 1 journalist with a baton round and injured others with tear gas. Israeli forces also notified Palestinians in Hizma and Jaba’ that Israel will seize 500 dunams (123 acres) of land between the 2 villages to expand a settler-only road. 28 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in al-Mughayyir, Kafr Malik, al-Bireh, Nur Shams refugee camp, Nablus, Jericho, Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, and Hebron. In Gaza, 12 rockets were launched at Israel, causing no damage. Israeli forces subsequently launched airstrikes at Gaza, causing damage. In the Naqab, Israeli authorities demolished 1 Palestinian-owned home in Umm Batin. (HA, REU 2/1; AJ, AP, AP, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/2 AJ 2/3; PCHR 2/9; UNOCHA 2/21)
Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen met with Abdel Fatah Al Burhan, president of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, in Khartoum. After the meeting the 2 parties announced that Sudan will sign a normalization deal with Israel in Washington D.C. later in 2023. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA, HA, HA, MEE 2/2; ALM 2/3)
Chadian president Mahamat Idriss Deby and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the opening ceremony for the new Chadian embassy to Israel in Tel Aviv. (AJ, ALM, AP, AX, REU 2/1; HA 2/2)
Prime Minister Netanyahu met with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris. According to the French daily Le Monde, Macron told Netanyahu that “France will assume that Israel has disconnected from the two countries’ democratic perception,” if Netanyahu moves ahead with his planned changes to the Israeli judicial system. (HA 2/2; ALM, HA 2/3)
Jordanian king Abdullah II met with U.S. president Joe Biden at the White House, discussing the need to preserve the status quo at the Jerusalem Holy Sites. (AX 2/1; MEE 2/2; AJ 2/3)
The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives voted 218-211 to remove representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the foreign affairs committee due to her criticism of Israel. (HA, MDW, MEE 2/2; MEE 2/3)
The EU announced a support package to Palestine worth $319 million, including $214 to the PA, $32 for clean water projects in Gaza, $29 to small and medium sized businesses, $13 million earmarked for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, $8.5 million for infrastructure in Area C, and $5 million for judicial support. (WAFA 2/2)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians with live ammunition during a raid in Aqraba. Israeli forces also issued a demolition notice for a house in Idhna, giving the family 8 days to demolish their home. Elsewhere, Israeli forces fired tear gas near a school in Silwad, causing tear-gas related injuries to students and staff. 6 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Abu Dis, Tulkarm, Nablus, Jifna, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, 4 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Isawiya. (MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/9; PCHR 1/12; UNOCHA 2/16)
The Israeli prison service began transferring Palestinians to different prisons in Israel to impede contact between them. 70 Palestinian prisoners, including Palestinian presidential candidate Marwan Barghouti, were transferred to the Nafha prison. A total of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will, according to the plans, be transferred from the prison they are incarcerated in to a new location. (HA, WAFA 1/9; ALM, MEMO 1/10)
Israel Hayom reported that Israel forces had demolished 2 structures at an archeological site in Khirbet Tarfin in Area B on 11/24/2022. The demolition was approved by then Defense Minister Benny Gantz. (HA 1/10)
Likud Party MK Hanoch Milwidsky told the Knesset during a debate on revoking citizenship for Palestinians convicted of terrorism that he prefers Jewish terrorists and will not seek to revoke their citizenship. The proposed legislation Milwidsky was defending would see Palestinians receiving prisoner stipends from the PA, or through a foreign body, having their citizenship revoked. Midwidsky said, “I prefer Jewish murderers to Arab murderers and as a general rule in the Jewish state I prefer Jews to disloyal Arabs here.” (HA, TOI, WAFA 1/9; MEE 1/10)
Representatives from the U.S., Israel, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, and Morocco met in Abu Dhabi for the first day of a two-day summit of the Negev Forum, discussing normalization and regional integration. The members of the forum issued a document on 1/10 stating that they want to develop and implement initiatives to strengthen the Palestinian economy and quality of life. (AX, MEE 1/8; ALM, MEMO 1/9; TOI 1/10; AX 1/11; AN, MEMO 1/12)
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed a lawsuit brought by WhatsApp against the Israeli spyware company NSO Group to continue, denying the NSO Group immunity as a foreign government agent. NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware has been used to spy on activists and journalists in several countries, with more than 100 cases where the spyware having been installed via WhatsApp messages in more than 100 cases. (AJ, MDW, MEE 1/9; MEMO 1/10)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 30 olive tree saplings in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man during a raid in Dheisheh refugee camp, 6 others were wounded. Israeli forces also arrested, Yahya al-Saadi, the son of senior Islamic Jihad commander Bassam al-Saadi during a raid in Jenin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 1 mosque in Dura, 3 agricultural structures in Tarqumiyah, and issued a stop-work notice for 3 stores in Bayt Rima. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Khader and Hebron, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israel said that 2 Israeli soldiers were injured by an explosive device thrown at them near Aida refugee camp, causing light injuries. 16 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Ni’lin, al-Bireh, Dheisheh refugee camp, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Shu’fat refugee camp. In the Naqab, Israeli forces demolished the Palestinian village al-Araqib for the 210th time since 2010. (AJ, AP, HA, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, PCHR, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/5; MEMO 12/6; PCHR 12/8; UNOCHA 12/16)
An Israeli court upheld a demolition order for an apartment building in Wadi Qaddum in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, giving the resident until 12/7 to demolish the building. Approximately 100 Palestinians reside in the building. (WAFA 12/5)
PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh welcomed the EU and UN’s criticism of the 12/2 killing of a Palestinian in Huwwara but urged the organizations to take tangible action to hold Israel accountable. (WAFA 12/5)
PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki met with ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, providing materials about Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. Chief Prosecutor Khan said that he aims to visit Palestine, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023. (WAFA 12/5; MEMO, WAFA 12/6; TOI 12/7)
The U.S. weapons manufacture Lockheed Martin joined Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in developing a laser-based anti-missile system, dubbed the Iron Beam. (HA 12/5)
In the West Bank, 1 Israeli soldier attacked 1 Israeli activist in Hebron, hitting him in the face after forcing him to the ground in Hebron; the activist was later sentenced to 5 days of house arrest and banned from entering Hebron for 2 weeks while the soldier was placed in detention for 28 days. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 3 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, injuring 10 with tear gas. In Israel, Israelis set fire to 8 vehicles and sprayed racist graffiti in Abu Ghosh and Ein Naqquba; 1 suspect was later arrested and put in administrative detention for 4 months for the torching of cars in Abu Ghosh. (HA, HA, MEE, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/25; HA 11/27; HA, HA 11/28; HA 11/29; PCHR 12/1; UNOCHA 12/16)
Israeli prime minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu signed a coalition agreement with Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir which will see the party gain 3 ministerial positions, including public security minister. The position will also be renamed to national security minister and will have its powers extended, including oversight of the Border Police in the West Bank. A 2nd ministry set to be granted to Otzma Yehudit is the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee, which will also be expanded to include oversight of settlement outposts in the West Bank. Several PA officials warned about the consequences of the Netanyahu-Ben-Gvir coalition. (AJ, HA, MEE, MEMO, REU 11/25; AP, MEMO, WAFA 11/26; MDW, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/27; WAFA, WAFA 11/28)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized more than 100 olive trees near Turmus ‘Ayya. Israeli settlers also vandalized 60 olive trees in Jalud, spraying them with chemicals. Israeli forces demolished 1 Palestinian home in Qibya and 1 Palestinian home east of Jericho. 21 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Balata refugee camp, Jenin, Qalqilya, and Tubas. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities demolished 1 bakery in Shu’fat refugee camp and 1 house under construction in Bayt Hanina. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Shu’fat refugee camp. In the Naqab, Israel began construction of a new town, Hiran, on the lands of Umm al-Hiran which Israel has slated for demolition. The demolition of Umm al-Hiran and construction of Hiran has been halted since 2017 when Israeli police killed 1 Palestinian man trying to protect his property. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/7; MEMO 11/8; MDW 11/9; PCHR 11/10; UNOCHA 11/13)
Israel imposed a ban on seafood and fish exports from Gaza to the West Bank, saying that 20 tons of fish were attempted to be smuggled from the West Bank to Israel. The collective punishment imposed on fishermen and workers in Gaza affected some 5,500 Palestinians employed in the industry. (HA 11/9; HA 11/10; MEMO 11/11)
1 Israeli settler succumbed to injuries sustained in a stabbing attack 2 weeks prior in al-Funduq. (HA 11/8)
Israeli forces arrested 1 Israeli settler accused of attacking Israeli forces and Palestinians. The man was later placed in administrative detention, the only Jewish person out of more than 800 administrative detainees, after an Israeli court only allowed Israeli police to hold him until 11/11. (HA 11/9)
1 Israeli settler was indicted by the Israeli state prosecutor’s office on terrorism-related charges for assaulting 1 Palestinian man in Sheikh Jarrah on 10/13. (HA 11/7)
U.S. president Joe Biden called incoming Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on his election. President Biden told Netanyahu, “[w]e're brothers, we'll make history together … my commitment to Israel is indisputable." (AJ, ALM, AX, HA 11/7)
The UN Human Rights Council established independent commission of inquiry began hearings in Geneva on Israeli human rights abuses. (AJ, MEMO, MEMO 11/7)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles in Hebron, causing damage. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man after he allegedly rammed his car into an Israeli soldier at the Beit Sira checkpoint, injuring the soldier. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian man driving near Kharas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 2 Palestinian homes in Jalbun and 2 Palestinian homes in al-Walaja. 12 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Ramallah, Aida refugee camp, Kafl Haris, Beita, Nablus, Nur Shams, ‘Azzun, and Aqabat Jaber refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, 3 Palestinians were arrested in Isawiya. In the Naqab, Israeli police shot and injured 1 Palestinian minor who was a bystander to a car chase in Ar‘arat an-Naqab. (AJ, HA, HA, MEMO, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/2; PCHR, WAFA, WAFA 11/3; MDW 11/4; UNOCHA 11/13)
In the final communique from the 1st Arab Summit in 3 years, Arab state leaders pledged their continued to support for Palestine, said Jerusalem must be protected, condemned Israeli use of violence against Palestinians, and urged Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza. The 31st Arab Summit, held in Algeria, was the 1st since the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, and Sudan normalized relations with Israel. At the summit PA president Mahmoud Abbas asked the participating countries to form 2 ministerial committees to support Palestine in international diplomacy. (AJ, HA, MEMO, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/2; MEMO, MEMO 11/3)
A spokesperson for the newly appointed UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said that his government does not intend to move the British embassy to Israel to Jerusalem, walking back statements made by Prime Minister Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss who resigned last month. Truss, who like Sunak had been appointed by the Conservative Party, had told Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid that her government would review moving the British embassy to Israel to Jerusalem last month. Truss served as prime minister for 45 days before resigning due to dissatisfaction with her policies and popularity among Conservative Party members. (MEE, WAFA 11/2; AJ, GDN, HA, JP, MEMO, REU, TOI 11/3; NA 11/4)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Yatma before being repelled by Palestinians. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian with live ammunition during a raid in Jenin. Israeli forces also demolished 1 residential structure, 1 village council building, 1 agricultural structure, and 1 water reservoir in Khirbet Izbek, and 1 irrigation pond in Birzeit. 22 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Jalazun refugee camp, Silwad, Dheisheh refugee camp, Hebron, Jenin, and Kafr Qaddum. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Silwan. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/27; PCHR 6/30; UNOCHA 7/2)
Representatives from the U.S., Israel, the UAE, Egypt, Morocco, and Bahrain met in Manama to discuss the establishment of the Negev Forum based on a meeting between the parties in Israel in March. According to Axios, sources present at the meeting said Morocco and Egypt pushed for the inclusion of the PA in the plan regional cooperation; however, it is unclear if the PA wants to take part in the normalization-based cooperation. (AX 6/29; MEMO 6/30)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces delivered demolition notices for 4 houses, 8 water wells, and 1 agricultural structure in a-Tabban in the Masafer Yatta area and stop-work notices for 2 water wells and 1 agricultural structure in Zif. Israeli forces also sealed a well in Beit Lid. Elsewhere, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from working their land in Qusra. Israeli forces also fired tear gas at Palestinians trying to enter Israel for work at the separation wall near Jenin. 15 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, representatives from the EU and UN visited Palestinians in Silwan who are threatened by Israeli demolitions and displacement. Israeli forces shot and injured 3 minors with baton rounds on the Jerusalem-Ramallah street. 5 Palestinians were arrested during raids. In the Naqab, Israeli forces demolished al-Araqib for the 202d time since 2000. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/7; PCHR 6/9; UNOCHA 6/17)
The PA finance ministry said it would pay PA employees 80% of their wages as it continues to be unable to pay its employees in full due to Israel’s withholding of parts of the PA tax revenue. (REU 6/7)
PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with German vice chancellor and economy and energy minister Robert Habeck in Ramallah. The 2 discussed German support for energy projects in Palestine. Prime Minister Shtayyeh briefed Vice Chancellor Habeck on Israeli violations against Palestinians. Shtayyeh also called on the international community to create a political horizon for ending the Israeli occupation and for Germany to exert pressure on Israel to allow the PA to hold elections in East Jerusalem. (WAFA 6/7)
UN human rights council’s commission of inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, released its 1st report since receiving its mandate on 5/27/2021. In its report, it pointed to Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territory and discrimination against Palestinians as a key factor in recurrent tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. 2d, the report noted Palestinian resentment is fueled by lack of consequences for Israeli human rights violations. A commissioner working on the report said that “Israel clearly has no intentions of ending the occupation. In fact, it has established clear policies to ensure complete permanent control over the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” The report also criticized the PA and Hamas for using the occupation as justification for human rights violations against their own people. (AJ, AP, HA, REU, UNOCHR, WAFA 6/7; MEE, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 6/8)
Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan was elected vice president of the 77th session of the UN general assembly (UNGA), along with 20 others. The appointment will see Ambassador Erdan chair UNGA meetings and being part of agenda selection. Erdan will serve for 1 year, starting in September. PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said that the PA leadership was “surprised by and deplore the election of Israel's ambassador to the United Nations for the position of Vice President of the United Nations General Assembly, which we consider an attempt to promote and legitimize the colonial occupation regime on the land of the State of Palestine.” (JP 6/7; TOI 6/8; MEE 6/9; WAFA 6/13)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided al-Ibrahimi Mosque and prevented Muslim worshippers from entering the mosque. Israeli forces also sealed the entrance to Nabi Saleh. Elsewhere, Israeli forces dismantled and seized 2 residential structures in al-Muarajat, displacing 12. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Hebron, injuring 1 with a rubber-coated bullet. 9 Palestinians were arrested, including 8 during late-night raids in Sa‘ir, Yatta, as-Samu, and Tell; 1 was arrested at a checkpoint near Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. 1 Palestinian stabbed and injured 1 Israeli soldier and 1 Israeli settler while being arrested in relation to a car-torching incident in Ras al-Amud. In Gaza, 2 Palestinians were arrested in the vicinity of the Gaza fence. In Israel, 1 Palestinian citizen of Israel was attacked by 4 Israeli Jewish people, who yelled “death to Arabs,” used pepper spray through the window of his vehicle, and vandalized his vehicle in Beersheba. The man was placed in house arrest after receiving treatment at a hospital, despite a judge saying that the Palestinian man was clearly attacked 1st by the Israelis. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/20; MEMO, WAFA 3/21; HA 3/23; PCHR 3/24; UNOCHA 3/25)
Israel said it had arrested 2 Palestinian men in the Galilee region for allegedly working with Hezbollah. (HA 3/20)
A Jewish vigilante militia set up by a former Israeli police officer was formally launched in the Naqab desert. The militia, The Barel Rangers, says it will patrol the Naqab to protect Jewish residents against Palestinian attacks. (AJ 3/24; MEE 3/26)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Burqa but were chased away by Palestinian residents; no injuries were reported. Israeli settlers also uprooted some 200 olive tree saplings in Khallet Hassan and stole 4 sheep in Kafr Malik. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man and injured 6 others with live ammunition during a raid in Qalandia refugee camp. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor and injured 3 others with live ammunition and a concussion bomb during a raid in Balata refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces delivered demolition notices for 7 Palestinian-owned homes west of Jericho and razed lands in Beit Safafa. 21 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Qalandia refugee camp, Balata refugee camp, Jenin, Salfit, Ramallah, Hebron, and Bethlehem. In the Naqab, Israeli undercover forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man during an arrest raid in Rahat; an autopsy later contradicted the Israeli forces’ explanation that the man was pointing a gun at them when he was killed, as it revealed that he was shot twice in the back. Israeli authorities also demolished 2 Palestinian-owned homes in Umm al-Fahm. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, PCHR, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/15; MEMO, MEMO, MEMO 3/16; HA, PCHR 3/17; UNOCHA 3/25)
The security coordinator at the Gilad settlement outpost was arrested by Israeli forces on suspicion of having aided settler vandalism in Fara‘ata in the West Bank on 3/14. Another security guard at the settlement was also arrested for partaking in the vandalism. (HA 3/17)
The Israeli supreme court voted to uphold the Israeli ministry of justice’s decision to seize 7.5 acres of land owned by residents in the Israeli town of Taibeh, using the Absentee Property Law despite the Palestinian owners not having left their property during the Nakba. The ministry of justice decided to seize the land in 2017 after the owners applied to fill a quarry to convert into agricultural lands. Furthermore, the 3 supreme court justices ruled that the families must pay $9,100 in court fees. (HA 3/15; HA 3/18)
The EU delayed its annual $236 million aid to the PA and various Palestinian civil society projects, as a Hungarian representative wanted to condition the aid on removing “incitement” from Palestinian schoolbooks. The European Commission will have to rule on the Hungarian demand before the aid can be released to the PA. PA representatives told Haaretz that the Hungarian delegate is behaving like the Israeli far-right by raising demands on conditioning aid to Palestine. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki has told the Hungarian delegate that the PA will not accept the demand. (HA 3/15; WAFA 3/16)
U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides told Americans for Peace Now, during a virtual event, that he is infuriated by Israeli settlement expansion but that he is unable to stop it. He further stated that he did everything in his capacity to stop Israeli plans to construct settlements in the E1 area. Ambassador Nides also said that the U.S. wants to reopen its consulate to Palestinians in Jerusalem but that the Israelis are “aggressively” opposing it and that both Israel and the PA are making “too big a deal” over the issue. Lastly, Nides rejected the idea that the Palestinians can be bought off by economic incentives as they do not see this as a trade-off for political negotiations. (JP 3/16; MEMO, WAFA 3/17)
More than 500 Google employees signed a petition in protest over Google’s decision to relocate 1 Jewish employee from the U.S. to Brazil after she voiced criticism of Google’s contract with the Israeli cloud server Project Nimbus. The Google employee said the company was attempting to force her out of her job by giving her 17 days to agree to relocate to São Paulo. (LAT 3/15; JP, MEMO, TOI, WAFA 3/17)
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian who was shot by Israeli forces during a protest in Burqa on 3/1 succumbed to his wounds. Israeli settlers uprooted and stole grape saplings and damaged a stone wall and barbed wire fence in Kafr ad-Dik. Israeli settlers also razed a plot of land near Battir. Israeli forces violently dispersed a memorial service held for a Palestinian killed by Israeli forces on 3/1 at the Khadouri Technical University campus north of Hebron, injuring 3 with rubber-coated bullets and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also confiscated 2 water pumps and electric cables in Birin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 1 Palestinian-owned home in Khallet al-Eideh near Hebron and assaulted 2 Palestinians resisting the demolition. Israeli forces also delivered a demolition order for a residential structure in the Abu al-Nuwwar Bedouin community east of Jerusalem. 20 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Jalazun refugee camp, al-Ram, Deir Abu Mash‘al, Tuqu‘, Hebron, Yatta, al-Zawiya, Jenin, and Fahma. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished 1 Palestinian house under construction in Shu‘fat refugee camp. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen west of Beit Lahiya; no injuries were reported. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian famers east of Beit Hanun and Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. In Israel, anti-Palestinian graffiti was sprayed on 1 Palestinian vehicle and the tires of 30 vehicles were slashed in Jaljulia. (HA, HA, MEMO, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/9; MEMO, PCHR 3/10; UNOCHA 3/11; UNOCHA 3/25)
Israel’s police commissioner Kobi Shabtai instructed the Israeli police to halt Palestinian home evictions and demolitions in East Jerusalem and the Naqab during the month of Ramadan. (HA 3/9)
The Israeli civil administration said, after having to respond to a freedom of information petition from HaMoked, that during 2021 it had banned 10,594 Palestinians from the West Bank from traveling abroad. According to a source in the civil administration, travel bans can be applied to Palestinians by Israel automatically, for example, in cases where the person is a relative of someone deemed by Israel to be involved with terrorism. (HA, MEE 3/9; MEMO 3/10)
PA civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh met with Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid. Civil Affairs Minister al-Sheikh said he stressed to Lapid the need for a political horizon and an end to Israeli settlement expansion. (WAFA 3/9)
The Jewish Agency said that “[i]f all goes well, we will bring tens of thousands [of Ukrainians] to Israel in the coming year,” referring to the refugee crisis in Ukraine as Russia has declared war on the country. (HA 3/9)
Israeli president Isaac Herzog met with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. President Erdoğan told reporters after the meeting that he believes the 2 countries are entering an era of mutual ties. (AJ, ALM, AP, AX, HA, NYT, REU 3/9; HA, TOI 3/10)
Former U.S. vice president Mike Pence toured Hebron, including al-Ibrahimi Mosque, with Israeli settler activists MK Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel, who were both leaders of the Kach movement. Vice President Pence also received an honorary degree from the settler university in Ariel and met with former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, current prime minister Naftali Bennett, president Isaac Herzog, and foreign minister Yair Lapid. (AX 3/9; AP, HA, WAFA, WP 3/10; MEMO 3/11)
Belgium signed a cooperation agreement with the PA worth $77 million over 5 years. The funding is earmarked for education, vocational training, job creation, and climate issues in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. (WAFA 3/9; MEMO 3/10)
China donated 200,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to UNRWA to help inoculate Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. (WAFA 3/9)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian surveyor in Kafr Qalil, causing injuries to his head. Israeli settlers with military escort made roadblocks around Sabastia. Israeli forces arrested and assaulted 1 80-year-old Palestinian American man in Jiljilyya during a late-night raid, leading to his death; the man was found dead by Palestinians in an empty house in Jiljilyya after being arrested by the Israeli forces; the U.S. called for an investigation into his death. Israeli forces also delivered stop-work notices for 2 houses and for work on the electric grid in Bayt Dajan. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 1 house, 2 water wells and 2 agricultural structures in al-Fakhit. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian journalist with a rubber-coated bullet during a raid in Beitunia. 12 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Halhul, Hebron, Asira ash-Shamaliya, and Silat al-Harithiya. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities delivered a demolition notice for a mosque in Isawiya and demolished 2 retaining walls in al-Walaja. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 6 nautical miles off the coast; no injuries were reported. In Israel, 5 Palestinians were arrested for burning tires in Tel as-Sabi in protest over the Jewish National Fund’s forestation project on land Bedouins use for agriculture. Radical Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir was among the people planting trees on the Bedouins’ land. (ALM, ALM, HA, HA, HA, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, NYT, TOI, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WP 1/12; AJ, AP, MDW, MEMO, MEMO, PCHR, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/13; HA 1/14; HA, WAFA 1/15; WAFA 1/16; NYT 1/20)
British consul general in Jerusalem Diane Corner met with Palestinians threatened by eviction in Sheikh Jarrah. (WAFA 1/13)
Haaretz reported that U.S. military personal charged with training Palestinian forces were given a tour of Hebron, including of al-Ibrahimi Mosque by settler advocate Noam Arnon. The tour was arranged by the Israeli military’s central command leader Yahuda Fuchs. (HA 1/12)
The Israeli supreme court reduced the sentence handed to an Israeli settler who had thrown a stun grenade at a Palestinian home in Sarta from 20 months to 12 months, reinstating a plea agreement a lower court had deemed too lenient. (HA 1/12; MEMO 1/13)
The United Arab List (UAL) boycotted sessions in the Knesset today in protest over a Jewish National Fund (JNF) forestation project in Bedouin-inhabited areas of the Naqab desert. In wake of the UAL boycott, the Israeli opposition passed 5 bills in preliminary votes. Labor minister Meir Cohen and UAL leader Mansour Abbas later came to an agreement that future work by the JNF must be negotiated by the coalition partners. (AP, HA, REU 1/12; ALM, HA, HA, HA 1/13)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers tried to steal sheep in Qarawat Bani Hassan before being chased away by Palestinians. Israeli forces delivered stop-work notices for 1 house, 1 water well, and 1 outhouse in al-Twana. 6 Palestinians, including 2 11-year-old boys, were arrested during late-night raids in Hebron, Husan, and al-Zawiya. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian minor was arrested during a late-night raid in Silwan. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Gaza; no injuries were reported. (PCHR 10/28; HA 11/26; BTselem 11/28)
Israel advanced 1,355 Israeli settlement units in the West Bank by inviting bids for construction, the last step before they are constructed. It was the 1st time that Israel promoted new settlement units since U.S. president Joe Biden took office in 1/2021. Of the 1,355 units, 729 are for the Ariel settlement, 324 are for the Beit El settlement, 102 are for the Elkana settlement, and some are for the Geva Binyamin, Immanuel, Karnei Shomron, and Betar Illit settlements. The Israeli construction and housing ministry said it is working toward doubling the settler population in the Jordan Valley by 2026. The UN envoy to the Middle East Tor Wennesland said that the UN is “deeply concerned” about the settlement expansion. The U.S. state department spokesperson Ned Price said, after being asked, that the U.S. is “concerned” and asked both Israel and the PA not to take steps to undermine a 2-state solution. The EU called on Israel to reverse its decision to publish the tenders for the construction. (AJ, DW, HA, HILL, JP, MEE, WAFA, WAFA 10/24; HA, MEMO, MEMO, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 10/25; WAFA 10/26)
Israel’s Knesset passed a bill to connect homes built without a permit before 2018 to the electricity grid inside of Israel. The bill, pushed by the United Arab List, will provide electricity to many Palestinian Israelis living in the Negev desert. (HA 10/24)
Israeli Labor leader Merav Michaeli and Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz, both part of the Israeli government coalition, demanded in a cabinet meeting that prime minister Naftali Bennett put a hold on the 10/22 labeling of 6 Palestinian rights organizations as terrorist organizations and further settlement expansion. The leaders of all government coalition parties are scheduled to meet on 10/29 to discuss their disagreements on several issues. (TOI 10/24; HA 10/25; ALM 10/26)
In the West Bank, 9 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Bayt Umar, Ya‘bad, Hebron, Jalazun, Qalandia, Salfit, Abu Dis, and Hizma; during a raid in Bayt Umar, Israeli forces assaulted 4 members of the same family. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family cleared their house in preparation of its demolition by Israel in Silwan. 2 Palestinians were arrested during house raids in al-Tur. In Israel, Palestinians from the Naqab desert protested in West Jerusalem against Israeli demolition of their property. (WAFA, WAFA 3/18; PCHR 3/25)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas fired Nasser al-Kidwa as the chairperson of the Yasir Arafat Foundation and assigned Ali Muhanna as acting chairperson. President Abbas fired al-Kidwa from the Fatah Central Committee on 3/11 because al-Kidwa is running in the upcoming elections on a separate list from Fatah. Al-Kidwa is the nephew of Yasir Arafat. (WAFA 3/18)
The ICC said it had sent formal notices to Israel and the PA, giving them 1 month to seek deferral by providing evidence that they are carrying out their own investigations. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki also met with the ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in the Hague to discuss PA cooperation with the investigation. (AP, WAFA 3/18; HA 3/20)
According to Axios reporting, the UAE leadership is “furious” at Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for seeking to use the country and its crown price Mohammed bin Zayed as a prop in his election campaign. Prime Minister Netanyahu planned to travel to the UAE on 3/11 but had to cancel when Jordan closed its airspace to him. Adding to the UAE, the leadership’s dismay at Netanyahu is in his proclamation that the UAE would invest $10 billion in Israel and an interview from 3/15 where Netanyahu claimed that bin Zayed had praised is economic leadership. The UAE retaliated by saying that the UAE investment is in its preliminary phase, that the country would “not be a part in any internal electioneering in Israel,” and by suspending a planned summit. Netanyahu has been pressuring the UAE to host a summit for Israel, the U.S., and other countries that have normalized relations with Israel in the last year, but this summit is now postponed. (HA, NAT 8/17; AJ, ALM, AP, AX, CNN, HA, TOI 3/18; ALM 3/19)
Ireland said it would contribute $7.14 million a year to UNRWA over the next 3 years. (WAFA 3/18)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 8 Palestinians, including 7 during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Ramallah, Halhul, and Salfit, and 1 at a flying checkpoint in Hebron; among the arrested at a late-night raid in Ramallah was 1 Palestinian instructor from Birzeit University in Ramallah. Israeli forces also conducted house raids in Zabbuba near Jenin; no arrests were reported. Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian-owned vehicles travelling on a road northeast of Ramallah, causing damage. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Issawiyya. 1 Palestinian demolished his store in Silwan after receiving a demolition order by Israeli authorities. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/1; PCHR 9/5)
After more than 340 Palestinians had been arrested in Issawiyya in East Jerusalem during the summer, it was reported that the Israeli police, the Jerusalem Municipality, and residents of Issawiyya had come to an agreement on limiting Israeli operations in Issawiyya. The agreement includes that residents of Issawiyya cancel a school strike on 9/2, the 1st day of the school year. (HA 9/1)
According to the Palestinian Energy Authority, Qatar will be cutting the amount of fuel it funds for Gaza by 50 percent, causing the hours of electricity available in Gaza to drop from 8 hours per day to 5 or 6. (HA 9/1)
At a visit to the Israeli settlement of Elkana, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that that he aspires to apply Israeli sovereignty to all Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu’s announcement comes 2 weeks before the Israeli general election. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 9/1)
The al-Kasom Regional Council in the Negev, which presides over a large Bedouin community, announced that 17,000 students would not start the school year as planned on 9/2 as the Israeli education ministry had not given it enough money to begin the school year as planned. (HA 9/1)
Israeli forces and Hezbollah operatives exchanged missiles near the border of Israel and Lebanon. According to Hezbollah, it fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli military vehicles. The Israeli military and Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that it had hit the Hezbollah cell that fired the anti-tank missiles with “100 shells, aerial fire and various measures.” (HA 9/1; AJ, AJ, HA 9/2; HA 9/4)
In the West Bank, 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Jenin, and Salfit. Israeli forces also raided houses in the Hebron area and set up flying checkpoints around Hebron. A Palestinian demolished his own home in Bir Oneh, west of Bethlehem, to avoid Israeli demolition fees. For the 3d day in a row, Palestinian schoolchildren suffered tear gas inhalation in Hebron after Israeli forces fired tear gas grenades into the yards of 4 different schools. In the West Bank village of ‘Ayn Yabrud, 25 Palestinian-owned cars were vandalized by Israeli settlers. The cars were punctured and sprayed with graffiti spelling “revenge” accompanied by a Star of David. In East Jerusalem, dozens of Israeli settlers protected by Israeli forces stormed Haram al-Sharif through the Moroccan Gate to perform prayers. Seven Palestinian minors were arrested in East Jerusalem during late-night raids, including the son of the PA governor of Jerusalem Adnan Ghaith. (MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA 4/9; HA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, 4/10)
The Israeli Prison Service started relocating hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners in the Naqab and Ramon prisons in order to obstruct their hunger strike that began 4/8. (WAFA 4/9)
Airbnb announced that it was reversing its policy of removing West Bank settlement listings from its website (Airbnb announced that policy in November 2018) after settling a lawsuit against the company by Jewish American plaintiffs. (HA, Airbnb 4/9; MNA 4/10)
As citizens of Israel went to vote in the Israeli general elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party handed out around 1,200 small cameras to Israeli right-wing activists so that they could film at polling stations in predominantly Palestinian areas of Israel to intimidate Palestinian voters. Israeli police confiscated dozens of these cameras at polling stations. The Hadash-Ta’al list filed an urgent complaint to the Central Elections Committee to have the cameras removed immediately. (HA, MNA, +972 4/9; HA 4/15)
Hundreds of Palestinians gather in Jabaliya refugee camp to protest U.S. pres. Trump’s 12/6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the recent U.S. decision to cut aid to UNRWA. In the West Bank, IDF troops conduct a raid in Burqa village near Nablus, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 1 Palestinian is injured. Another Palestinian is injured in clashes sparked by an IDF raid in Bayt ‘Aynun near Hebron. IDF troops arrest 4 Palestinians and issue 1 arrest summons during raids near Bethlehem, Qalqilya, and Ramallah. Israeli forces demolish 3 residential shacks and a barn near Nablus and a home in Jiftlik village near Jericho; and patrol near Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians during a raid in Qatanna. In the Negev, Israeli forces demolish the Palestinian Bedouin village al-Araqib for the 124th time since 2010. (WAFA, 1/24; MNA, PCHR, WAFA 1/25; PCHR 2/1)
Jawwal and Wataniya, the only 2 telecoms with more than 3 million customers each in the West Bank and Gaza, launch 3G network technology in the West Bank. (JP, REU, WAFA 1/24)