The Palestine Chronology

The IDF makes an air strike targeting wanted Hamas mbrs. Arafat al-‘Arayir and Ziad Hillis outside a mosque in Gaza City, seriously wounding both men. An 8- yr.-old Palestinian boy is killed, his father injured when the boy accidentally triggers IDF UXO. In the West Bank, the IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinians nr. Qalandia crossing, wounding 1; shoots, wounds 5 Palestinians attempting to sneak into Jerusalem to find work. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim nr. Qalqilya attack, damage 2 Palestinian vehicles driving near the settlement. Jewish settlers in Hebron throw garbage, dirty water at Palestinian worshipers attempting to reach the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs to celebrate Laylat al-Qadr. (OCHA 10/10; PCHR 10/11)

Israel begins to allow more than 6,000 Palestinians stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border to enter Gaza through Erez via the al-Oja cargo crossing s. of Rafah and bus them to Erez; 1 ailing Palestinian stranded at the crossing dies. Nr. Khan Yunis, Islamic Jihad mbrs. exchange heavy fire with an IDF unit patrolling the border inside Israel, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF searches stores, conducts random ID checks in Hebron; patrols in Qalandia. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar set fire to 100 d. of Palestinian olive and almond groves nr. Nablus. (NYT 7/29; WT 7/31; OCHA 8/1; PCHR 8/2)

Overnight, the IDF sends troops, armored vehicles into Juhur al-Dik southeast of Gaza City, occupying 4 Palestinian homes, bulldozing agricultural land, rounding up all males for interrogation, detaining 30 before withdrawing late at night. In the West Bank, the IDF raids offices of an Islamic charity in Qalqilya, confiscating documents; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and in al-Bireh, Qalandia. (OCHA 7/25; PCHR 7/26, 8/2)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya fire on 2 Palestinian teenagers who stray nr. the border fence, wounding 1. Palestinians fire an antitank missile at an IDF post along the Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun; the IDF responds with heavy gunfire; no injuries are reported on either side. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Nussayrat r.c. and Rafah, causing no damage or injuries. In Rafah, a Hamas mbr. is injured when an explosive device he is handling explodes prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF exchanges fire with Palestinian gunmen nr. Ramallah, leaving 2 IDF soldiers wounded; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians at Qalandia checkpoint, causing no reported injuries; demolishes 6 Palestinian homes (48 residents) nr. Susia settlement, 1 home (16 residents) nr. another Hebron settlement; bulldozes 5 d. of Palestinian olive groves nr. Avigail settlement nr. Hebron; raids the Change and Reform offices in Hebron, confiscating computers and files; conducts late-night arrest raids in Jenin town and r.c., Qabatya and nr. Hebron. For the 3d day, Jewish settlers occupying a Palestinian home in Hebron vandalize nearby Palestinian homes, attack Palestinian residents, and try to break into several Palestinian homes. Unidentified Palestinian gunmen shoot, wound a PA intelligence officer in Qalqilya. (NYT 4/20; OCHA 4/25; PCHR 4/26)

IDF troops on the Gaza border fire on, send a drone to fire missiles at a group of armed Palestinians attempting to cross into Israel e. of Jabaliya, killing 1 armed Palestinian, wounding 4. For the 3d day, the IDF sends bulldozers and tanks into Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun to level land; this time, Palestinian gunmen fire an RPG at a tank, sparking an exchange of gunfire, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Jenin town and r.c. late in the evening, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen who confront the troops, wounding local AMB leader Zacharia Zubeidi; conducts arrest raids, house searches in alBireh, Nablus, Qalqilya; fires rubber-coated steel bullets on stone-throwing Palestinians nr. the Qalandia checkpoint, injuring 2; fires rubber-coated steel bullets at 10s of Palestinians and Israeli and international peace activists protest the separation wall nr. Bil‘in, injuring 14; similarly fires rubber-coated steel bullets on Palestinians, international peace activists protesting the construction of the separation wall nr. Um Salamuna nr. Bethlehem, injuring 8. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai set fire to a Palestinian car in Hebron; the IDF bars fire engines fr. reaching the scene. For a 2d day, Jewish settlers occupying a Palestinian building nr. Kiryat Arba throw bottles and stones at local Palestinians, use trained dogs to scare Palestinian children; the IDF observes but does not intervene. In ‘Abasan, Fatah-Hamas clashes leave 11 Palestinians wounded. A Palestinian wounded in an IDF artillery strike on ‘Abasan on 9/6/06 dies. (OCHA 4/11; PCHR 4/12)

IDF troops on the Gaza border fire on, wound a Palestinian farmer who strays nr. the border fence e. of Jabaliya. In Khan Yunis, a 6-yr.-old Palestinian is killed, 2 children (ages 2 and 5) are injured when they accidentally trigger an explosive device in their home. In the West Bank, the IDF raids an internet caf´e in Orayf nr. Nablus, detaining, beating, releasing 2 14-yr.-old Palestinians they accuse of throwing stones; sends undercover units into Ramallah to raid a caf´e, arrest a wanted Palestinian (a bodyguard for Fatah PC mbr. Jamal al-Tirawi); patrols Tubas; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; fires on stone-throwing youths nr. Jenin, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 2; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at 10s of Palestinians holding nonviolent protests against the separation wall at 2 points along the wall outside Qalqilya, injuring several. A 15-yr.- old Palestinian injured by IDF fire at the Qalandia checkpoint on 3/28 dies. (OCHA 4/4; PCHR 4/5)

When AMB, Islamic Jihad fire 9 rockets into Israel, causing no damage or injuries, the IDF shells n. Gaza for the 1st time since the 11/26 cease-fire went into effect, wounding 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs. preparing to fire a rocket into Israel, also killing 1 Palestinian bystander and wounding 2; Israel says the strike was not intended to signal a change of policy or an escalation. The IDF also sends bulldozers into Gaza w. of Rafah to level land along the border fence. In the West Bank, IDF demolishes 3 Palestinian businesses, an animal pen in Barta‘a nr. Jenin; fires on stonethrowing Palestinian youths nr. the Qalandia checkpoint outside Jerusalem, seriously wounding 1 with a bullet to the head, lightly wounding 3 others; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Balata, Nablus, Tulkarm and nr. Hebron, Jenin r.c. (exchanging fire with AMB mbrs., killing 1 AMB mbr., wounding 2), Ramallah, Salfit. Israeli police in riot gear remove the remaining 450 right-wing Jewish settlers and activists fr. the Homesh settlement site (see 3/26). Jewish settlers stone Palestinian cars nr. Jit Junction nr. Qalqilya, injuring 1 Palestinian. Jewish settler teenagers in Hebron ambush, beat a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy on his way home fr. school. Private Israeli security contractors working for Karme Tzur settlement nr. Hebron prevent Palestinian farmers fr. reaching their land nearby, beating 2, confiscating their equipment. Separately, Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur beat a Palestinian farmer working his land nearby. In Jabaliya r.c., ESF mbrs. fire on a car of Fatah mbrs., causing no injuries. In Bayt Hanun, suspected Fatah gunmen fire on the car of a senior Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr., seriously injuring him, his wife and 2 children, a bystander. (REU 3/28; NYT, WT 3/29; WP 3/30; OCHA 4/4; PCHR 4/5; NYT 4/8)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy who apparently strays nr. the border fence nr. Jabaliya r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes w. of Bethlehem nr. Kefar Etzion settlement; patrols Burkin southwest of Nablus (setting up a checkpoint, checking Palestinian IDs), Tulkarm; fires tear gas, percussion grenades at 10s of Palestinians as well as Israeli and international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, beats others, injuring 8; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians at the Qalandia checkpoint protesting Israeli excavations at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, wounding 1. Jewish settlers fr. Negohot settlement nr. Hebron stalk, beat, seriously injure an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy. In Bayt Lahiya, 3 Palestinians are injured in a family feud with factional overtones. In Gaza City, Hamas mbrs. fatally shoot a Fatah mbr. (OCHA 3/28; PCHR 3/29)

As the quarter opened, Israel and the Palestinians both stated they were observing a cease-fire in Gaza that went into effect on 11/26/06, though near-daily cross-border incidents occurred. Israel’s siege of Gaza, in place since Hamas took control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on 3/28/06, remained, as did heavy restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank. Today, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops on the n. Gaza border fire on several Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya, wounding a 12-yrold boy. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Aida refugee camp (r.c.) nr. Bethlehem, Azun nr. Qalqilya, Qalandia r.c. (exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, leaving 2 IDF soldiers wounded), Tulkarm and nr. Hebron, Jenin; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in and nr. Hebron demonstrating against Israel’s new construction at the Haram alSharif/Temple Mount (see 2/6/06 in the Chronology in JPS 143); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at 10s of Palestinians, as well as Israeli and international activists, taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 8. Jewish settlers fr. Tel Rumeida in Hebron occupy a Palestinian home next to the settlement; the IDF evicts the settlers but declares the area a closed military zone, barring the Palestinian family fr. returning. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba in Hebron vandalize Palestinian homes, shops; the IDF observes but does not intervene. A Fatah mbr. dies of injuries received in recent clashes in Jabaliya with members of the PA Interior Min.’s predominantly Hamas Executive Support Force (ESF). PA health sector employees in the West Bank begin an open-ended strike to protest the PA’s failure to pay their salaries. (OCHA 2/21; PCHR 2/22)

In Gaza, scattered Fatah-Hamas skirmishes continue throughout the day (including in Bayt Lahiya, Gaza City), leaving at least 2 Palestinians dead, 10 wounded. Fatah, Hamas officials meet for a 2d day and order their mbrs. once again to observe a truce, withdraw forces fr. the streets, dismantle impromptu checkpoints, but there is no sign of a return to barracks by nightfall. Fatah accuses Hamas of kidnapping around 40 of its mbrs. in recent days, including the nephew of Fatah strongman Dahlan, abducted today in Khan Yunis. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalandia; raids municipal offices in Bir Nabala n. of Jerusalem, confiscating the land register, computers, financial records, seals, checkbooks. A Palestinian dies of injuries received during an IDF raid on Bayt Lahiya on 11/21. (NYT, WP 2/4; MM, NYT 2/5; OCHA 2/7; PCHR 2/8)

In Gaza, Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire on an IDF observation post on the border e. of Khan Yunis, sparking an exchange of fire that causes no injuries. Egyptian forces blow up 2 smugglers’ tunnels on the Rafah border. PA security forces discover, detonate a sophisticated roadside bomb nr. the border fence e. of al-Maghazi r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots a 17-yr.-old Palestinian during an arrest raid in Tulkarm r.c.; sends an undercover unit into Tulkarm town in a van with Palestinian license plates, fatally shoots a wanted Palestinian who attempts to escape; patrols in Qalandia r.c., firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ and nr. Hebron, Nablus. In Gaza, 1 AMB mbr. is shot execution style in n. Gaza by Hamas gunmen who blame the AMB for the death of one of their mbrs.; later 2 ESF mbrs. are killed by a roadside bomb in the same area; shots are fired at FM Zahhar’s home, causing no injuries. Fatah mbrs. kidnap 9 Hamas mbrs. in Gaza; Hamas retaliates by kidnapping 5 Fatah mbrs. In Ramallah, AMB mbrs. angry at Abbas’s Presidential Guard for expelling them fr. the Muqata‘a fire on the diplomatic missions of Canada, China, Germany, causing no injuries. (MM 1/26; NYT 1/26, 1/27; WT 1/28; OCHA 1/31; PCHR 2/1)