The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian child near the Tekoa settlement, claiming he had attempted to stab soldiers. Israeli forces also shoot and kill 2 Palestinians during a raid in Dura. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man during a raid in al-Yamun. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a Palestinian child during a raid in Silwad. Meanwhile, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian woman during a raid in Nahalin. Israeli forces also assault 3 Palestinians during a raid in Ya’bad. Separately, Israeli forces open fire at the Jenin Governmental Hospital and demolish infrastructure during a raid in Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities force a Palestinian family to demolish their own home in az-Za’ayyem, displacing 6 people. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 215 people, including 45 in airstrikes on 2 buildings in Gaza. Israeli forces also storm a UN shelter in Gaza City, arresting Palestinians. 15 rockets are fired at Tel Aviv, 6 are intercepted; no damage is reported. In Haifa, Israeli forces shoot and kill a person who rammed an Israeli soldier and exited his vehicle with an axe. In Lebanon, Israeli forces kill 2 members of Hezbollah. Hezbollah claims 13 attacks on Israeli military positions, including in Biranit and Zar’it; 2 Israeli soldiers are injured in the attack on Biranit. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb a site near Damascus, killing 7 people. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/29)

More than 26,637 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 10,600 children and 7,200 women, and around 65,387 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 371 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 94 children. More than 4,382 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, 219 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,269 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 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 102 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/29; UNOCHA 1/30)

Israel orders the evacuation of Shati’ refugee camp and the Gaza City neighborhoods Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA 1/29)

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri tells Reuters that Hamas’s position remains that Israel must guarantee that its attacks on Gaza end before Hamas starts releasing Israeli captives. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 1/29)

Palestinian officials say the PA will reform itself to comply with U.S. demands by appointing new governors in the West Bank and Gaza, making changes to the personnel of the PA security forces, appointing new staff at the its foreign consulates and embassies and at ministries, improving the financial system, appointing new directors at public institutions, improving tax collection, opening the communications market, and improving government oversight to combat corruption. Axios reports that senior security officials from the PA, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt met in Riyadh on the 1/18, discussing plans for Gaza after the war and ways to involve a revitalized PA in Gaza. According to the report, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt called on PA general intelligence service director Majed Faraj to ensure that the PA makes serious reforms, including providing more power to a new prime minister. Saudi Arabia is also said to have briefed the other parties on its requirements for normalization with Israel, including practical and irrevocable steps by Israel toward the creation of a Palestinian state. (AX 1/29; HA 1/30)

Shin Bet director Ronen Bar meets with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in Cairo, discussing Israeli-Egyptian tensions and Israeli plans to further attack Rafah. (AX 1/29)

The Knesset House Committee hears legal arguments on the motion to expel MK Ofer Cassif from the parliament over his support for the South African genocide case against Israel. 85 MKs have said they support expelling Cassif. If the committee approves the motion to expel, then support from 90 MKs will be required to expel Cassif, who can then appeal to the Supreme Court. (AJ, HA 1/29)

The EU announces it will review its funding of UNRWA after Israeli allegations that members of UNRWA are connected to Hamas. Austria and Romania announce they are suspending funding for UNRWA, becoming the 11th and 12th countries to do so since 1/26. Pakistan calls the suspensions of UNRWA funding “unjustifiable.” 20 human rights organizations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, issue a statement expressing “concern and outrage” over the funding suspensions. Israel claims in an intelligence dossier seen by Reuters that 190 UNRWA employees are Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants, while 10% of all 13,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza have affiliation with 1 of the 2 groups. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/29; HA 1/30)

The UN begins its fact-finding mission to investigate sexual assaults allegedly committed by Hamas members on 10/7/23. UN envoy for sexual violence in conflict Pramila Patten urges potential victims to “break your silence.” (HA, NYT 1/29; AP 1/30)

Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz says he canceled a meeting with UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini, saying “Lazzarini should draw conclusions and resign. Supporters of terrorism are not welcome here.” (AJ, HA 1/29)

Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani meets with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken in Washington D.C., discussing developments in Palestine and a lasting solution to the Palestinian cause, according to a Qatari statement. (AJ, AJ, AX 1/29)

UK foreign secretary David Cameron tells Arab ambassadors in London that the UK, with its allies, is looking at recognizing a Palestinian state to make the path toward Palestinian statehood “irreversible.” (AJ, HA, NYT, WAFA 1/30)

19 U.S. Democrats in the Senate, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), send a letter to Secretary Blinken asking for clarification on the bypassing of Congress in sending aid to Israel. (HA 1/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort prevent Palestinian farmers from cultivating their land in Atuf. Israeli forces shoot and kill 4 Palestinians during a raid in ‘Azzun; 1 Israeli soldier is injured. Israel later says it has decided to keep the bodies of the Palestinians. Israeli forces also assault a Palestinian man at a checkpoint in Yanoun, seizing his car. Elsewhere, Israeli forces assault Palestinian farmers in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces also raid Hebron, assaulting a disabled man. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently disperse a protest in al-Arroub refugee camp, causing tear-gas related injuries. Palestinians protest the killing of Saleh al-Arouri (see below) in Jenin, Hebron, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raze land, uprooting olive trees in Beit Safafa. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Maghazi, Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Gaza City, killing at least 207 people, including 5 in the Palestinian Red Crescent Society headquarters at al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis where 14,000 people are sheltering. Israeli forces also open fire at civilians at a market in Nuseirat refugee camp, killing a child. 1 Israeli soldier is injured in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces assassinate Hamas political bureau deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in an airstrike on the Hamas offices in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut. 6 other members of Hamas are killed, including al-Qassem Brigades commanders Samir Findi and Azzam al-Aqraa and Hamas members Mahmoud Zaki Shahin, Mohammad Bashasha, Mohammad al-Rayes, and Mohammad Hamoud, and 11 are injured in the strike. In Syria, Israeli forces attack several places near Damascus, causing damage. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/2; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, UNOCHA 1/3; AJ, AJ, HA, HA 1/4)

More than 22,185 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 57,697 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 317 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 80 children. More than 3,812 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 171 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 983 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. As of 12/23, at least 65,000 housing units had been destroyed and 290,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 143 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (AJ, AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/2; AP 1/3)

Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati says Israel is trying to pull Lebanon into its war on Gaza by assassinating Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut. Hezbollah says in a statement that it will retaliate. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh calls the assassination an act of terrorism. Israeli cabinet secretary Yossi Fuchs instructs Israeli ministers not to comment on the assassination. Fatah announced a general strike in the West Bank in response to the assassination. U.S. officials tell Axios that Israel did not notify the Biden administration of the assassination in advance. (AJ, AX, HA 1/2)

The International Committee of the Red Cross condemns Israel’s continued targeting of Palestinian Red Crescent Society facilities in Gaza. (HA 1/2)

The PA calls on Israel to immediately hand over a Palestinian baby that was kidnapped from Gaza by Israeli forces and brought to Israel. An Israeli soldier, who has since been killed in Gaza, told Israeli army radio that he had taken a baby to Israel. A picture of the soldier with a baby in Gaza circulated online. (AJ, AJ 1/2)

Haaretz reports it has received testimonies from Palestinian prisoners in Gilboa Prison who say they have been assaulted, humiliated, and abused by Israeli guards since 10/7. Among other transgressions, Israeli guards have been beating and threatening prisoners who refuse to kiss the Israeli flag. Others said that guards would put 11 prisoners in a cell made to fit 3, and step on their food before allowing them to eat it. (HA 1/2)

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh says Hamas has delivered its position on negotiations to Egypt and Qatar, which is based on a “complete cessation of the [Israeli] aggression.” (REU 1/2)

The Supreme Authority of Palestinian Tribes in the Gaza Strip denounces and rejects an Israeli proposal that would see Palestinian tribes have more political power in Gaza, saying it would create confusion and strife. (AJ, MEE 1/2)

Turkey says it arrested 34 people suspected of being part of a Mossad plot. 15 are later formally arrested by a Turkish court and 8 others are deported. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU 1/2)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson Eylon Levy says Israel will defend itself at the ICJ after South Africa triggered proceedings by invoking the Genocide Convention on 12/29. Levy calls the South African accusations “blood libel,” saying “history will judge you, and it will judge you without mercy.” The hearings are scheduled to begin on 1/11 and 1/12. Netanyahu tells families of Israeli captives held by Hamas that Hamas’ ultimatum in negotiations about a ceasefire had “softened a little.” (AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, HA, REU 1/2; REU 1/5)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken speaks with UK foreign secretary David Cameron, discussing the situation in Gaza and in the Red Sea. (HA 1/2)

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller calls comments by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir in favor of depopulating Gaza “inflammatory and irresponsible.” Ben-Gvir responds to Miller’s statement saying the U.S. “is our best friend, but first of all we will do what is best for the State of Israel: the migration of hundreds of thousands from Gaza.” French president Emmanuel Macron also tells Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz that the comments are unacceptable. EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borell also condemns Smotrich and Ben-Gvir’s statements. Likud Party MK Moshe Saada tells Channel 14 that those who call for the destruction of all Palestinians in Gaza are right. (AJ, AJ, AX, HA, HA, REU 1/2; AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT 1/3)

U.S. intelligence agencies release a declassified report saying that they believe the Israeli assessment that Hamas and Islamic Jihad used parts of al-Shifa Hospital to operate against Israel was at least partially correct but that captives were moved before Israel stormed the hospital. The New York Times notes that U.S. officials did not provide any visual evidence to back up the assessment. After raiding the hospital Israel changed its claim from the tunnels underneath being a Hamas command center to the tunnels being used by Hamas. (NYT, REU 1/2; HA 1/3)

U.S. senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) says, “Congress must reject that funding [referring to providing billions to Israel]. The taxpayers of the United States must no longer be complicit in destroying the lives of innocent men, women, and children in Gaza.” Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) says Israel has created a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, saying, “Stop bombing Gaza. Resume the cease-fire. Work toward a permanent peace.” (AJ 1/2)

A poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute shows that 75% of Israeli Jewish respondents support continuing the same scale of indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, despite U.S. pressure to tone down the assault. (HA, HA 1/2) 

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked and injured 2 Palestinians in Deir Istiya. Israeli settlers also stole several cows after Israeli forces arrested the owners of the cows in ‘Ain al-Hilweh. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers vandalized 60 olive trees and water pipes in Jalud. Israeli settlers also opened fire at Palestinian farmers near Qaryut. Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians, including a child, during raids in Aqabah and Silat al-Harithiya. Israeli forces also raided around 200 homes in Burqa, physically assaulting a woman and causing damage at several houses. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished an agricultural structure in Deir Balut and issued stop-work orders for a school near Yatta. 35 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Jericho. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities forced a Palestinian family to demolish part of their own home in Shu’fat. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed Khan Yunis, Maghazi, al-Bureij refugee camp, Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza City, and Jabalia refugee camp, killing dozens of people. Israeli forces also struck 50 buildings in al-Bureij refugee camp, Nuseirat refugee camp, and Maghazi between 12/24 and 12/25 and 1 of 2 water pipelines supplying water to southern Gaza. 5 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat. 21 patients were evacuated from al-Ahli Arab Hospital and 13 from al-Shifa Hospital to Khan Yunis. In Lebanon, Hezbollah said it killed an Israeli soldier near Kiryat Shmona. Israeli forces attacked Aita al-Shaab. In Syria, Israeli forces assassinated high-ranking Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Sayyed Razi Mousavi in an airstrike in the Sayyida Zeinab area outside of Damascus. Iran said Israel would “pay the price” for the assassination of Mousavi. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/25; AJ, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA 12/26)

More than 20,675 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,000 children and 6,200 women, and around 54,500 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 296 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 75 children. More than 3,800 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7. 148 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 771 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. As of 12/23, at least 65,000 housing units had been destroyed and 290,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. There was no information about aid deliveries into Gaza. (AJ 12/25; UNOCHA 12/26)

An Israeli-made video of hundreds of Palestinians, including children, stripped to their underwear while being detained in a stadium in Gaza circulated in the media. The footage circulated amid reports that Palestinians have been executed in Israeli detention throughout Gaza. Hamas called on the ICC to hold Israel accountable for its killing and “terrorizing [of] civilians” in Gaza. (AJ 12/25; AJ, UNOCHA 12/26)

Israeli interior minister Moshe Arbel said he will revoke the East Jerusalem residency permit of Majed Juaba, claiming he is a known Hamas operative. (HA, HA 12/25)

Egypt presented a proposal for ending Israel’s assault on Gaza to Israel, Hamas, the U.S., and European governments that would see Israel withdraw from Gaza, all the captives released from Gaza, many Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel, and a united technocratic Palestinian government installed. In the first stage of the plan, all civilian captives would be released over a 7 to 10 day ceasefire period where Palestinian prisoners would also be released. The second stage would see all female soldiers released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners over a weeklong period. In the last stage, Hamas and Israel would negotiate the release of the remaining captives and Palestinian prisoners. Hamas denied reporting from Reuters that it and Islamic Jihad had rejected the proposal. (HA, TOI 12/24; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU 12/25; AJ 12/26)

The PLO Executive Committee met in Ramallah, discussing Israeli efforts to displace Palestinians throughout Palestine. (WAFA 12/26)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, saying there are 3 “prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza,” the destruction of Hamas, demilitarization of Gaza, including a “temporary security perimeter” around Gaza, and “deradicalization” of Gaza. Netanyahu also visited Israeli soldiers in Gaza. (AJ, NYT 12/25)

MK and former Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said in an interview that Israel had received inquiries from countries in South America and Africa that are willing to take Palestinian refugees from Gaza in exchange for payment. Danon said “voluntary migration” is natural during and after wars, citing the situation in Syria. In response to Danon’s comments, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he encourages the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza but said Israel has not found countries that will take the displaced. (HA 12/25; HA, HA 12/26)

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen said he had instructed his ministry to reject the residency permit application and extension of 2 UN staff members, saying the UN “cooperate with the propaganda of the terrorist organization Hamas.” (AJ, AJ, HA 12/25; NYT 12/26)

Ynet reported that the U.S. had rejected an Israeli request for Apache helicopters. Ynet also reported that the U.S. has sent 230 cargo planes and 20 ships loaded with weaponry to Israel since 10/7. (AJ 12/25; AJ 12/26)

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu had ordered Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Mossad Director David Barnea not to meet each other unless Netanyahu is present, saying the ban was related to talks on the release of captives. (AJ, HA 12/25)

U.S. forces attacked alleged Kataib Hezbollah positions in Iraq, killing an Iraqi serviceperson and injuring 18 others. The Iraqi government called the attack “unacceptable.” 3 U.S. soldiers were reportedly injured in an attack by Kataib Hezbollah in Erbil. (HA 12/25; AJ, AP, HA, REU 12/26)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided Tulkarm refugee camp, killing 6 Palestinians and injuring 3 in a drone strike, uprooted streets, and put 2 hospitals under siege. Israeli forces also shot and killed 2 Palestinians, including a child, during raids in ‘Azzun and Burin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian in Beitunia. Israeli forces also notified a Palestinian landowner that it will seize 2.5 dunams (.62 acres) of his land in Beit Dajan to construct a settler road. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolished 6 residential structures and 1 agricultural structure in Shaab al-Butum in the Masafer Yatta area, displacing 20 people. 38 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Qalqilya, and Tubas. In Gaza, Israeli forces attacked Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, and the Indonesian and Kamal Adwan hospitals, killing at least 80 people. The number of fatalities was likely much higher given the lack of communication with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. 3 premature babies died at the Kamal Adwan Hospital due to the incubators failing as a result of a lack of fuel. The administration at the Indonesian Hospital said it had been ordered by Israel to evacuate the hospital. 14 ambulances arrived at al-Shifa Hospital to start evacuating the 250 remaining patients. The Red Crescent said 3 paramedics and a companion of a wounded Palestinian were detained by Israeli forces, with 1 of the paramedics being arrested, and that Israel obstructed the evacuation efforts. 190 patients were evacuated from the hospital over a 20-hour period. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed. Rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel; no injuries were reported. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed 5 people in Beit Yahoun, including the son of Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad. In Syria, Israeli forces fired 2 missiles at Damascus, causing damage. In the Red Sea, Israel said it intercepted a cruise missile fired from Yemen. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/22; AJ, HA, UNOCHA 11/23; HA 11/24)

The Gaza Media Office reported that 14,532 Palestinian have been killed, including 6,000 children and 4,000 women, and around 35,000 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 217 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 53 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. 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.7 million Palestinians, more than 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 11/18, at least 45,000 housing units had been destroyed and 233,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 60% of all housing units. 111 Palestinians were buried in a mass grave in Khan Yunis. The bodies were initially seized by Israel at al-Shifa Hospital and in Beit Hanun and handed over to Palestinian authorities prior to arriving in Khan Yunis in a shipping container. About 250 people fled northern Gaza to the south. Around 18,000 gallons of fuel and 80 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. 433 foreign nationals and 17 wounded people were evacuated to Egypt. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/22; NYT 11/23)

UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths called the humanitarian crisis in Gaza the “worst ever,” adding “I do not say that lightly. I started off in my twenties dealing with the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields.” (HA 11/22)

Israel and Hamas agreed to the terms of a 4-day ceasefire that would see 50 women and children held in Gaza released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children being released from Israeli prisons. The start of the ceasefire would be announced within 24 hours, awaiting the Israeli High Court of Justice’s consideration of Israeli public appeals against the deal. The ceasefire could be extended for one additional day for every 10 additional captives released from Gaza. There are about 240 captives held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Israel agreed to stop military movement and allow people to travel from the north of Gaza to the south on Salah al-Din road, but said it would not allow movement to the north. 300 trucks carrying aid, including fuel, would be allowed into Gaza every day. Furthermore, Hamas said Israel had agreed to stop drone flights over southern Gaza during the period of the ceasefire and not fly over northern Gaza for 6 hours a day and that Israel could not attack or arrest anyone during the 4-day period. Israel published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners, including 123 children, that it deemed eligible for release. Most of the prisoners on the list were arrested in the past 2 years for minor offenses. Islamic Jihad said the Israeli soldiers it is holding captive will not be released until all its members are released from Israeli prisons. PA president Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the agreement and thanked Qatar and Egypt for their mediation efforts. The Israeli cabinet approved deal in the early hours of the day after a 6-hour meeting. 3 ministers from the Otzma Yehudit party voted against it while 35 ministers voted in favor. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would resume its attacks on Gaza after the ceasefire.  (HA, NYT, NYT 11/21; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/22)

Hamas deputy political leader Khalil al-Hayya and Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan met with Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, discussing the ceasefire. It was reported that Hezbollah would enter the ceasefire if Israel did not attack Lebanon during the 4-day period. (HA 11/22)

The PA cabinet held an emergency session on the situation in Gaza and the PA’s financial situation given the Israeli decision to withhold more funds from the PA tax revenue and the PA’s refusal to accept the reduced sums. The cabinet decided to allow each ministry to find ways to reduce their expenses and indicated that civil servants will not be paid their salaries or will receive reduced salaries due to the financial crisis. President Abbas discussed the situation in Gaza and the West Bank with Finnish president Sauli Niinistö. (WAFA, WAFA 11/22)

A delegation of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, including the PA, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, and Nigeria met with UK foreign secretary David Cameron in London, discussing the situation in Gaza. (WAFA 11/22)

Mossad director David Barnea arrived in Doha to discuss the final details of the prisoner exchange with Qatari officials. (AX, HA 11/22)

Israel claimed to have found a 525-foot-long tunnels underneath al-Shifa Hospital, saying it was used by Hamas. Videos of the tunnels released by Israel showed the tunnels were completely empty, aside from an air-conditioning unit. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak said earlier this week that Israel constructed tunnels under al-Shifa in the 1980s. Prime Minister Netanyahu said he had instructed the Mossad to attack Hamas leaders outside of the occupied territories. (AJ, NYT 11/22; HA 11/23)

U.S. president Joe Biden released a statement welcoming the temporary ceasefire, thanking the leaders of Qatar and Egypt. Biden told President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that the U.S. opposes forced deportation of Palestinians in Gaza to Egypt and the redrawing of the Gaza borders. Biden also spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, emphasizing the “importance of maintaining calm along the Lebanese border as well as in the West Bank,” according to the U.S. readout of their conversation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. It was reported that the U.S. was using the ceasefire to push Israel to set up safe areas in Gaza and allow more aid and fuel into Gaza. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 11/22)

Politico reported that the Biden administration was worried that an unintended consequence of the ceasefire would be journalists being able to “illuminate the devastation” in Gaza since they would have more access. (AJ 11/22)

Palestinians who met Pope Francis at the Vatican said he described the situation in Gaza as genocide. A Vatican spokesperson later said that he was not aware that the pope used the word. Pope Francis also met with Israeli relatives of people held captive in Gaza by Hamas. (AJ, HA, WAFA 11/22)

The Yemeni naval commander spoke to the crew members of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader the navy had captured on 11/19, assuring them that they would be treated as guests. (HA 11/22)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to 2 cars in Huwwara. Israeli settlers also vandalized 70 olive trees in Yasuf. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers uprooted 30 olive and grape trees and damaged water tanks and solar panels in Shaab al-Butum in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also assaulted Palestinians in Kisan. Israeli forces carried out an airstrike from a fighter jet on al-Anasari Mosque in Jenin, killing 2 Palestinians. It was the first time since the Second Intifada that Israel has used fighter jets in the West Bank. Israeli forces shot and killed 5 others, including a minor, during raids in Qabatiya, Tammun, Zawata, and Askar refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian they claimed had tried to ram Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near al-Arroub refugee camp. Israeli forces also seized a bulldozer and arrested the driver in Qablan. 52 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Ramallah, al-Bireh, Hebron, Nablus, Qabatiya, Kafr Ra’i, Tubas, and Salfit, including al-Bireh mayor Islam al-Tawil. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed a protest in support of Gaza, arresting 6 people. In Gaza, Israeli forces killed nearly 400 Palestinians in airstrikes. Israeli forces also targeted the vicinity of al-Shifa and al-Quds hospitals. An Israeli soldier was killed and 3 wounded in anti-tank fire during a raid in near Khan Yunis. Rockets were fired at Israel causing no new fatalities. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attacked and killed militants in a missile strike that were allegedly firing anti-tank missiles at Israel. In Syria, Israeli forces fired missiles at Damascus and Aleppo international airports, killing 2 airport workers in Damascus and causing enough damage to close both airports. In Egypt, Israeli tank fire hit an Egyptian military post, injuring 7; Israeli called the incident an accident. (AP 10/20; AJ, HA 10/21; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/22; AJ, HA, REU 10/23)

The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of 5 p.m. at least 4,651 Palestinians had been killed, including at least 1,524 children, and 14,245 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7, including 47 entire families consisting of 500 people. The UN said that about 70% of Palestinians killed in Gaza are children and women. It is estimated that hundreds are still trapped in rubble. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 92 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 27 children. More than 1,734 have been injured, including at least 360 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 4,932 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that over 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half the population in Gaza, 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 26,756 housing units have been destroyed and 139,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. At least 42% of all housing units have been either destroyed or damaged in Israeli airstrikes. UNRWA said 29 of its staff members have been killed in Gaza since 10/7. AP reported that 17 aid trucks entered Gaza today, including 7 carrying fuel. The WHO said 4 trucks of medical supplies had entered Gaza to help more than 300,000 patients. The Gaza Ministry of Endowments said 31 mosques have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes. (AJ 10/21; HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/22; HA 10/23)

The Palestinian Prisoners Society said 300 Palestinians have been placed in administrative detention and 1,130 have been arrested since 10/7. (AJ 10/21)

Israel evacuated 14 towns near the Blue Line. (HA 10/22)

Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke with Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziyad al-Nakhalah. (AJ 10/21; HA 10/22; HA 10/23)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with 25 ambassadors and representatives in Ramallah, urging a united front in ending the Israeli attacks on Gaza. (WAFA 10/22)

Katyusha rockets were fired at the U.S. Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. (HA 10/22)

Israeli president Isaac Herzog claimed that Hamas militants planned to use cyanide on Israelis, showing documents he said were found on a USB drive in the possession of militants killed by Israel. The documents Herzog presented did not seem authentic as the word “Al Qaeda” was written in English in a large font. (HA 10/22)

Israel closed its Public Diplomacy Ministry, allocating the budget of the ministry to rehabilitation of Israeli towns near the Gaza fence. (HA 10/22)

The New York Times reported that the U.S. has asked Israel to suspend its ground invasion of Gaza to allow negotiations over releasing more captives held by Hamas. President Joe Biden reiterated his belief that Israel has a “right to defend itself,” but said it must operate within the laws of war. Biden also discussed the situation in Gaza with Pope Francis. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. “expects a likelihood” of regional escalation and claimed that Hamas is preventing U.S. citizens from leaving Gaza. (AJ 10/21; AJ, HA, NYT, REU 10/22; HA 10/23)

President Biden, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, French president Emmanuel Macron, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni issued a joint statement reaffirming their support for Israel’s war against Hamas, calling for the release of all captives, and calling for Israel to adhere to international law and protect Palestinian civilians. (AP 10/20; AJ, HA 10/22)

The Israeli Education Ministry removed Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg from the Israeli curriculum because of her support for Palestinians in Gaza and calls to end Israeli attacks. (HA 10/22)

Thousands marched in solidarity with Palestine in Copenhagen, Paris, Sydney, Brussels, Sarajevo, Sao Paolo, Santiago, and elsewhere. 2 people attacked a pro-Palestine demonstration in Skokie near Chicago, 1 attempted to ram protesters, while another, wearing an Israeli flag as a cape, sprayed pepper spray at protesters. Both were arrested. (WAFA 10/22; AJ 10/23)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Burqa, throwing stones at homes and vandalizing 2 vehicles. Israeli forces raided a girl’s school in al-Eizariya, causing damage to school property. In East Jerusalem, 1 Israeli settler was injured in a ramming incident near Qalandia. 1 Palestinian suspect was arrested. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian at a light rail station in the French Hill neighborhood, claiming he had stabbed a settler. Israeli authorities forced 1 Palestinian family to demolish parts of their own home in Jabel Mukaber. In Gaza, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians near the Gaza fence, claiming that 1 of them had opened fire at Israeli soldiers; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. (AP, HA, HA, QDS, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/21; PCHR 9/27)

Israel assassinated 2 people in a drone strike in Beit Jann west of Damascus. The 2 were reported to be members of Islamic Jihad, which Islamic Jihad denied. Israeli tanks also attacked 2 temporary structures erected by the Syrian army near the Golan Heights. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 9/21)

The UN release a report saying that Israeli settler violence had displaced more than 1,100 Palestinians in the West Bank since 2022. The report also said that the UN had counted an average of 3 settler attacks a day. (AP, HA, UNOCHA 9/21)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly at its annual meeting, warning that peace in the region is impossible without the “Palestinian people enjoying full legitimate and national rights.” Abbas criticized world leaders for not holding Israel accountable for its atrocities and called on UN members to recognize the State of Palestine. It was reported that Palestinian officials had trouble getting meetings for Abbas on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly due to the publication on 9/7 of Abbas’ remarks at the Fatah Revolutionary Council in August that were said to be anti-Semitic. President Abbas met with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres. (HA 9/20; AJ, AP, HA, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA 9/21; WAFA 9/22)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh met with U.S. state department special representative for Palestinian affairs Hady Amr in New York. (WAFA 9/21)

PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said in an interview that the Palestinian leadership is confident that Saudi Arabia would protect Palestinian interests in a potential normalization deal with Israel and that the Saudis have accepted the Palestinian position on the negotiations, including restarting peace talks and protecting Palestinians’ right to self-determination. Haaretz reported that the Palestinian demands includes a settlement freeze, expanding Areas B and C, full membership at the UN, reopening the PLO office in Washington, and reopening the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem. Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen told Israel’s Army Radio that there is a likelihood that a normalization deal can be finalized in the first quarter of 2024. (HA, REU 9/21)

The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee held a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly annual meeting in New York. Prime Minister Shtayyeh called on representatives from some 30 countries at the meeting to help the PA overcome its political and financial challenges. (WAFA, WAFA 9/21)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Democratic Republic of Congo will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and that Israel will open an embassy in Kinshasa after meeting Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi at the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly meeting. (REU, TOI 9/21; AJ 9/22)

The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. has proposed that the potential Saudi nuclear program, which is part of the Saudi-Israeli normalization negotiations, will be run by the U.S. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called reports that the Netanyahu government is open to uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia “reckless and irresponsible.” (HA, HA, MEE, WSJ 9/21)

In the West Bank, 5 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Jenin, Jalbun, and ‘Anata. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces arrested 5 Palestinian fishermen and seized their boat west of al-Waha. (PCHR, WAFA, WAFA 6/14; PCHR 6/15; UNOCHA 7/8)

The Israeli military claimed that Israeli soldiers had shot and killed a 2-year-old Palestinian on 6/1 by mistake, as Israeli soldiers mistook Israeli fire elsewhere for emanating from the vehicle the 2-year-old and his father were in. (AP, REU 6/14; AJ, BBC 6/15)

A report released by the Israeli organizations Kerem Navot and Haqel found that half of the privately owned Palestinian land Israel has seized in the West Bank is used for Israeli settlers only. Of 74,000 dunams (18,285 acres) seized in 313 expropriation orders since 1967, around 37,000 dunams (9,142 acres) is accessible to both Palestinians and settlers while 36,000 (8,895 acres) is accessible only to settlers. (HA 6/15)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing. Xi told Abbas that China “have always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights.” Xi also said that China would work for a comprehensive and just solution to the Israeli occupation. The 2 sides announced a strategic partnership and signed a number of cooperative agreements. (AJ, AP, ALM, AX, QDS, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/14; HA 6/18)

Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziyad al-Nakhalah met with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. (MEMO 6/15; ALM 6/19)

In Syria, Israeli forces conducted airstrikes from the Golan Heights at Damascus, injuring 1 soldier and causing damage. (AJ, AP, HA, MEE 6/14; REU 6/15)

Axios reported that the Negev Forum normalization summit scheduled to be held in Morocco this month was postponed for the 4th time. (AX 6/14)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian woman after she allegedly stabbed and injured 1 Israeli settler in Huwwara. Israeli forces also shot and killed 3 Palestinians and wounded 4 others during a raid in Nablus. The Israeli military claimed that 2 of the Palestinian victims were involved in the killing of 3 Israeli settlers on 4/7. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 6 Palestinians and injured others with tear gas during a raid in Bayt Rima. Israeli forces also shot and injured 3 Palestinians during a raid in Nabi Salih. Meanwhile, Israeli forces shot and injured 4 Palestinians with baton rounds and others with tear gas during a raid in Huwwara. Israeli forces also demolished 1 restaurant in al-Walaja. Separately, Israeli forces issued an evacuation order for the Old Municipality building in Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. (AJ, ALM, AP, BBC, HA, HA, MEE, MEE, PCHR, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/4; UNOCHA 5/5; PCHR 5/11; UNOCHA 5/19)

1 Palestinian prisoner held on administrative detention suspended his 12-day hunger strike after Israel said he would be released in October. (QDS, WAFA 5/4)

Israel handed over the body of 1 Palestinian man killed by an Israeli settler on 3/10. (WAFA 5/4)

Palestinian Popular Struggle Front leader Khalid ʽAbd al-Majid and officials from Hamas and Islamic Jihad met with Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in Damascus to discuss the situation in Palestine. (ALM, AP, IN 5/4)

The PLO Executive Committee held a meeting in Ramallah. The committee mainly discussed developments related to the occupation and the upcoming Nakba commemoration at the UN where PA president Mahmoud Abbas will deliver a speech. (QDS, WAFA 5/4)

In a speech at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan said that he will meet with Saudi officials in Saudi Arabia to bolster U.S. ties with the country and to work on normalizing relations between the Saudi Arabia and Israel. Sullivan said, “full normalization is a declared national security interest of the United States.” (REU 5/4; HA 5/5)

In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler was shot and injured while driving in Huwwara, Israeli forces then shot, injured, and arrested a Palestinian man alleging that he was the perpetrator and closed a number of checkpoints in the area. Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Baytin, causing damage. Israeli forces forced Palestinian farmers to leave their land in al-Khader. In East Jerusalem, 2 Israeli settlers broke into the Church of Gethsemane in the Old City and attempted to vandalize church property before being confronted by a Palestinian. Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. 2 Palestinian minors were arrested during a raid in Silwan. (AJ, HA, MEMO, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/19; ALM 3/20; MDW 3/22; PCHR 3/23; UNOCHA 3/31)

In Syria, 1 member of Islamic Jihad was shot and killed by unknown perpetrators using a weapon equipped with a silencer outside of his home near Damascus. Islamic Jihad said that he was “assassinated by gunfire that carries the fingerprint of the Zionist enemy.” (AP, HA 3/19; ALM, AP 3/20)

At a summit in Sharm El Sheikh, attended by officials from the PA, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and the U.S., Israel said it would halt discussions for new settlements for 4 months and halt authorization of settlement outposts for 6 months. The parties also agreed to de-escalate tensions, create a political horizon, and let the PA police Area A. The PA’s participation was criticized and condemned by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other Palestinian parties. (MEMO 3/17; WAFA 3/18; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, MEE, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA 3/19; ALM, MEMO, WAFA 3/20)

Speaking in Paris, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich told the audience at a memorial ceremony that “there is no such thing as Palestinians because there is no such thing as a Palestinian people,” calling the term an invention. Smotrich then said that he and his family are the real Palestinians. The French government had announced that no officials would meet Smotrich during his trip to the country. U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel called Smotrich’s statement “dangerous.” (AJ, ALM, AP, GDN, HA, MDW, MEE, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/20; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU 3/21; MEE 3/22; HA 3/23)

U.S. president Joe Biden spoke with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to find a compromise on the Israeli government’s plans to weaken the judicial branch of government. (AP, AX, HA, MEE, REU 3/19)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers tried to enter ‘Urif, but were repelled by Palestinians. Israeli forces razed land, uprooted 50 olive trees, and demolished 2 agricultural structures and 1 house under construction in Tuqu‘. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Silwad, Kifl Haris, Idhna, Hebron, and Beit Umar; 1 Palestinian was injured by live ammunition during the raid in Silwad and 1 was hit by a baton round; others suffered tear-gas related injuries during the raid in Beit Umar. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen northwest of Rafah and seized 3 boats carrying 2 generators and flashlights. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions and leveled land east of al-Fukhari. In the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 1 Israeli soldier died during a military exercise involving a tank. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/31; PCHR, PCHR 9/1)

Khalil Awawdeh suspended his over-170-day hunger strike to protest his administrative detention after Israel said it would not extend his administrative detention period beyond 10/2. Haaretz reported that Egyptian security officials had been mediating between Islamic Jihad and Israel to secure Awawdeh’s release and that talks continued for the release of Bassam al-Saadi. Their release was reportedly a demand by Islamic Jihad for agreeing to the ceasefire after Operation Breaking Dawn. Awawdeh is currently hospitalized for treatment related to his hunger strike. (MEE 8/29; AJ 8/30; AJ, AP, HA, MEE, REU, WAFA 8/31; MDW 9/1)

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said that more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners would launch a hunger strike on 9/1 in protest against Israeli punitive measures against prisoners implemented since February, including limited yard time and constant transfer of prisoners. The mass hunger strike was called off after the Israeli prison service gave in to the prisoners’ demands. (HA, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 8/31; MEE, WAFA 9/1)

Israel imposed sanctions on 20 companies and individuals alleged to be involved in financing Hamas. The companies and individuals are in Sudan, Turkey, Algeria, and the UAE. (ALM, AP 8/31)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with U.S. deputy assistant secretary for Israeli and Palestinian affairs Hady Amr in Ramallah. Prime Minister Shtayyeh called on Deputy Assistant Secretary Amr to ensure that the Biden administration will fulfill its promises to the Palestinian people. (WAFA 8/31)

In Syria, Israeli forces fired missiles at the Aleppo airport and near Damascus, causing damage. (AJ, AP, REU 8/31; REU 9/1; AP, HA 9/2)

U.S. president Joe Biden and Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid spoke on the phone, discussing the U.S. reentering the Iran Nuclear Deal and both countries’ commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. (AJ, REU 8/31)

The UN security council passed a resolution extending the UNIFIL mandate until 8/31/2023 and condemning harassment of UNIFIL personnel in southern Lebanon. (AP 8/31)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian minor and his father in Hebron. Israeli settlers also set up tents in Battir near Bethlehem. Israeli forces delivered demolition orders for 1 residential structure and 1 garden in Sabastiyya, 1 pool used for irrigation in Bayt Dajan, and a number of structures east of Yatta. Israeli forces also demolished 1 residential structure near Tubas and dismantled and seized 1 wooden shed in Umm al-Jamal. Israeli forces also shot and injured 6 Palestinians using rubber-coated bullets during raids in Qalandia refugee camp; 1 Israeli soldier was also injured during the clashes, which lasted some 2 hours; 9 Palestinian-owned vehicles were damaged. 12 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Nablus, Birzeit, Bayt Umar, Qalandia, Hebron, and Jenin. 7 Palestinians were arrested in the Old City and Issawiyya. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions and razed farmland east of Khan Yunis. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/17, PCHR 11/19)

The PA civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh announced that the PA would resume coordination with Israel, including security coordination, after suspending ties in May. Civil Affairs Minister al-Sheikh said that Israel had promised to respect its agreements with the PA during “international negotiations conducted by the president [Mahmoud Abbas].” Hamas and Islamic Jihad condemned the PA’s move, saying it undermines reconciliation efforts. PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said during a Zoom conference organized by the Council of Foreign Relations that the COVID-19 pandemic played a part in the decision as the PA have struggled to find the resources to fight it. (AJ, HA, HA, REU, TOI, WAFA 11/17; HA, TOI 11/18; HA 11/19)

Israeli said it defused explosive devices in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the de facto border of Syria. Israel later attacked Syria, striking 8 targets. According to the Syrian state media SANA, 3 were killed, 1 wounded, and Syria intercepted Israeli missiles over Damascus. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 10 people were killed in the strikes. Israel acknowledged to have attacked Syria, saying it was responding to the explosive devices and claiming that it had hit Iranian and Syrian forces in Syria. (HA, REU 11/17; AJ, HA 11/18; BBC 11/19)

Both Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and president Reuven Rivlin congratulated U.S. president-elect Joe Biden via phone. (HA 11/17)

1 Jewish-Israeli was given a 7-year prison sentence for smuggling metals into Gaza and selling them to Hamas. He was also fined $60,000. (TOI, HA 11/17)

41 Democrats in congress cosigned a letter to U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo, expressing concern about Israel’s demolition of the village Khirbet Humsa on 11/3, demanding that Secretary Pompeo condemn Israel’s actions. (Mark Pocan’s Office 11/17; HA, WAFA 11/18)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 3 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Tuqu‘ and Aqraba. Israeli forces also raided Dayr Nitham, firing tear gas at local residents and causing tear-gas related injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrested 4 Palestinians during late-night raids in Issawiyya and summoned the PA Jerusalem governor Adnan Ghaith for interrogation. In Gaza, Israeli forces shot 3 Palestinians, killing 1 and severely injuring the 2 others near the Gaza fence. Israel claimed that it believed that the 3 were placing an explosive charge at the fence. A video showed how an Israeli bulldozer attempted in several tries to scoop up the body of the deceased Palestinian before his body was seen hanging from the front of the bulldozer. Islamic Jihad in Palestine (PIJ) said that the deceased was a member of its organization. Wafa reported that 2 injured Palestinians were shot while trying to retrieve the body of the 3d victim. After the incident, PIJ fired a number of rockets toward Israel and Israel struck several targets in Gaza, wounding 4 Palestinians. Israel also struck targets in Damascus, killing 2 members of PIJ and 4 others. (AJ, HA, NYT, PCHR, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/23; AJ, BBC, CNN, HA, WAFA 2/24; HA 2/25; PCHR 2/27)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Qalqilya and 1 village nr. Hebron at night; patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya at night. Jewish settlers from Beit El nr. Ramallah throw stones at Palestinian vehicles, while in a separate incident, settlers uproot some 40 Palestinian olive trees in the s. Hebron hills. In East Jerusalem, Jerusalem municipality-owned bulldozers level lands to make a trench between Issawiyya village and French Hill settlement, at the request of the latter’s residents. (MNA 9/9; PCHR 9/12)

Palestinian official Nabil Shaath tells the media that U.S. Secy. of State Kerry had “guaranteed us in writing” that talks would start from the 1967 lines, with State Dept. spokesperson Marie Harf subsequently denying such a document. (NYT 9/9)

The EU announces a €52 million assistance package to help PA development schemes, such as municipal infrastructure projects and private sector-led economic initiatives. The aid is the final part of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument assistance, with the total contributed to the Palestinians in 2013 now standing at €300 million. (MNA 9/9)

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov makes a statement calling for military action against Syria to be averted through a plan for the internationally coordinated destruction of Damascus’s chemical weapons’ arsenal. The dramatic intervention is welcomed as a possible breakthrough by Pres. Obama, who faces opposition in Congress and among the public to any U.S. military intervention. Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid postpones a scheduled test vote for lawmakers to assess the Russian plan. Syrian FM Walid Muallem welcomes the Russian proposal as a way of preventing “an American aggression.” (AFP, AP, REU 9/9)

The Egyptian military’s offensive in the Sinai continues, with security forces killing a further 9 militants and arresting 10 nr. Rafah. In 2 separate incidents in c. Sinai, gunmen open fire and wound 3 soldiers. In addition, Egyptian forces destroy 6 smuggling tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border located n. of Rafah, with an Egyptian official claiming that more than 90% of the smuggling tunnels have now been destroyed. As part of the operation, Egypt’s military claims to have seized caches of weapons including a mortar belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad. (AFP, AP, MNA, REU 9/9)

PA pres. Abbas’s legal adviser Hassan al-Ouri says that the PA’s financial crisis may prevent it from joining several international and UN institutions. (MNA 1/4)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning and in al-‘Arub r.c. and Ithna r.c. (both nr. Hebron), 5 villages nr. Ramallah, 3 villages nr. Hebron, and 1 village nr. Tulkarm at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Bayt Sahur and Aida r.c. in Bethlehem at night. Israeli soldiers attack weekly nonviolent demonstrations held by Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, al-Nabi Salih), 1 village nr. Bethlehem (al-Ma‘sara), and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum). There are no serious injuries, except in Bil‘in, where 2 Palestinians are wounded with live ammunition. Jewish settlers enter al-Manshiya village nr. Bethlehem, vandalize a car, and write ‘‘price-tag’’ graffiti. (PCHR 1/10)

Hundreds of thousands of Fatah supporters rally in Gaza City to mark the 48th anniversary of the founding of the movement, the 1st such show of support for Fatah in Gaza since 2007. Pres. Abbas tells the crowds in a televised address that Palestinian national unity is coming soon. Hamas’s acting PM Ismail Haniyeh calls Abbas to congratulate him on the occasion of the anniversary. Meanwhile, a report in Ha’Aretz says that IDF-PA security coordination is improving again, and the PA is renewing arrests of Hamas and Islamic Jihad suspects. (HA, MNA, REU 1/4)

Christian Science Monitor reports that Palestinian support for military operations against Israel has registered its most significant jump in 10 years (50.9%, up from 29.3% in 1/2011), spurred by Operation Pillar of Defense, ongoing Israeli settlement expansion, and frustration over a peace process that has been essentially deadlocked for more than 4 yrs. (CSM 4/1)

Egyptian security forces seize antitank and anti-aircraft missiles in the Sinai Peninsula, weaponry thought by Egyptian security sources to be bound for the Gaza Strip via the tunnels. (MNA 1/4)

In Syria, fighting between pro- and anti-government groups resumes in Yarmuk r.c. nr. Damascus, ending a short-lived cease-fire (see 12/21) and prompting another wave of Palestinian refugees. (AKH 1/4)

Recently retired Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin says in an interview with Israeli media that PM Netanyahu acted irresponsibly regarding Iran’s nuclear program and tried to convince him and colleagues to approve an ‘‘illegal’’ decision to attack Iran. (AP 1/4)

In Washington for talks with Pres. Obama, King Abdallah of Jordan tells reporters that he is convinced that Israel and the Palestinians are each making sincere efforts to find a way to jumpstart serious peace talks, but cautions there are serious obstacles to overcome and time is running out. Separately, State Dept. spokeswoman Victoria Nuland says that the U.S. knows that the 1/26/12 target date for restarting final status negotiations is “out there, [but] we do not want to see it be a rigid sort of straitjacket that chills the atmosphere.” In Israel, PM Netanyahu tells lawmakers in a closed mtg. that “the Palestinians have no interest in entering peace talks.” (WP 1/17)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun fire warning shots at Palestinians and international activists staging a nonviolent march to the border fence to protest Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone; no injuries are reported. The IDF makes a late-night incursion into al-Shuka village in s. Gaza to arrest a mbr. of the Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigade. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm in the morning and afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus. (WT 1/15; PCHR 1/19; OCHA 1/20).

Hamas officials announce that the movement’s leadership has decided to evacuate their families and most personnel fr. Syria in response to the deteriorating security situation; 3 senior officials (Musa Abu Marzuq, Muhammad Naser, and Izzat Rishiq) will remain in Damascus. Meanwhile, Hamas’s former rep. in London, Mustafa Lidawi, says that Hamas leader Mishal plans to retire as politburo head (a position he has held since 1996) when the organization holds elections in the coming months to allow “a fresh leader to steer Hamas towards a new strategy,” but other Hamas officials deny he has made a final decision. (Guardian, WT, al-Watan 1/18; NYT 1/30)

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) formally apologizes to Israel for allowing a Hamas mbr. to take part in a dialogue in Geneva (ca. 1/14) on Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners as part of a Palestinian delegation and vows that Hamas mbrs. will be barred fr. future IPU events. Israel had threatened (1/16) to withdraw fr. the IPU in protest. The IPU is a nongovernmental organization with permanent observer status at the UN. It was formed in 1889 to arbitrate conflicts but has evolved into an organization that promotes democracy and interparliamentary dialogue. (JPI 1/27; see also AFP 1/16)

Israeli hackers bring down the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency and the Abu Dhabi Securities and Exchange websites, release the email addresses and passwords of 89 Saudi university students, and steal and threaten to release the Facebook login information for 30,000 account holders in Muslim countries in retaliation for the 1/16 denial of service attacks on the TASE and El Al and the 1/6 leak of Israeli credit card information. One of the Israeli hackers, Anonymous 972, issues a statement saying “Usually we do not like to hurt innocent sites, but there is now a cyber war, and every war has victims. . . . Every time an Israeli site get[s] hacked, the same thing will happen to Saudi sites.” The Israeli hacker who claims to have the Facebook information, Hannibal Hacker, also claims that he could publish bank account details of 10 million Arabs and the credit card details of 4 million Arabs if cyberattacks on Israel continue. (ZDNet 1/19; HackRead 1/25; JPI 1/27)

Overnight, Israel makes an air strike on Gaza, killing 1 Palestinian preparing to fire a rocket into Israel. Between dawn and mid-morning, Islamic Jihad fires 3 manufactured Grad rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing light damage and slightly injuring 1 Israeli. Later, unidentified Palestinians fire 7 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, some of which allegedly contain white phosphorous, causing no damage or injuries. Late in the evening, the IDF carries out several air strikes on training sites, rocket launching sites, and smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border, causing no reported injuries. In the afternoon, suspected Palestinian assailants leave a bomb nr. Jerusalem’s central bus station and convention center that detonates, killing 1 British woman, injuring 38 Israelis; the PA immediately condemns the incident; no group claims responsibility. In the West Bank, the IDF blocks a funeral procession fr. using a main road in Bayt Umar village nr. Hebron, sparking a clash in which 2 Palestinian mourners are wounded by live ammunition and 4 are arrested. Hours later, the IDF sends undercover units into Bayt Umar to raid and search a gas station, beating the owners and confiscating a computer. Several hours after that, the IDF returns to block the main entrance of the village with cement blocks and sand barriers. The IDF also patrols in Jericho (photographing the Intercontinental Hotel) and 3 villages nr. Ramallah; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in Tulkarm. (AFP, HA, IFM, IsRN, JTA, MNA, REU, YA 3/23; IsRN, JP, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 3/24; NYT, WT 3/25; PCHR 3/31; JPI, OCHA 4/1)

In Syria, security forces make a predawn assault on the main mosque in Dara‘a, where antigovernment protesters have taken refuge, killing 15. Clashes last throughout the day and spread to 4 nearby villages. Over the succeeding days, clashes spread to towns and villages across the nation, becoming nr. daily events but remaining relatively small (in the 1,000s) and uncoordinated. Hot spots include Baniyas, Hama, Homs, Idlib, Latakia (which was reported to be “near anarchy”), and the Kurdish zone. (Only a few protests are reported in Damascus.) Govt. forces routinely dispersed the rallies, violently killing around 100 nationwide by 4/4. Meanwhile, Syrian activists mobilize through online social networking sites to call for mass protests every Friday until the regime falls. (NYT, SANA 3/23; NYT, WP, WT 3/24; NYT, WP 3/26–28; NYT, WP, WT 3/29; NYT, WP 3/30; NYT, WP 3/31, 4/1; NYT 4/2, 4/3; NYT, WP 4/4; WT 4/5; NYT, WP 4/6; NYT 4/7; NYT, WP 4/8; WP 4/9; NYT, WP 4/9, 4/10)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the former settlement sites, wounding 1. Also in Gaza, 10,000s of Palestinians turn out for a rally commemorating Islamic Jihad’s 23d anniversary. Addressing the crowd by telephone from Damascus, the movement’s head, Abdallah Shallah, denounces the PA for having resumed direct talks with Israel, calls any formal agreement with Israel “forbidden religiously and politically,” and says the duty of all Palestinians should be to “eliminate” Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in and around Tulkarm twice during the day, making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 7 Palestinians are moderately injured. Jewish settlers from Shvut Rachel settlement nr. Ramallah, who have leveled 280 d. of adjacent Palestinian agricultural land since 10/24, place 9 new mobile homes on the cleared plot, effectively expanding the settlement. (NYT 10/30; PCHR 11/4; OCHA 11/5)

IDF troops, bulldozers cross into s. Gaza to level land along the border e. of Khan Yunis, exchanging fire with Hamas mbrs., causing no reported injures. In a similar incident nr. the Erez crossing, IDF soldiers exchange fire with DFLP gunmen, causing no reported injuries. The IDF also makes an air strike on an alleged rocket-launching site in n. Gaza, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm, nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat a 6-yr.-old Palestinian boy on his way to school until his grandfather halts the attack; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Hamas accuses PA security forces in the West Bank of arresting 26 Hamas mbrs. and supporters, mostly in Hebron, but also in Bethlehem, Jericho, and Salfit. (HA, JP, MNA, REU, YA 11/8; HA, JAZ, MNA 11/9; OCHA 11/12; PCHR 11/13)

After a last-minute talks in Cairo between Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Sulayman and senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahhar fr. Gaza, Hamas’s dep. leader Musa Abu Marzuq announces from Damascus that Hamas will not attend national unity talks in Cairo on 11/9. Hamas officials cite Egyptian and PA unwillingness to compromise on the wording of an Egyptian draft national unity statement or to discuss issues of importance to Hamas, and the PA’s failure to fulfill a pledge to release 100s of Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners held in the West Bank as a confidence-building gesture in advance of the summit. (AFP 11/8; NYT, WT 11/9; see also MNR 11/7)

Rice stops in Jenin to meet with Abbas and to inaugurate a new hospital wing funded by USAID, announcing another $14 m. in USAID funds for Jenin. (HA 11/8; IFM, NYT, WP, WT 11/9)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late night arrest raids in and around Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, and in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Tubas (firing live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 6); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (injuring 2 Palestinians, 1 international). Israel imposes new restrictions requiring Palestinian medical personnel fr. the West Bank who work in Jerusalem to enter Jerusalem only through the Qalandia checkpoint, the most crowded checkpoint, causing them significant delays. Heavy rains cause the collapse of 10 smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border, trapping and injuring at least 7 Palestinians. Egypt allows the entry of a delegation of Islamic Jihad officials fr. Gaza who are heading to Damascus for a wk. of internal discussions on Egypt’s proposed national unity plan ahead of national unity talks in Cairo on 11/9. Inside Israel, Hebrew University student Ali Baher, an Israeli Palestinian, is detained by campus security, questioned for 3 hrs., charged with “inappropriate conduct” for refusing on political grounds to shake hands with Pres. Shimon Peres, who randomly approached Baher while he was touring the campus library meeting with students; the university evicts Baher from campus housing and orders a disciplinary hearing (date not set) to decide whether he should be suspended. (MNA 11/2; OCHA 11/5; PCHR, Physicians for Human Rights–Israel press release 11/6)

Concerned by the escalating settler violence directed at Israeli security forces, the Israeli cabinet at its weekly meeting votes to suspend all direct and indirect government funding to unauthorized settlement outposts (especially citing infrastructure such as roads, garbage collection, and school buses) in the 1st de facto admission that public funds are used to advance illegal settlement. Olmert also proposes increasing arrests and administrative detention of Jewish settlers who break the law. The Jerusalem District Juvenile Court remands and indicts 3 Jewish settler girls (ages 12, 15, 17) for reckless endangerment, aggravated assault of security forces, and obstruction of a police officer for attacks against Israeli border police in Givat Harsina on 10/30. IDF district cmdr. Noam Tivon cancels plans to give a speech at a yeshiva in Efrat settlement nr. Bethlehem after Jewish settlers fr. Hebron threaten to hold a massive demonstration to block his visit, calling him an “expulsion criminal” for previously ordering the removal settlers fr. the unauthorized Federman Farm outpost. (YA 11/2; NYT, WP 11/3; WT 11/4; MM 11/4, 11/7)

IDF troops inside Israel fatally shoot an armed Palestinian who approaches the s. Gaza border. The IDF also bulldozes 5 d. of Palestinian land inside the border fence nr. Wadi al-Silqa; later conducts arrest raids, house searches in Wadi al-Silqa, detaining 3 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in and around Nablus but makes no arrests; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 8, including 3 children). Jewish settlers fr. Efrat uproot 100 Palestinian olive trees to make way for new construction begun on 3/23. Palestinians stone Jewish settler vehicles nr. Ramallah, causing no injuries. In n. Gaza, 50,000 Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah al-Yasir (an AMB offshoot) supporters hold a peaceful demonstration calling on the Arab League summit assembling in Damascus to find a way to break Israel’s siege of Gaza. In Jabaliya r.c., 2,000 Palestinians attend a rally organized by Islamic Jihad to call on Fatah and Hamas to form a unity government. (OCHA 4/2; PCHR 4/3)

Overnight, the IDF makes a major incursion into ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a r.c. to arrest Hamas and PFLP mbrs., imposing a roundthe-clock curfew, firing on residential areas, occupying several homes as military outposts, moving from building to building by breaking through walls (50 homes and 2 shops are damaged by the time the operation ends on 9/21), clashing with local gunmen, leaving 1 armed Palestinian, 1 IDF soldier dead. At dawn, Palestinians fr. neighboring Nablus obey calls from local mosques to march to the camp to force a lifting of the siege; when some throw stones at troops, the IDF responds with live fire, mortally wounding a 17-yr.-old Palestinian, barring ambulances from reaching the scene, allowing him to bleed to death; 4 other Palestinians are wounded. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, nr. Hebron; issues a military order confiscating 523 d. of Palestinian land in al-Khadir and Artas nr. Bethlehem for expansion of Efrat settlement. Haniyeh meets with Islamic Jihad leaders in Gaza to ask them to halt rocket fire into Israel during Ramadan, which ends ca. 10/13, but no agmt. is reached; Damascus-based Hamas leader Khalid Mishal intends to hold similar talks with Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria in the next few days. In Gaza City, Hamas and Islamic Jihad mbrs. armed with sticks and axes clash when Hamas mbrs. reportedly attempt to take over the Islamic Jihad–run Asqalan Mosque; 3 Palestinians are injured. (NYT, OCHA 9/19; NYT, PCHR 9/20)

US. Secy. of State Condoleeza Rice begins the 1st of 3 visits to the region this quarter for talks with Olmert, Abbas in preparation for Bush’s proposed fall peace conference, now tentatively set for 11/15 in Washington. She returns to Washington on 9/20. (WP 9/18; WT 9/19; see also IFM, WT 10/17)

In Gaza, the IDF sends troops back into s. Gaza to search for a reported tunnel on the Gaza-Egypt border, cuts power to Rafah, makes an air strike on a building in Gaza City that allegedly holds a weapons cache; makes air strikes destroying 2 Palestinian homes in n. Gaza after phoning residents (at least 1 of them an AMB mbr.) to warn them to evacuate, also destroying 1 home nearby; shells residential areas of n. Gaza without warning (hitting 4 Palestinian homes, injuring 3 Palestinians), al-Shuka (wounding 2 Palestinians); temporarily occupies the Erez industrial zone, withdrawing after nightfall; sends bulldozers into southeastern Khan Yunis to raze 100 d. of agricultural land. UNRWA reports that it is housing in its schools some 1,200 Palestinians who have fled n. Gaza to escape IDF shelling. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Nablus to assassinate local Islamic Jihad military cmdr. Hani Uwayjan, a Palestinian civilian with him; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Qalqilya; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Jenin, wounding 1 Palestinian. A Palestinian civilian wounded by IDF fire in Gaza City on 7/27 dies. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 7/30; PCHR 8/3)

The IDF keeps up intensive air and artillery strikes across Lebanon, targeting the Beirut–Damascus highway (closing the Syrian border crossing for the 1st time since 7/12; though the road is used primarily by civilians trying to flee the country and aid workers bringing in humanitarian assistance, Israel claims it targeted the road to prevent arms smuggling), killing at least 6 Lebanese civilians, wounding 2 UNIFIL monitors. During the day, the IDF withdraws troops fr. Bint Jubayl, claiming to have destroyed Hizballah’s elaborate network of tunnels and storage areas, but continues air and artillery strikes and keeps troops in the area, saying they could be sent back in at any time. Hizballah fires at least 90 rockets into Israel. Israel allows military planes delivering aid fr. Egypt, Jordan, the UAE to land at Beirut airport; a warship fr. Turkey brings medical supplies into Beirut port; a U.S. naval catamaran brings blankets, tarps, medical kits; aid workers in Lebanon complain that it is still too dangerous to transport aid supplies, that the IDF still requires convoy-by-convoy approval to move the aid to hard-hit areas. (NYT, WP, WT 7/30)

The IDF closes the Zatara checkpoint linking the n. and s. West Bank (closed almost continually through the end of the quarter); patrols in, fires on residential areas of Bethlehem (seriously wounding 1 Palestinian stone-thrower), Nablus (wounding 3 Palestinians); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin (targeting the AMB) and nr. Hebron, Qalqilya. Islamic Jihad claims to fire a 2d Grad rocket fr. Gaza towards Ashkelon (see 3/28), but the IDF reports no rocket fire. A Palestinian stabs, lightly wounds an Israeli border policeman at alRam checkpoint into Jerusalem, is arrested. Some 15 Jewish settlers fr. Tal Rumayda attack a group of Palestinian girls on their way to school and 5 international peace activists escorting them, causing minor injuries. (HA 4/23; PCHR 4/27)

Abbas vetoes Siyam’s 4/20 appointment of Abu Samhadana as Interior Min. inspector gen. and vows to block his plan to set up a new security force (the ESF). In Damascus, Hamas head Khalid Mishal accuses Abbas and Fatah of seeking to form a parallel government, conspiring against Haniyeh’s new government, committing treason, surrendering to Israel. Haniyeh denounces Mishal’s statements. (NYT, WP, WT 4/22; HA 4/23; MM 4/24–26; HA 4/30)

Early in the morning, Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Bayt Hanun into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; IDF artillery responds, shelling a road and an open field n. Gaza where Palestinians have launched rockets, causing no injuries. Despite the exchange, the IDF partially reopens the Erez and Qarni crossings. In the afternoon, an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber retaliating for the 10/24 Saadi assassination detonates a bomb in an open-air market in Hadera, killing 5 Israelis, wounding 6 seriously, 14 moderately. Palestinians also fire another rocket at the Negev (no damage or injuries), a mortar at an IDF post on the s. Gaza border (no damage or injuries). Israel immediately cancels a planned mtg. btwn. Israeli, PA cabinet mbrs.; Sharon says he will not meet with Abbas until he takes “serious action” against militants. Late in the evening, the Israeli cabinet approves Operation Starting All Over Again—a “broad and nonstop” offensive (including assassinations) against “terrorism” in the West Bank and Gaza that will continue until “terrorism” ends; says there are no plans for a ground offensive into Gaza at present, but restrictions on Palestinian movement across the West Bank will be tightened, diplomatic offensives will be raised to pressure Syria over its hosting of Islamic Jihad in Damascus. Meanwhile, right-wing Jewish settler youths occupy abandoned buildings nr. Elon Moreh, Keddumim settlements and site on Worshippers Way in Hebron, declaring new unauthorized outposts. (HA, WP, YA 10/26; HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT, YA 10/27; HA 10/28; IMEMC 10/31; PCHR 11/10)

A Damascus-based Islamic Jihad cell claims responsibility for the 2/25 Tel Aviv bombing, noting the end of the unofficial 1-mo. truce on 2/25 and stating that Israel had to be punished for cease-fire violations it committed; Islamic Jihad’s leadership in Gaza, however, denies responsibility, saying the group would continue to abide by an unofficial cease-fire. Israel shifts blame to Syria, which denies any responsibility, saying Islamic Jihad offices in Damascus have been closed for some time. Meanwhile, the PA security forces arrest 2 suspects in Gaza in connection with bombing; Israeli security forces arrest at least 5 suspects in Israel. The IDF tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement around Hebron; fires on 3 Palestinians attempting to sneak into Israel fr. Gaza to find work, killing 1 Palestinian, detaining 2; severely beats 2 Palestinians at a checkpoint at the entrance to al-Til nr. Nablus; places a curfew on Dayr al-Ghusun, hometown of the 2/25 suicide bomber, arrests the bomber’s 2 brothers, the village imam; fires on residential areas of Tulkarm town, r.c., and neighboring villages. An IDF border policeman shoots, wounds a Palestinian woman in Hebron after she allegedly tries to stab him during a security check. Some 15 Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, escorted by IDF soldiers, severely beat a Palestinian farmer working his land outside Hebron; soldiers arrest the Palestinian, interrogate him before releasing him. PA security forces report that they have uncovered, sealed 12 smugglers’ tunnels in Rafah since deploying along the Gaza border. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 2/26/04. (HA, JAZ, PRCS, VOI, VOP 2/26; IDF Radio, JAZ, NYT, PRCS, WP 2/27; MM 2/28; MM, PCHR 3/3; MEI 3/4)

The IDF holds PA presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouthi at gunpoint at a Hebron checkpoint, denies him passage to a campaign stop in nearby Tal al-Armida village; imposes a daylong curfew on al-Khadir; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, seriously injuring a 5-yr.-old Palestinian boy on the roof of his home; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Sahur, Hebron and neighboring Bayt Kahil and Ithna, al-Khadir, Nablus, Taqu‘a nr. Bethlehem. (PM 12/8; PCHR 12/9)

In Damascus, Abbas, PA PM Ahmad Qurai‘ hold reconciliation talks with Syrian pres. Bashar al-Asad, agree to resume high-level contacts, suspended by Syria in 1993 over the signing of the Oslo Accord. Abbas, Qurai‘ also hold talks with Hamas leader Khalid Mishal and the leadership of Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command to press them to support or take part in Palestinian presidential election, to keep a lid on violence in the run-up to elections in order to bolster national unity. (WT 12/6; MM 12/7; VOP, XIN 12/7 in WNC 12/9; MM, PR 12/8; VOP 12/9 in WNC 12/11; MM 12/10; WT 12/12)

The IDF places closures on all West Bank Palestinian towns; shuts main Gaza roads, dividing the Strip into 4 sections; calls up additional reserves to strengthen patrols along the Green Line; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Salfit; searches an elementary, a secondary school in Husan while classes are in session, severely beating 1 teacher, 1 student who attempt to block soldiers. (HA, NYT 10/7; VOI 10/7 in WNC 10/9; MA 10/7 in WNC 10/10; MM, NYT 10/8; PCHR 10/9; MM 10/20)

The IDF releases a map pinpointing what it says are the homes and offices of Palestinian militant leaders in Damascus (including Hamas’s Musa Abu Marzuq and Khalid Mishal, Islamic Jihad’s Ramadan Shallah, PFLP-GC’s Ahmad Jibril; 10 sites listed as the military or media offices of Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP-GC), saying it illustrates the extent of the Palestinian “terror network” in Syria; separately Sharon says that Israel would attack its enemies “any place, in any way.” Israel reinforces troops, artillery on its n. border. (AN, BBC, HA, NYT 10/7; VOI 10/7 in WNC 10/9; MA 10/7 in WNC 10/10; AP, HA, MM, NHR, NYT 10/8)

Israeli aircraft strike an alleged Islamic Jihad training camp deep inside Syria, just 10 mi. northwest of Damascus in ‘Ayn Sahib, injuring at least 1 security guard. Israel says the attack is in response to the 10/4 suicide bombing, in which it claims Syria played a “detailed role in orchestrating.” Syria denies this, denounces the strike as a “grave escalation,” says its response will be diplomatic. (The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command [PFLP-GC] says ‘Ayn Sahib is its fmr. training base, which is no longer active; says the site was patrolled by 1 civilian guard, who was injured.) The U.S. says that “we have repeatedly told the government of Syria that it is on the wrong side in the war on terror and that it must stop harboring terrorists.” Bush phones Sharon after the attack on Syria, expresses condolences on the 10/4 bombing, agrees with Sharon on “the need to continue fighting terrorism,” does not criticize Israel’s strike. (AFP, IDF Radio, MENA, VOI, XIN 10/5 in WNC 10/7; XIN 10/5, AN, ATL, DS, DUS, IRNA, JT, MENA, QA, al-Ra’i, THWR, TSHR, VIRI, XIN 10/6 in WNC 10/8; SATN 10/5 in WNC 11/8; MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/6; NHR 10/6, AN, IRNA, ITAR-TASS, SA, SFR, THWR, TSHR 10/7 in WNC 10/9; SFR 10/6, THWR, TSHR 10/8 in WNC 10/11; SANA, SARR, SATN 10/6, SANA, SATN 10/7 in WNC 11/11; MM 10/7; AFP, AYM, DUS, HA, ITARTASS, JT, MA, MENA, NHR, al-Quds, al-Ra’i, SFR, YA 10/7 in WNC 10/10; MM, PR 10/8; MM, WJW 10/9; MEI 10/10; PR 10/15; JPI 10/17; NHR 10/17 in NC 10/23)

Arafat declares a 30-day state of emergency in the occupied territories, issues a presidential decree appointing a 9-mbr. emergency cabinet, with Qurai‘, negotiating a regular cabinet since 9/10, as PM. The emergency cabinet is to serve for 1 mo. (VOP 10/5 in WNC 10/7; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/6; VOP 10/6 in WNC 10/8; WP 10/7; VOI, VOP 10/7 in WNC 10/9; AYM 10/7 in WNC 10/10; PR 10/8; PSCT 10/9 in WNC 10/11; MEI 10/10)

In the occupied territories, the IDF fires on Palestinians attempting to bypass a new checkpoint separating Rafah and Khan Yunis (imposed after the 10/4 bombing), killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 3; begins bulldozing Palestinian land nr. Morag settlement, 100 dunams nr. Hebron; demolishes 19 Palestinian homes in Rafah, 2 in Jenin (including the home of the 10/4 bomber’s family). (HA, NYT, WP 10/6; PCHR 10/7, 10/9)

The IDF tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement in Gaza, shuts main roads, dividing the Strip into 3 sections; fatally shoots a wanted tanz im mbr. in Tulkarm in what may be an assassination; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Hebron, 1 in Jamayn, 1 in Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Ramallah, Tamun; fires on residential areas of Rafah. As IDF operations in Nablus continue, a Palestinian sniper shoots, wounds an IDF soldier. Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket at Netzarim settlement, 2 across the Gaza border into Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. Israel issues tenders for construction of 126 new housing units in Efrat settlement. (HA, REU 2/20; HA 2/21; al-Quds 2/21 in WNC 2/24; LAW 2/23; LAW, PCHR 2/27)

After 10 yrs. of federal investigations trying to link him to terrorism, U.S. authorities arrest Palestinian-born U.S. permanent resident Sami al-Arian, a fmr. University of South Florida professor, on charges of fundraising for Islamic Jihad, and “conspiracy to commit murder via suicide attacks.” Another 7 individuals are also charged, several of whom are abroad, including Damascus-based Islamic Jihad head Ramadan Shallah. Arian has been an active fundraiser for 2 Muslim organization that do social work in the territories; the U.S. alleges that he in fact has laundered and funneled money to Islamic Jihad military activities as the organization’s chief financial officer since 1984. (The State Dept. listed Islamic Jihad as a terrorist organization in 1995.) U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft says that provisions of new antiterrorism legislation made the arrest possible. (HA, NYT, WP 2/21; WT 2/22; MM 2/26; MEI 3/7)

Palestinian collaborator Murad Abu al-Asal detonates a suicide bomb nr. Taibeh, Israel, injuring his 2 Shin Bet handlers. A 2d Palestinian dies of injuries received on 1/21. The IDF conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem, East Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, and Tulkarm, detaining 9 Palestinians fr. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP; shells residential areas of Tulkarm. (HA, MM, PCHR 1/30; NYT, WT 1/31; MA 1/31 in WNC 2/4; LAW 2/6)

The Israeli cabinet approves the Enveloping Jerusalem plan. (WP, WT 1/31) (see 1/28)

The Palestinian woman who carried out a suicide bombing on 1/27 is identified as Wafa Idriss, a Red Crescent volunteer medical worker who reportedly was distraught over the Palestinian casualties inflicted by the IDF. Most recently, a boy she treated, who had been shot by the IDF and left in a coma died, on 1/25. AMB claims she was "one of our female fighters," but family and friends say she had no connection to the group; she also was not religious, never attended al-Najah University. Her brother, Khalil Idris, is a local Fatah leader wanted by Israel. (AP, REU 1/30; HA, NYT, Red Crescent press release, WP 1/31; SA 2/2 in WNC 2/4; WT 2/3; JP 2/8; WP 2/9; NYT 2/11)

Sharon meets secretly in Jerusalem with Qurai`, PA senior negotiator Mahmud Abbas, Arafat economic adviser Muhammad Rashid, marking his 1st mtg. with PA officials since his election in 2/01; reportedly says he accepts the idea of an interim agmt. along the lines of the Peres-Qurai` plan, with implementation taking 7 yrs. (XIN 2/1, AYM, al-Ra'i 2/2 in WNC 2/4; NYT, WP, WT 2/2; AFP, JP [Internet] 2/3; MM, NYT, WT 2/4; AYM 2/4 in WNC 2/6; WP, WT 2/5; MA 2/9 in WNC 2/11)

Ben-Eliezer meets with Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak in Sharm al-Shaykh, says Israel currently sees no partner for peace on the Palestinian side, asks Egypt to inform Damascus that Israel is ready to renew peace talks with Syria. (HA, MM 1/30; MENA 1/30 in WNC 1/31; WT 1/31; MM 2/1; MENA 2/5 in WNC 2/6; MM 2/7)