The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized several water tanks and a vehicle during a raid in Shaab al-Butum and Wadi Abu Jahish in the Masafer Yatta area. The Israeli raid in Jenin continued from 12/12, 3 Palestinian were killed, 2 in a drone strike including a child, raising the number of Palestinians killed during the raid to 9. Israeli forces also injured 3 others, destroyed 4 homes and a barber shop with anti-tank missiles, and arrested several, including the Jenin Freedom Theatre director Ahmed Tobasi during the raid. Israeli soldiers filmed themselves singing a Hanukkah song using a mosque’s loudspeaker. 5 Israeli soldiers were injured in friendly fire during the raid. Elsewhere, Israeli forces assaulted 4 Palestinians after detaining them in al-‘Azza refugee camp. Israeli forces also demolished a Palestinian home in Susiya in the Masafer Yatta area. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities demolished 4 Palestinian homes in Silwan, Ras al-Amud, and Wadi Qaddum, displacing 36 people. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed Khan Yunis, Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, and Rafah, killing at least 194 Palestinians and injuring 499. Israeli forces also bombed 2 UNRWA shelters in Jabalia refugee camp and raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital for the second day in a row, arresting several people. Rockets fired from Gaza at Israel damaged a supermarket in Ashdod. In the Red Sea, 2 missiles were fired from Yemen at a commercial tanker, landing in the sea. (AJ, AP, AP, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/13; HA, NYT, NYT, REU 12/14)

More than 18,682 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 7,729 children and 5,153 women, and around 50,594 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 277 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 71 children. More than 3,387 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. 115 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 600 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 12/3, at least 52,000 housing units had been destroyed and 253,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 60% of all housing units. Heavy rain worsened the situation for displaced Palestinians as several parts of Gaza flooded. 152 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Aid was only distributed in Rafah. 268 dual nationals were evacuated to Egypt. (AJ, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 12/13)

Palestinian witnesses told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces brought Palestinians to the Shadia Abu Ghazala School in Faluja and executed them, including women, children, and babies. Footage from the building showed dead people lying on the floor of a classroom and hundreds of bullet casings. (AJ 12/13)

Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk told Al-Monitor that Hamas could follow the PLO and recognize Israel as a step toward reconciliation with Fatah. Separately, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a speech that “[w]e are open to discuss any ideas or initiatives that could end the [Israeli] aggression and open the door for putting the Palestinian house in order in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” calling any political arrangement in Gaza without the inclusion of Hamas a “delusion.” (ALM, HA 12/13; HA, HA 12/14)

CNN reported that a U.S. intelligence assessment said that about 40-45% of the 29,000 air-to-ground munitions Israel had used on Gaza have been unguided “dumb bombs.” (CNN 12/13)

The Israeli war cabinet blocked Mossad director David Barnea’s request to travel to Qatar to restart a ceasefire/prisoner negotiation. (HA, HA 12/13; HA 12/14)

A poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that 42% of Palestinians in Gaza and 44% of Palestinians in the West Bank said they support Hamas, up from 12% in September, while 88% said they wanted PA president Mahmoud Abbas to resign. The poll also found that Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti would win a presidential election. (AJ, AP, HA 12/13; REU 12/14)

Israeli ambassador to the UK Tzipi Holovely told Sky News that Israel rejects a 2-state solution. (AJ 12/13; HA 12/14)

U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal that the Biden administration was withholding a shipment of 27,000 M4 and M16 assault rifles to Israel over concerns that they may be handed out to violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank. (AJ, AX, WSJ 12/13; HA 12/14)

U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan met with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, discussing the situation in Gaza and in the Red Sea. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said he believes that the U.S. still can foster a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said ending Israel’s war on Gaza does not “serve the long-term security interest of everyone in the region.” President Joe Biden met with families of Americans held captive by Hamas, saying he will continue to do everything possible to secure their release. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 12/13)

UK foreign secretary David Cameron said the UK will ban “those responsible for settler violence from entering the UK to make sure our country cannot be a home for people who commit these intimidating acts.” (AP, HA, REU 12/14)

Qatar pledged $50 million to Palestinian refugees in Gaza. (AJ 12/13)

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 threw stones at Palestinians harvesting olives in the Masafer Yatta area, injuring 2. Israeli settlers also attempted to kidnap a child in Khirbet al-Farisiyya. Elsewhere, armed Israeli settlers posing as soldiers vandalized a mosque in Menizel. Israeli forces raided Nur Shams refugee camp and attacked it with drones, killing 13 Palestinians, including 5 children, banned movement in and out of the refugee camp, and uprooted pavement with bulldozers. An Israeli soldier was killed in an IED explosion and 9 others were wounded. Israeli forces also shot and killed 3 Palestinians, including 2 minors, during raids in Budrus, Tulkarm, and Dheisheh refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 16 others during a raid in Budrus and al-Arroub refugee camp. Israeli forces also demolished the family home in Qibya of a Palestinian alleged to have killed a settler before he was shot and killed by Israeli forces near Kafr Qaddum on 7/6. Around 184 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Hebron, Ramallah, Dheisheh refugee camp, Tubas, Beita, Qalqilya, al-Eizeriya, Umm Safa, and Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, including 50 Palestinians workers from Gaza staying in Dheisheh refugee camp who had been expelled to the West Bank. In Gaza, around 285 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Israeli forces also assassinated the first female member of the Hamas political bureau Jamila al-Shanti, the head of the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committee Rafat Harb Hussein Abu Halal, and Hamas’ Jehad Mheisen. Israeli airstrikes also bombed the 12th century Church of Saint Porphyrius, killing at least 8 people sheltering in it and targeted 5 bakeries, killing many people waiting to purchase bread. Rockets were fired at Israel; no fatalities were reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces shot and killed a journalist and injured 1 other in Hula. Israeli forces also attacked parts of South Lebanon with combat helicopters and killed 3 people it claimed were firing anti-tank missiles at Israel. Israel said 30 rockets were fired at Israel. (AJ, HA 10/18; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, 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 10/19; AJ, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA 10/20)

The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of 5 p.m. at least 3,785 Palestinians had been killed, including at least 1,524 children, and 12,500 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7, including 47 entire families consisting of 500 people. 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. 81 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 22 children. More than 1,434 have been injured, including at least 300 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 4,562 have been injured since 10/7. The number of Israelis killed rose from 10/18 as Israel released the names of Israelis killed on 10/7. The UN reported that over 1 million Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 21,900 housing units have been destroyed and 121,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting around 30% of all homes in Gaza. The Committee to Protect Journalists said 21 journalists have been killed since 10/7, including 17 Palestinians, 3 Israelis, and 1 Lebanese. (AJ, HA 10/18; AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA 10/19)

The UN reported that 74 Palestinian households, comprised of 545 people, have been displaced from Bedouin communities in Area C of the West Bank due to settler violence and access restrictions. (BTselem, UNOCHA 10/19)

Haaretz reported that on 10/12 a group of 20-25 Israeli settlers and soldiers abducted 3 Palestinians from the depopulated Wadi al-Seeq community before assaulting, undressing, and urinating on 2 of them, putting 1 of their faces in feces, and attempted to sodomize 1 of them. The 3 Palestinians were abused for 6 hours before they were dropped off at an abandoned building and photographed. The settlers and soldiers also stole their phones, a car, and $544 in cash. The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident and 1 commander of the military unit was suspended. (HA 10/19; MEMO, TOI 10/20)

Palestinian officials said that Israeli authorities have warned that Israeli forces will target the Gaza Power Plant if it tries to resume operations. (UNOCHA 10/19)

Palestinian officials also said Israel has arrested 4,000 workers from Gaza, holding them in military bases, and have arrested 1,070 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, doubling the total number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. (AJ 10/21)

An Al Jazeera investigation into the bombing of al-Ahli Arab Hospital found that evidence presented by Israel misrepresented the event, ruling out that footage used by Israel showed a misfired rocket hit the hospital and saying that no footage from live streams suggest that rockets were fired from Gaza at the moment of the bombing. (AJ 10/19)

The U.S. said it had intercepted 3 cruise missiles and several drones fired by Houthi forces in Yemen. The Defense Department said the missiles and drones were heading north in the Red Sea, potentially toward Israel. Rockets and drones also attacked the U.S. Ain al-Asad air base and another compound hosting U.S. military forces near Baghdad International Airport. It was unclear who attacked the bases. (AJ 10/18; HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU 10/19; AP, HA 10/20)

Egyptian machinery reportedly entered Gaza to repair roads near the Rafah crossing to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid. However, Hamas denied that repairs had begun. Israel has bombed the Rafah crossing at least 4 times since 10/7. At least 100 trucks are waiting to enter Gaza near the crossing while others are waiting at El Arish Airport. UN officials said UN observers will inspect aid to Gaza before it enters through the Rafah crossing (AJ, AP, REU 10/19)

Israel said Hezbollah has granted Hamas permission to fire rockets at Israel and “will bear the consequences.” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told soldiers near the Gaza fence to get ready for a ground invasion. (AP, HA, REU 10/19)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. (WAFA 10/19)

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak traveled to Israel for meetings with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. Sunak said upon his arrival that he “stands with Israel” and that the UK is on the forefront of the effort to avoid further escalation of the conflict. 6 UK nationals were killed in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and 9 are still missing. Sunak also met with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, who called Israel’s targeting of civilians in Gaza “a heinous crime and brutal attack.” Sunak will later travel to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar. (AJ 10/18; AJ, HA, HA, REU, REU, REU 10/19)

In an Oval Office address, U.S. president Joe Biden compared Hamas to Russian president Vladimir Putin and his attack on Ukraine, saying both want to annihilate their neighbors. Biden further claimed that Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields and said he had told President Abbas he supports the Palestinian people. Biden also said he will send an “unprecedented” aid package for Israel to Congress for approval. The package was reportedly worth $14 billion. Israel had asked the U.S. for weapons, including precision-guided munitions, JDAMs, Iron Dome replenishment, and mortar shells. The U.S. Senate unanimously adopted a resolution affirming Israel’s right to self-defense and condemning Hamas and Iran. 10 Republican senators said they will introduce legislation to redirect $100 million in planned humanitarian aid to Palestinians to replenishing the Iron Dome. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said he had received a briefing that suggested the al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing was caused by a rocket misfired by Islamic Jihad. California governor Gavin Newsom said he was traveling to Israel. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU, REU 10/19; HA, REU 10/20)

Turkish media reported that the Israeli ambassador and other Israeli diplomats have left the country. (HA 10/19)

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the PA should take control of Gaza after Israel concludes its attack. (AJ 10/18)

Russia said it will deliver 27 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza via Egypt. Germany said it would donate $52.91 million to the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and UNWRA to help Palestinians in Gaza. (AJ 10/18; HA 10/19)

AP reported that Hamas may have used North Korean weapons during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, including F-7 rocket-propelled grenades. (AP 10/19)

A CBS News/YouGov poll found that 53% of U.S. Democrats and 55% of Independents believed that the U.S. should not send additional weapons and supplies to Israel, while 56% of all those polled disapproved of President Biden’s handling of the war. (HA 10/19)

More than 400 U.S. congressional staffers signed a letter saying they were “profoundly disturbed” by the lack of humanity extended to the Palestinian people by the U.S. Congress. Huffington Post reported that State Department officials were preparing a letter of dissent to the Biden administration’s approach to the war. (HA 10/19)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Israel has been included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program effective immediately, despite Israel’s entry to the program being scheduled for 11/30. (AP, HA, NYT 10/19)

Many countries urged their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible. (AJ, AJ, HA 10/19)

The Hilton Houston Post Oak by the Galleria in Texas said it had determined that it cannot host the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights’ (USCPR) national conference, citing security risks to its staff and guests. Texas governor Greg Abbot called USCPR “Hamas supporters.” The Council of American-Islamic Relations canceled a banquet at the Marriott Crystal Gateway hotel in Arlington, Virginia, after receiving bomb threats. (AP, HA 10/19)

In the West Bank, 3 Israeli settlers, including 2 minors, were injured by Palestinians throwing stones at their vehicle near Huwwara. Israeli settlers vandalized 140 olive and almond trees and water tanks in Qaryut. Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinians, including a minor during a raid in Jenin; 1 Palestinian security officer was also arrested during the raid. Israeli forces also demolished 2 agricultural structures in the Masafer Yatta villages of al-Twana and al-Juwaya. Elsewhere, Israeli forces erected a watchtower in Hebron. Israeli forces also demolished 1 mosque under construction in Arab al-Ramadin, leading to a confrontation with Palestinians; 3 were injured with live ammunition and baton rounds, and others suffered tear-gas related injuries. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Abu Dis, Ras Karkar, Harmala, Surif, Dura, and Aqabat Jaber refugee camp. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces arrested 2 Palestinian fishermen and confiscated their boats within 6 nautical miles northwest of Rafah; the 2 were released through the Erez crossing on 5/25. (JP, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/24; AJ, HA, PCHR, TOI 5/25; PCHR 5/26; UNOCHA 6/4)

A CNN investigation confirmed eyewitness reports and other independent investigations that Israeli forces shot and killed Palestinian American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on 5/11 in Jenin refugee camp and that her killing was likely deliberate. CNN’s investigation was based on 11 video clips, forensic findings at the scene of the murder, audio analysis of the gunshots, and 8 eyewitness testimonies. Explosive weapons expert Chris Cobb-Smith found in his analysis that the markings from the shots near the body of Abu Akleh indicated that the murder was deliberate as they did not suggest they were a result of a burst of automatic fire, but intentionally targeted. CNN further confirmed through eyewitness accounts that there was no crossfire in the area where Abu Akleh was killed, as Israel continues to claim. Israel has refused to open a criminal investigation into the killing. (AP, CNN, HA, MDW, TOI 5/24; HA, JP, MEMO, WAFA 5/25)

Israel’s civil administration retroactively legalized the Mitzpe Lachish settlement outpost and approved construction of 158 new settlement units near Dura. (WAFA 5/24; MEMO 5/25)

The U.S. announced sanctions against 1 individual alleged to have raised money for Hamas and on Hamas’s Investment Office, which holds assets in Sudan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and the UAE. (ALM, HA, MEE, MEMO, REU 5/24)

Referencing the U.S. decision to delist Kahane Chai from its list of foreign terrorist organizations on 5/13, the PA called on the U.S. Biden administration to remove the PLO from the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations. (WAFA 5/24; MEMO 5/25)

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) slammed the EU for withholding aid from the PA due to 1 Hungarian Commissioner’s dissatisfaction with PA school textbooks. The NRC said the withholding of aid is jeopardizing the life of more than 500 cancer patients that have been unable to access proper treatment at the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem and have led to salary cuts and cuts in aid to the most vulnerable Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The EU is withholding some $230 million in aid. (AJ, WAFA 5/24; MEMO 5/25)

Former Israeli foreign minister and prominent MK of the Likud party Israel Katz boasted that he had threatened Palestinian students in Israel with a 2d Nakba if they continue to wave Palestinian flags at universities. Katz said, “Remember our independence war and your Nakba, don’t stretch the rope too much. [. . .] If you don’t calm down, we’ll teach you a lesson that won’t be forgotten.” (MDW 5/24; HA 5/26)

Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu arrived in Israel for a 2-day visit to Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Turkey’s and Israel’s normalization efforts were reported as a way for Turkey to strengthen its relations with the UAE and Egypt, for Israel and Turkey to cooperate in Syria to build a gas pipeline between the 2 countries, and for Israel to incentivize Turkey to take a tougher stance on Hamas. During the 1st day of his trip, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu met with PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah, voicing support for a 2-state solution and criticizing Israeli settlements. Çavuşoğlu also met with PA president Mahmoud Abbas. The Turkish and Palestinian officials signed 9 cooperation agreements, including on economics, trade and infrastructure, and for developing an industrial area in Jenin. (AJ, ALM, AP, F24, HA, REU, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 5/24; HA, HA 5/25)

President Abbas met with president of the EU parliament Roberta Metsola in Ramallah. (WAFA 5/24)

Politico reported that U.S. president Joe Biden, in a 4/24 phone call to Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett, had assured him that the U.S. administration would not take Iran’s Revolutionary Guard off the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. President Biden’s decision was seen as an obstruction in finding common ground between the U.S. and Iran with the U.S.’s reentering the Iran Nuclear Deal. Prime Minister Bennett’s office confirmed the reporting. (HA, JP, POL 5/24; AX, MEMO 5/25; HA 5/26)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian child outside of her home in Madama and threw stones at her family’s house; she was hospitalized for her injuries. Israeli forces demolished 1 school and 1 mosque under construction in the Masafer Yatta area and 11 vending stalls in ‘Anin. Israeli forces also prevented maintenance work to be carried out in al-Ibrahimi Mosque. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, 4 Palestinians were arrested in the Old City and Jabal Mukabir. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian farmers east of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/17; WAFA 1/18; PCHR 1/21)

The Israeli higher planning committee gave the final approval for 365 new settler units and preliminary approval for 415 other settler units in the West Bank as promised by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 1/11. The decision drew condemnation from the PA, EU, UN, and several Arab countries. PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said he hoped that U.S. president-elect Joe Biden would work toward curbing Israeli settlement activities. Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz said that Prime Minister Netanyahu tried to stop Gantz’s approval of a small number of Palestinian construction projects in the West Bank. Netanyahu’s office denied the claim. (AP, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/17; WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/18; AJ, WAFA, WAFA 1/19)

The Israel Prison Service announced that it would begin vaccinating all prisoners for the COVID-19 virus, including Palestinian prisoners. (AJ 1/17)

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas met with the heads of Jordanian, Egyptian, and PA intelligence services to brief them on the progress in Hamas-Fatah reconciliation and the upcoming Palestinian elections. (AP, JP, TOI 1/17; HA 1/18)

The Israeli minster of education Yoav Gallant instructed his ministry to ban schools from hosting representatives from organizations that “treat the IDF soldiers with contempt and call Israel an apartheid state.” Members of the Knesset have complained about B’Tselem director Hagai El-Ad’s access to speak to high school students. B’Tselem released a position paper on 1/12 explaining why the human rights organization now considers Israel an apartheid state. (HA, TOI 1/17; AJ, AP, CBS, HA, JP, MEE, TOI, WP 1/18)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers sprayed racist graffiti on several structures, including a mosque, and punctured the tires of 3 vehicles in Kafr Malik near Ramallah. Israeli settlers also uprooted 30 olive trees near Bani Na‘im. Israeli forces arrested 16 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah. Israeli authorities also approved cutting down around 2,000 olive trees south of Bethlehem. In Gaza, 5 Palestinians were hospitalized after suffering from tear gas inhalation east of Rafah. In the Israeli city of Afula, local Jewish Israelis, including the city’s mayor, protested the sale of a home to a Palestinian-Israeli family. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/16; HA, WAFA, WAFA 6/17)

The Israeli Jerusalem municipality approved naming streets in the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem after Jewish rabbis. (HA 6/17)

The chairman of Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza Mohammed al-Emadi met Israeli and Palestinian officials in Israel and Gaza to discuss the implementation of the cease-fire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas in May. The Qatari delegation also delivered $20 million for vulnerable Palestinians in Gaza and for humanitarian projects. Some 108,000 families will receive $400 in 4 $100 payments. (HA 6/16; HA 6/17)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a sign for a planned community in the Golan Heights called Trump Heights, named after U.S. president Donald Trump. Netanyahu decided to dedicate a settlement construction project to President Trump after Trump unilaterally recognized Israel’s annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights. (HA 6/16)

U.S. special representative for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt told The Jerusalem Post that the U.S. administration may delay the unveiling of the U.S. peace plan until November 2019 because of the upcoming Israeli elections in September. In the interview, Greenblatt also said that he supports U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman’s statement from 6/8 that Israel has a right to annex parts of the West Bank. (AJ, HA 6/16)

In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and wound a Palestinian with a rubber-coated metal bullet in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Tubas during clashes sparked by a raid in the camp. Separately, 3 Palestinian children nr. Bayt Umar n. of Hebron are wounded by an unexploded Israeli sound bomb. Meanwhile, an Israeli border police officer is lightly injured when Palestinians throw a Molotov cocktail at an army post in n. Bethlehem. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Jenin; patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin and 2 villages nr. Ramallah. Israeli settlers torch a mosque in Aqraba village nr. Nablus and leave “price tag” graffiti. In East Jerusalem, hundreds of Israelis tour Haram al-Sharif for the festival of Sukkoth, while Palestinians under 50 and all women are prevented from entering for morning prayers. (JP, MNA, REU 10/14; PCHR 10/16)

UN Secy.-Gen. Ban makes a brief visit to the Gaza Strip, meeting mbrs. of the PA unity govt. and seeing some of the devastation firsthand. Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri issues a statement calling on Ban to take “serious actions” to end the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, and claiming that the UN official “took part in providing cover for the Israeli massacres in Rafah.” Meanwhile, truckloads of cement and steel enter Gaza for the 1st time in a year (600 tons of cement, 50 trucks of construction materials, and 10 trucks of metal), while Israeli authorities allow 15 tons of produce, mainly dates and sweet potatoes, to be sent for sale in the West Bank. (MNA, JP 10/14)

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF continues its assault with attacks on 41 targets, killing 11 Palestinians and injuring dozens. Israeli fighter jets and drones strike targets in n. Gaza, as well as nr. Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, while IDF troops fire smoke bombs and live ammunition across the Israel-Gaza border in 1 location and Israeli artillery shelling hits 2 others. The armed Palestinian groups fire over 100 projectiles into Israel; of which, 3 land in urban areas, 73 land in open areas, and 17 are intercepted by Iron Dome batteries. Meanwhile, Hamas executes 4 alleged collaborators with Israel in the courtyard of a mosque in Jabaliya r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts patrols in Hebron and 2 nearby villages, as well as 1 village nr. Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces clash with a group of Palestinian youth outside a checkpoint nr. Shu‘fat, and 1 Palestinian is wounded when the soldiers open fire with tear gas and rubbercoated metal bullets. (AFP, AP, HA, MNA 8/23; PCHR 8/28)

Following talks between Hamas leader Mishal and PA Pres. Abbas in Doha on 8/21 and 8/22, Hamas publicly agrees to support Abbas’s application to join the ICC. According to PLO chief negotiator Erakat, only Islamic Jihad has not yet approved the document Abbas is asking all Palestinian factions to sign before he moves forward. (AFP, AP, MNA 8/23)

On the diplomatic front, Abbas travels to Cairo for talks with Egyptian pres. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. After their meeting, Abbas says “my main goal is for the truce talks to resume in Egypt as soon as possible.” In an interview on Egyptian television, Abbas says that he is planning a major diplomatic initiative and that he will present the plan to U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry, who is scheduled to visit the region in the coming days. The plan reportedly includes asking the UN to set a timetable for the Israeli occupation and signing the Rome Statue on behalf of the PA, which would give the ICC jurisdiction over cases relating to the occupation. For its part, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry releases a statement after the Abbas/al-Sisi meeting inviting the Israelis and Palestinians to return to Cairo for further cease-fire negotiations. (AJ, HA, WSJ 8/23)

Israeli PM Netanyahu holds talks with UN Secy.-Gen. Ban Ki-moon. Netanyahu compares Hamas to ISIS, in reference to the group’s 8/22 execution of collaborators, and blames the group for the latest escalation in violence. (AJ, HA, REU 8/23)

In the evening, 2 rockets are fired from Lebanon into n. Israel. No group claims responsibility for the attack, though Lebanese military officials suspect a small, local Palestinian group. Late at night, 5 rockets are fired from Syria into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israeli military officials say that a Palestinian group, not Syrian govt. forces, is responsible. Between the 2 sets of rocket attacks, 8 Israelis are lightly injured. (DS, JP, REU 8/23; AFP, HA, YA 8/24)

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces open fire on Palestinians collecting scrap metal close to the border fence nr. Bayt Hanun, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF wound 1 Palestinian during clashes in Nablus during a patrol designed to protect the movement of Jewish settlers. IDF troops demolish 2 houses in al- ‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, prompting clashes with residents. Three are injured by rubber-coated metal bullets. IDF troops also fire tear gas into the grounds of 2 schools in al-Khadir, nr. Bethlehem. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Hebron and 2 nearby villages, and in 1 village nr. Jenin at night; patrols in 2 villages nr. Hebron, in Tulkarm and 1 nearby village, and 1 village nr. Jericho at night. In Israel, a car owned by a Palestinian citizen is vandalized, the 6th such hate crime in the town over the last mo. Meanwhile, residents of Furaydis hold a general strike to protest the “price tag” attack on 4/29, where racist graffiti was sprayed on a mosque. Israeli PM Netanyahu condemns the attack and says that the govt. is tackling those responsible. (HA, MNA, WAFA 4/30; PCHR 5/8)

Senior Palestinian official Shaath says that the Palestinian leadership will look to take action at the international level, in light of the breakdown in negotiations he says were foiled by Israel. (WAFA 4/30)

Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad says that PA Pres. Abbas will issue a presidential decree to convene the Palestinian Legislative Council— which has not convened since 2007—while elections will not take place for another 6 mos. Hamas and Fatah officials reactivate a subcmte. on civil liberties, as part of the implementation of the reconciliation agreement. Topics for the new subcmte. to deal with include the end of a ban on West Bank newspapers in Gaza. Meanwhile, around 1,000 Hamas supporters march through Ramallah, marking the return of the remains of 2 Hamas fighters killed by Israel in 1998. Speaking to mourners by telephone, Hamas leader Khalid Mish‘al affirms that the organization’s “path is resistance and the rifle,” and that Palestinians were in need of a joint, unified strategy to secure the “liberation of our lands and holy sites.” (AFP, JP, MEMO, MNA, REU 4/30)

Israeli pres. Shimon Peres says he has met with Palestinian pres. Mahmud Abbas and other Palestinian officials several times in recent months to discuss resuming peace talks. The Palestinians do not comment. (WT 6/20) A previously unknown group calling itself the Mujahiddin Shura Council of Jerusalem (which claims ties to alQa‘ida) releases a video claiming responsibility for the 6/18 cross-border attack on Israel from Egypt. The video shows the 2 assailants killed by the IDF, identifying them as an Egyptian and a Saudi. (WP 6/20; NYT 6/21)

Responding to recent Israeli air strikes and cross-border shootings in Gaza that killed 6 Palestinians, Hamas’s IQB for the 1st time in more than a year fires a barrage of at least 45 rockets (including at least 10 Grads) fr. Gaza into Israel; 1 rocket damages an Israeli police barracks and injures 2 police officers, but the others land in open areas. The IQB says it is aiming predominantly at open areas to minimize the severity of its rocket fire and to ‘‘send a message’’ to Israel. Expecting retaliation, Hamas security officials vacate their bases. Israel initially issues a stern warning and carries out 1 air strike on a Palestinian rocketlaunching team nr. Dayr al-Balah, wounding 1 armed Palestinian. Late at night, however, Israeli warplanes and drones carry out 7 air strikes on Hamas targets across Gaza, seriously wounding 1 IQB mbr. The targets include a garage and a group of armed Palestinians in Gaza City, a vacant house in al-Bureij r.c., and 2 IQB training camps nr. Bayt Lahiya and Rafah. (HA 6/19; NYT, YA 6/20; PCHR 6/21; OCHA 6/22)

In the West Bank, Jewish settlers set fire to a mosque in the village of Jaba nr. Bethlehem and spray graffiti on its walls warning the Israeli government against evacuating the unauthorized settlement outpost of Ulpana (5 buildings, 30 families). This is the 12th mosque vandalized by Jewish settlers since 1/2011. Jewish settlers also vandalize the car of the settler leader negotiating the terms of Ulpana’s evacuation with the Israeli government. OCHA reports that in the previous week, the IDF carried out several significant demolitions in Israelicontrolled Area C: 14 residential structures and 11 animal pens in the al-Hirma bedouin community near Bethlehem (64 displaced, including 37 children); 6 seasonal residential structures in the Jordan Valley (20 displaced); 1 residential structure nr. Qalqilya; and 2 animal pens nr. East Jerusalem. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 6/20; OCHA 6/22)

The P5+1 and Iran close 2 days of ‘‘intense and tough’’ nuclear talks in Moscow. Both sides say that the talks were so detailed and so heated that they need a break to digest all that has been discussed and to confer with their governments. Iran reportedly offers to halt enrichment of uranium to 20% purity if the international community acknowledges Iran’s right to enrich uranium and immediately rolls back sanctions. The P5+1 refuses to delay or waive sanctions until Iran meets specific benchmarks of compliance. Ashton announces that the sides plan to send technical experts to Istanbul on 7/3 ‘‘to make sure all clearly understood the nature of both sides’ proposals’’ and to gauge the prospects for narrowing gaps and holding more negotiations. Meanwhile, the next round of EU and U.S. sanctions are scheduled to go into effect as scheduled on 7/1. (NYT 6/19; NYT, WP 6/20; NYT 7/2; WT 7/4; NYT 7/5)

Unidentified U.S. and Western officials confirm to the Washington Post (6/20) that the U.S. and Israel jointly developed the Flame virus to map and monitor Iran’s computer networks in preparation for a major cyberwarfare campaign. They said, however, that Israel deployed the virus unilaterally, without consulting the U.S., leading to its premature detection by Iran and to development of critical Iranian countermeasures. U.S. intelligence officials had hoped that Flame would reside undetected on Iran’s networks for years sending back valuable information. Computer experts said (WP 6/20) that Flame contained ‘‘DNA-like evidence’’ linking it to the Stuxnet virus (see QU in JPS 158). This would make the Stuxnet and Flame attacks the first recorded sustained cyber-sabotage campaign against a state. (WP 6/20)

Lebanon releases 9 Islamists (7 Lebanese, 1 Palestinian, 1 Saudi) tied to Fatah al-Islam who were among the approximate 180 people detained during the 2007 clashes between Fatah al-Islam and the Lebanese army in Nahr al-Barid r.c. in n. Lebanon (see QU in JPS 145–46). (WT 6/20)

In light of Jewish settler violence against the IDF on 12/12, the Israeli cabinet approves several measures against right-wing Jewish extremists, including permitting their detention without trial (administrative detention) and trial in military courts, allowing soldiers in the West Bank to arrest them, and banning them fr. entering the West Bank; it does not label them “terrorists,” which would have allowed security forces even greater leeway to act against them. Hrs. later, Israeli police raid a Jerusalem apartment and arrest 6 Israelis for involvement in “recent events” targeting Palestinians and the IDF. In apparent “price-tag” attacks to protest the government moves: Jewish extremists set fire to the Nabi Ukasha mosque in West Jerusalem (Israeli authorities have barred Palestinians fr. using the mosque but have allowed Jewish settlers affiliated with the extremist Kach party to use the courtyard as a playground); Jewish settlers fr. Burkan settlement set fire to 2 Palestinian cars in nearby Salfit; and Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar set fire to 2 Palestinian cars in nearby Douma village nr. Nablus. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/15; PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

Under pressure fr. PA and Jordanian officials, Israel reopens the Mughrabi footbridge to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount (closed on 12/12/11), saying it will reinforce rather than rebuild it. Meanwhile, IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Gaza City fire on a Palestinian who strays too nr. the border fence while hunting birds, moderately wounding him. IDF troops in the West Bank conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Fawar r.c. and Bayt Umar, both nr. Hebron. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/15; PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

Addressing 10,000s of Hamas supporters in Gaza City to mark Hamas’s 24th anniversary, Hamas acting PM Ismail Haniyeh says that “Today we say it clearly: Armed resistance and armed struggle are the strategic way to liberate the Palestinian land from the sea to the river,” but that if Israel were to turn over the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, Hamas could take a “temporary” respite “without Israel being recognized and without any concession being made.” Of note: at the rally, the flags of the Arab states are displayed except for Syria’s. (NYT 12/15)

The New York Times runs a long special report on a 6-yr. U.S. investigation of Lebanese Canadian Bank and its suspected role providing financial support to “terrorists.” U.S. officials allege—but refuse to release their evidence—that the investigation revealed that the bank laundered hundreds of millions of dollars fr. Hizballah criminal enterprises and that Hizballah had significant ties to Latin American drug cartels. U.S. investigators say the transactions also revealed a pattern “in which entities tied to Hezbollah have been buying up militarily strategic pieces of property in largely Christian areas” of Lebanon. Hizballah calls the claims “politically motivated propaganda.” U.S. admin. sources say that when the connections first came to their attention in fall 2010, some argued that the Hizballah link should be left unstated, but the admin. changed course (1) after Hizballah forced out Saad Hariri as PM and secured appointment of an ally in his place and (2) when the UN tribunal accused Hizballah of involvement in Rafiq Hariri’s assassination. (NYT 12/14)

Egypt announces that Gaza- and Damascus-based Hamas officials have agreed on a cease-fire offer to be present to Israel (see Quarterly Update). Israel agrees to send an envoy to Cairo on 1/15 to be briefed on the plan. Meanwhile, Israel’s intense air, naval, and ground assaults on Gaza continue.

Combat notes: Under cover of air strikes and heavy shelling, IDF troops take up new positions in s. Gaza’s al-Fukhari area nr. the Sufa crossing (occupying several homes and expelling the residents) and al-Shuka village; Israeli fire is so intense that rescuers cannot reach the wounded or retrieve the dead. The IDF reports carrying out approximately 120 air strikes today (70 of them after nightfall) that kill 10s of Palestinians. Targets include at least 24 groups of armed Palestinians, 16 smuggling tunnels, at least 10 suspected weapons depots (including a Rafah mosque), and 24 rocket launching sites (killing senior IQB cmdrs. Walid Za‘abud and Muhammad Dash nr. al-Zaytun). Air strike target areas include Bani Suhayla, Bayt Lahiya, Gaza City (areas northwest of the city and al-Nasser, al-Sabra, al-Sha‘af, Shaykh Ridwan, al-Shuja‘iyya, Tal al-Hawa, al-Yarmuk, al-Zaytun), Khan Yunis, Khuza, al-Mughraqa, Nussayrat r.c., al-Qarara, Rafah, al-Shabura r.c., Twam, Yibna r.c. Heavy artillery and tank fire are reported in and around Bayt Lahiya (white phosphorous suspected), al-Bureij r.c., Gaza City (al-Sabra, al-Tuffah), Jabaliya town and r.c. Naval bombardment centers on Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighborhood.

Palestinians fire 14 rockets and 2 mortars, including 4 Grads (2 each in Ashdod and Beersheba), into Israel, causing no injuries. Gaza medical workers put the estimated Palestinian toll at 1,018 dead (including an estimated 300 children), 4,700 injured. The IDF reports 27 soldiers wounded (1 severely, 2 moderately, 24 lightly), mostly in ground fighting with Palestinians n. Gaza, including 7 soldiers wounded (1 severely, 1 moderately, 5 lightly) by a Palestinian antitank missile. The Israeli toll stands at 13–14 dead, more than 150 wounded.

Humanitarian notes: The IDF allows at least 108 truckloads of humanitarian aid into Gaza during the lull. A group of Israeli human rights groups (including Amnesty International–Israel, B’Tselem Gisha, Physicians for Human Rights–Israel) characterize Israel’s restrictions on aid and access to Gaza by relief groups and medial workers as a “blatant violation of the laws of warfare and raises the suspicion, which we ask be investigated, of the commission of war crimes.” (AP, BBC, CBS News, HA, IDF, IFM, JAZ, MM, QA, REU, RFM, XIN 1/14; AYM, HA, IDF, IFM, IHY, JAZ, MA, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT, YA 1/15; ITIC 1/19; PCHR 1/22, 1/29)

The IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Jenin, in Bayt Sahur, and nr. Nablus. (PCHR 1/22)

Unidentified assailants fire 3 rockets fr. s. Lebanon into n. Israel. (Up to a dozen rockets total may have been fired, with others landing inside Lebanon). The IDF returns fire. No damage or injuries are reported. (MM, MNR 1/14; WP 1/15)

The UNSC passes (14–0, with the U.S. abstaining) res. 1860, calling for an “immediate, durable, and fully respected cease-fire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” but not outlining an implementation or enforcement mechanism (see Doc. A8). Israel says it will not halt its operations until a Hamas cease-fire can be guaranteed. Meanwhile, Egypt begins intensive bilateral talks with Israeli and Hamas envoys to mediate a cease-fire.

Combat notes: The IDF carries out another 60 air strikes across Gaza, with heavy bombing of the Rafah border. Targets include more than 18 homes of senior IQB members (all believed to be in hiding), “a number of armed operatives” assassinated (not named), several groups of armed men, 15 tunnels (including some homes believed to be covering entrances to tunnels), 11 suspected weapons depots (including 1 mosque in n. Gaza), 15 rocket-launching sites, the PASF headquarters and PA Youth and Sports Min. offices in Rafah, and an Islamic Jihad office in Abasan. Target areas include Abasan, Bani Suhayla, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (city center, al-Nasser), Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, al-Nasser (n. of Rafah), Nussayrat, Rafah. Heavy naval shelling of Dayr al-Balah and the nearby al-Qur’an area of c. Gaza is also reported. As ground operations continue, the IDF begins moving a small number of reservists into the Strip for the 1st time since OCL began. Heavy artillery and ground fire is reported in Abasan, Gaza City (al-Sha‘af, al-Shuja‘iyya, Tal al-Hawa, alZaytun), al-Qarara. Late in the evening, IDF troops withdraw from al-Qarara; residents report at least 20 homes destroyed since the IDF took up positions in the city on 1/6.

Palestinians fire at least 15 rockets and 1 mortar into Israel, lightly injuring 4 Israelis. Areas hit by rockets include Ashdod, Ashqelon, Beersheba (4 Grads), Ofakim.

The Palestinian toll, including bodies recovered during the humanitarian lull today (see below), reaches at least 758 dead and more than 3,100 injured. In addition, a Ukrainian woman (married to a Gazan) and her toddler are killed by an IDF shell in Gaza City, becoming the 1st foreign casualties inside Gaza (1 Egyptian was killed on the Rafah border on 12/28). Today, 3 IDF soldiers are killed and 14 are wounded (1 seriously, 1 moderately, 12 lightly) during clashes inside Gaza, bringing the Israeli toll to 13–14 dead and more than 100 injured.

Humanitarian notes: IDF soldiers fire on relief workers in 3 incidents in which the UN and ICRC had fully coordinated their movements with the IDF in advance (providing the IDF with the license plates of the vehicles, giving precise times and routes of travel, and using clearly marked vehicles) and received IDF assurances that travel would be safe. One UN driver is killed and 2 other UN employees and 1 ICRC employee are wounded. The UN and other groups scale back or suspend aid deliveries to Gaza, citing security concerns.

During the humanitarian lull, the IDF allows ICRC workers back into a heavily damaged residential block of al-Zaytun (see 1/7), where they rescue 103 injured Palestinians who have been stranded since 1/5 and report finding 40–50 bodies, fearing that more dead and injured may be trapped under demolished homes. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem reports (WP 1/9) new evidence that IDF soldiers stationed outside the destroyed houses were aware people were trapped but denied aid. UN Undersecy. Gen. for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes urges Israel to investigate, calling (WP 1/9) it “a particularly outrageous incident” and “absolutely horrifying.”

Israel allows 223 Palestinian dual nationals to exit Gaza via the Erez crossing for Jordan (see 1/2).

The UN estimates that 20,000 Gazans have been internally displaced by the fighting. (AP, HA, IDF, IHY, JP, MA, NYT, UNIS, YA 1/8; AFP, Daily Star, IDF, IFM, ITARTASS, MET, NYT, RFM, UNIS, WP, WT 1/9; AFP, AP, NYT, WT 1/12; AYM, JP, NYT, WT 1/13; IHY, MM 1/14; PCHR 1/15; WJW 1/16; NYT 1/17; ITIC 1/18; JPI 1/23)

In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian who allegedly attempts to set fire to a gas station outside the Ma’ale Adumim settlement e. of Jerusalem; fires live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians demonstrating against OCL in al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron, seriously wounding 2 (including a 12-yr.-old boy); fires live ammunition at Palestinians protesting against the separation wall in Bil‘in, wounding 1; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qabatya nr. Jenin. (PCHR 1/15)

The PFLP General Command fires 4 rockets fr. s. Lebanon into Israel, 3 of which explode near Nahariya, lightly wounding 4 Israelis (5 others are treated for shock). The IDF fires 5 shells the border as a “measured response” and intensifies surveillance overflights of s. Lebanon. Hizballah, the Lebanese government, and Fatah and Hamas reps. in Lebanon condemn the fire, assuring Israel they have no intention of opening a 2d front. The Lebanese army and UNIFIL pledge to step up surveillance in s. Lebanon (ITV, MM, MNR, RFM 1/8; Guardian, HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT, SFR, al-Watan, YA 1/9; YA 1/10; AFP, AP, NYT, WT 1/12; HA, MM 1/15; JPI 1/23)

As Israel continues widespread air and naval bombardment of Gaza for a 3d day, Israeli DM Barak declares “all-out war” on Hamas. The IDF declares a 2-mi. buffer zone around the Strip a closed military zone and continues amassing tanks and troops there, indicating further preparations for a ground invasion. Israeli military officials speaking anonymously say they have expanded the IDF’s target list to include Hamas’s support network and symbols of Hamas power, stating that “there are many aspects of Hamas, and we are trying to hit the whole spectrum, because everything is connected and everything supports terrorists against Israel” and that “anything affiliated with Hamas is a legitimate target.”

Israeli actions: The IDF reports hitting 100 sites today, including more Islamic University buildings (including the engineering dept., library); homes and offices of Hamas leaders; PA government buildings (including the Interior Min., Finance Min., Foreign Min., Labor Min., Construction and Housing Min., and a PA presidential guest house); Bani Suhayla’s municipal building; the alZawiyya Mosque in Jabaliya r.c. and Omar Bin al-Khattab Mosque in al-Bureij r.c.; more civil and naval police stations; more tunnels along the Rafah border; the headquarters of Hamas’s al-Aqsa TV; Gaza’s port (for a 2d day); and 1 Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades training site. Target areas include Abasan, Bani Suhayla, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (city center, al-Rimal, al-Sabra, Shaykh Ajlin, Tal al-Hawa), Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, Nussayrat r.c., al-Qarara, Rafah, Shati’ r.c., Tal al-Za‘atar. Just before strikes on Rafah, Israeli Military Intelligence makes 10,000 automated calls to Rafah residents warning of pending air strikes, breaks into Palestinian radio broadcasts to urge residents across Gaza to move to city centers. Palestinian medical officials report at least 364 Palestinians dead, 1,500 wounded since 12/27.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 66 rockets, 14 mortars into Israel (twice as many as in the previous 24 hrs.), killing 3 Israeli civilians (1 each in Nahal Oz, Ashdod, Ashqelon; 1 of them an Israeli Palestinian) and wounding 5 (3 of them Israeli Palestinians), with 2 rockets hitting 23 mi. north in Gan Yavne/Ashdod. A Palestinian mortar hits an IDF base in Netivot, s. and e. of the Nahal Oz crossing, killing 1 IDF soldier (a Druze), seriously wounding 1, lightly injuring 4. The Israeli toll stands at 4–5 dead, about 20 injured. Reports circulate (e.g., NYT 12/30) of Hamas gunmen executing at least 5 accused collaborators with Israel inside hospitals; the 5 had been jailed for collaboration and transferred to hospitals after being wounded in IDF air strikes on jails.

Humanitarian notes: Israel allows 40 truckloads of humanitarian aid into Gaza; Egypt allows 23 truckloads of emergency goods in, some wounded out through Rafah. International aid groups (including Amnesty International, the UN) say aid transfers are insufficient, warn that the death toll is rising in part because of lack of medicines and medical supplies, food, and fuel.

Of note: One Israeli air strike heavily damages the UN Special Coordinator’s Office (UNSCO) headquarters in Gaza City, prompting the UN to issue a formal complaint. Egyptian TV reports that captured IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit has been wounded in an Israeli air strike in recent days; Hamas does not comment. (BBC, CNN, HA, Houston Chronicle, IFM, REU, White House press briefing, YA 12/29; BBC, IDF, Independent, NYT, WP, WT 12/30; IDF, UNOSAT 12/31; JP, PCHR, WJW 1/1; ITV 1/2; IDF 1/3; NYT, WP 1/4; WT, UNOSAT 1/5; IFM 1/8; Committee to Protect Journalists 1/9)

In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinians demonstrating against OCL in Issawiyya, Shu‘fat r.c., al-Tur neighborhood in East Jerusalem, causing no serious injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in East Tura village nr. Jenin, Hebron. (PCHR 1/1)

Palestinian construction worker Hussam Dweikat (who has Israeli residency status in East Jerusalem) commandeers a Caterpillar bulldozer (symbolic, as the IDF uses Caterpillar D9 bulldozers to level Palestinian homes and land in the occupied territories) from the Jerusalem construction site where he works, plows through midday traffic in West Jerusalem’s business district, overturning a bus, running over at least 2 cars, killing 3 Israelis, injuring more than 40 before a police officer fatally shoots him. Israeli officials believe Dweikat acted alone. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, in Tubas, and nr. Jenin, Nablus (also raiding a mosque and its library, taking computers, documents, books), Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Massu’a in the Jordan Valley attempt to fence off and confiscate a plot of land in Jiftlik village, but the Palestinian owners drive them away. Palestinian youths stone a Jewish settler bus nr. Ramallah, causing damage but no injuries. In Gaza, 1,000s of Palestinians storm the Rafah crossing, demanding entry to Egypt and throwing stones at Egyptian security forces, who respond by pushing the crowd back with water cannons and tear gas; Hamas-affiliated police bring the situation under control. Hamas-affiliated police launch a campaign to removed small shops and huts erected along the Gaza shoreline without municipal permission. Nr. Shuka, 2 Palestinian teenagers are injured when they accidentally trigger IDF unexploded ordnance (UXO). (AP, BBC, HA, IFM, Israel Radio, MA, MM, PCHR, REU, YA 7/2; NYT, WP, WT 7/3; MM, WP 7/4; OCHA 7/9; PCHR 7/10)

The IDF sends tanks, armored vehicles, bulldozers into 2 areas e. of al-Maghazi in c. Gaza and around the Qarni industrial zone to level land. On the Rafah border, Egyptian border police find, demolish 7 smuggling tunnels. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, Ramallah. Armed Jewish settlers fr. Dov Nesher nr. Hebron attack Palestinian farmers and shepherds on nearby land, forcing them to flee the area. A Jewish settler wounds a Palestinian in a drive-by shooting in Hebron; the IDF transports the Palestinian to an Israeli hospital. A dispute erupts btwn. Hamas, Islamic Jihad mbrs. over control of a Gaza City mosque; Hamasaffiliated police intervene, dispersing the groups and closing the mosque. (OCHA 5/21; PCHR 5/22)

The IDF assassinates senior Hamas military cmdr. Thabit Ayadi, fatally shooting him in a raid on Tulkarm, also arresting 3 Palestinians, raiding 10s of homes; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Bethlehem, 1 nr. Nablus; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Fawwar r.c., Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah. In retaliation, PRC mbrs. fire 2 rockets at the Sufa crossing into Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF also sends 100s of reinforcements to Hebron, where confrontations continue with Jewish settlers protesting their planned eviction fr. the Hebron market; several settlers are arrested. (AFP, HA, IMEMC, YA 1/17; IMEMC, NYT 1/18; PCHR 1/19)

Israeli authorities bulldoze 7 Palestinian buildings in unrecognized villages in the Negev for being built without permits, present bedouin with orders to demolish another 40 structures, including a mosque. (Palestine News Agency [WAFA] 1/18)

As of midnight local time, the IDF seals the Gaza Strip in preparation for disengagement implementation beginning on 8/17, making it illegal for Israelis to enter Gaza. During the day, some 7,500 PA security forces, overseen byEgyptian security officers, begin deploying nr. Gaza settlements to prevent Palestinians fr. approaching them. Before dawn, Palestinian gunmen fire on Kefar Darom, causing no damage or injuries; an IDF tank returns fire, accidentally targeting an IDF personnel carrier, wounding 5 IDF soldiers. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Tulkarm, closes the main street, interrogates residents; conducts arrest raids, house searches in villages around Tulkarm; occupies a house nr. Nablus as an observation post. Nr. Qalqilya, a Palestinian dies of heat stroke after being handcuffed by IDF troops, left in the sun for hrs. In light of threats by Jewish extremists to storm the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount and destroy the al-Aqsa mosque, 100s of Israeli police, troops deploy in and around the Old City of Jerusalem to prevent possible Israeli-Palestinian clashes; 1,000s of Muslims fr. Jerusalem and Israel attempt to converge to defend the site, but West Bank Palestinians are barred fr. entering Jerusalem, Israeli Palestinians under age 45 are banned fr. accessing the mosque compound. Jewish settlers gather outside Homesh settlement to protest the disengagement, throw stones at passing Palestinian vehicles. In Gaza, Jewish settlers block Palestinian access to roads btwn. Kefar Yam and Shirat Hayam. A French sound technician covering the disengagement in Gaza is kidnapped by unknown Palestinians; Hamas accuses the PA of not doing enough to protect internationals working in Gaza, says targeting foreigners should be a red line. In light of recent kidnappings, the UN moves all nonessential foreign staff in Gaza to Jerusalem until further notice. (AFP, XIN 8/14; IMEMC, WT 8/15; PR 8/17; PCHR, REU 8/18; IMEMC 8/19)

The IDF assassinates Hamas spiritual leader and founder Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, firing 3 internationally banned flechette missiles at him as he leaves a Gaza City mosque after morning prayers, also killing 3 bodyguards, 4 bystanders, wounding at least 17 Palestinians, including Yasin’s 2 sons. Immediately, 100,000s of Palestinians take to the streets throughout the territories to protest the assassination. The IDF seals Gaza; clashes with Palestinian demonstrators in Balata r.c. (killing an al-Najah Radio correspondent in Balata r.c., apparently thinking his mobile phone was a weapon), Bethlehem, Dayr al-Balah, Hebron (fatally shooting 1 Palestinian watching fr. his balcony), Jenin, Khan Yunis (killing 3 Palestinians), Nablus; fires on residential areas of Rafah, Qalqilya, Tal Zu’rub; imposes a curfew on areas around Jenin, fires on residential areas; temporarily occupies a Palestinian home as an IDF post nr. Dayr al-Balah. 100s of Palestinian youths in East Jerusalem gather at checkpoints to throw stones at IDF soldiers; Palestinian prisoners in 2 Israeli jails riot. Palestinians fire Qassam rockets, mortars, antitank rockets at Gush Katif and Netzarim settlements, nearby IDF posts, the western Negev, damaging 2 apartments in Netzarim but causing no injuries. An ax-wielding Palestinian fr. the West Bank village of Bidiyya wounds 3 Israelis outside an army base in Tel Aviv before being arrested. An unidentified assailant said to be Arab stabs, lightly wounds 3 Israelis on a Jaffa bus. 4 Palestinians are arrested for beating up a Jewish settler in East Jerusalem. Jewish settlers detain, beat a Palestinian man in the Jordan Valley. An estimated 200,000 Palestinians, including reps. of all Palestinian factions, take part in Yasin’s funeral services later in the day, with 21 PSF officers forming an honor guard for Yasin’s coffin, Gaza churches ringing their bells, mosques broadcasting Qur’anic verses. Meanwhile, Israeli defense chiefs meet, agree to target the entire remaining Hamas leadership immediately, without waiting for another Hamas attack. Israel also announces that it will close the only mental health clinic serving East Jerusalem Palestinians (1,200 patients) because of “security concerns.” (AP, BBC, CSM, HA, MA, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT 3/22; AP, ATL, ITARTASS, MNR, MENA, IDF Radio, IRNA, ITARTASS, JP, VIRI, VOI, VOP, XIN 3/22 in WNC 3/24; al-Arabiyya TV [Dubai], Syrian Arab News Agency 3/22 in WNC 4/27; AFP, BBC, CSM, HA, JT, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/23; AFP, AYM, DUS, HA, al-Hayat al-Jadida, JT, MA, MENA, al-Ra’i, THWR, TSHR, VIRI, YA 3/23 in WNC 3/25; MM, NYT, PR, WP 3/24; ATL, ITAR-TASS, Izvestiya, JT, al-Ra’i, SA, VOP, XIN 3/24 in WNC 3/26; AYM 3/24 in WNC 4/3; JT, MM, PCHR, WJW 3/25; ITAR-TASS, MENA, NHR, VIRI 3/25 in WNC 3/27; MM 3/26; MNR 3/27 in WNC 3/30; AYM 3/30, VOP 3/31 in WNC 4/2; MEI 4/2; PCHR 4/15)

In Washington, Shalom holds further talks on Sharon’s disengagement plan with VP Dick Cheney, Powell, Rice. (WP 3/23)

A Hamas suicide bomber fr. Hebron detonates a device on a bus in Haifa, killing 14 Israelis, 1 American, wounding 40; Israel seals the West Bank and Gaza borders until further notice, vows to respond “but not [on] a scale that would disrupt any U.S. preparations for a possible attack on Iraq.” Overnight, Palestinians also reportedly fire 13 antitank missiles and grenades at IDF forces on the Rafah border, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Nablus, 1 in Qalqilya, a mosque in Rafah r.c. that had been heavily damaged in earlier attacks; conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem, Qalqilya (targeting Fatah), Ramallah (nabbing senior Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr. Abdallah Barghouti), Yamun; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis. Late in the evening, the IDF launches a major raid into Jabaliya r.c., sending in 50 tanks and helicopters, firing several missiles, killing 3 Palestinians, wounding 11; fatally shoots Islamic Jihad mbr. Muhammad al-‘Asas in an exchange of gunfire in Bethlehem, leaving 1 IDF soldier wounded. A Jerusalem court sentences Israeli Arab Murad Ajluni to life plus 20 yrs. for taking part in a 3/02 AMB shooting in Tel Aviv that left 3 Israelis dead. (HA 3/5; Interfax, VOI 3/5 in WNC 3/6; HA, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 3/6; MA 3/6 in WNC 3/7; HA 3/7; LAW, PR 3/13; PCHR 3/13; JPI 3/14)

At the weekly cabinet mtg., PM Barak says that although he still has not found a suitable person to lead the final status team, comprehensive staff work has been done to formulate Israel's position in the political-security sphere and on the subject of economic separation. (MM 10/18; al-Quds 10/19 in WNC 10/20; AYM 10/21 in WNC 10/25; WT 10/23)

Opening of s. safe-passage route, scheduled for today, is delayed for 2d time, because Israeli, PA officials cannot agree on the location of a joint office in Gaza that would hand out travel permits to Palestinians. (WP 10/17; AYM 10/21 in WNC 10/25) (see 10/4)

In Damascus, Syrian pres. Asad receives Jordanian FM Khatib for talks on the peace process, briefing on King Abdallah's mtg. with Pres. Clinton. (GIU 10/18; CSM 10/19; SA 10/20 in WNC 10/21)

Arab Human Rights Organization calls on Jordan to immediately release the 20 Hamas political leaders, activists it has detained since 8/31. King Abdallah says he believes that a "formula" can be reached to resolve the issue. The Muslim Brotherhood is still mediating. (AFP 10/19, JT 10/20 in WNC 10/21; WT 10/20; JT 10/21 in WNC 10/22; MEI 10/29) (see 9/22)

Jordan's Interior Min. says that it has detained 3 Israeli Arabs on charges of selling Palestinian land in Jerusalem to Israelis using forged land-sale affidavits. 3 other men are wanted. (al-Quds 10/19 in WNC 10/21; JT 10/31 in WNC 11/2)

Israeli Interior M Sharansky rescinds the regulation allowing the residency rights of East Jerusalem Palestinians to be revoked on the grounds that their tax, water, electricity, rental, school or enrollment records suggest they may have lived outside the city for some time during the past 7 yrs.; does not say whether Palestinians who had their residency revoked under this law will have their rights restored. (MM, NYT 10/18; al-Quds 10/18, AYM 10/19 in WNC 10/21; al-Quds 10/21 in WNC 10/25; JP 10/29) (see 7/20)

Some 5,000 Jewish settlers, angered by Barak's plans to fully or partially dismantle 12 settlements, protest outside the PM's home. (MM, WP, WT 10/18; AYM 10/19 in WNC 10/21; MEI 10/29)

In Nazareth, a group Muslim Palestinians angry over the city's plans to construct a large plaza next to the Church of the Annunciation on a site that was slated for construction of a mosque attack, slightly injure the town's Christian mayor, Ramiz Jaraisi. Israeli police arrest 2 suspects. (WT 10/18, 10/20) (see 4/20)

A new press and publication law goes into effect in Jordan, replacing the controversial 1998 press law. While the new version lifts the ban on nearly 1,000 books, reduces the amounts that journalists can be fined for violations, and lowers the minimum capital a newspaper must hold to be licensed, the Jordan Press Association cautions that it does not ban the arrest of journalists for political reasons. (JT 10/18 in WNC 10/19; JT 10/30 in WNC 11/2)

Special Russian envoy to the Middle East Viktor Posuvalyuk meets with Arafat, Israeli Dep. FM Yossi Beilin, says Russia wants to be active partner in all negotiations on Jerusalem. PM Rabin says Russia is interfering, trying to bring new initiatives to the talks, should coordinate with U.S. (MM 8/26; Al-Hamishmar 8/26 in IL 8/26; VOP 8/26 in FBIS 8/26; WJW 9/1)

Arafat approves new 13-mbr. council (inc. Fateh, Hamas, PFLP) to replace Israeli-appointed mayor of Jericho Jamil Khalaf until elections are held. Hassan Salih al-Husayn, Fateh mbr. and former PLO military cmdr., will be chair. (QY, VOP 8/25 in FBIS 8/26)

Poll released by Center for Palestine Research and Studies shows Palestinians oppose Arafat's restrictions on press, prefer Palestinian over Jordanian control of Islamic trusts. 13.9% of respondents favor Hamas; 39%, Fateh. (MM 8/26; QY 8/25 in FBIS 8/30; CSM 9/21)

Israeli Dep. FM Beilin says Pakistani PM Bhutto must clear visit to Gaza with Israeli FMin., stating Cairo Agmt. leaves Israel in charge of foreign relations, in control of borders. (QY 8/24, 2/25 in FBIS 8/25; Davar 8/26 in IL 8/26)

IDF raids Salah al-Din mosque in Nablus, confiscates alleged Hamas material, seriously injures 6 Palestinian protesters. (QY 8/25 in FBIS 8/25, 8/26; JP 9/3)

Israeli govt. declares 1-week freeze on signing contracts for govt.-subsidized housing, including those affecting construction i the o.t. Freeze also is called on planning and early proceedings of new roads in o.t. About 3,000 units in early stages in o.t. are affected by the freeze, and govt. is still unsure about what to do with 4,000 completed units unattached to infrastructure, 12,000 in various stages of construction, and about 500 completed units that have been populated in the o.t. About 60% of these 16,500 scheduled units are in "political settlements." Financial incentives encouraging settlement will be ended. (Qol Yisra'el, HaAretz 7/16 in FBIS 7/16; MM, NYT, WP 7/17)

The Jerusalem Report states that 100 of the 142 settlements in the o.t. are "political settlements" according to PM Rabin, and can therefore expect significant cuts in govt. aid. These include all 16 settlements inthe Gaza Strip, as well as large W. Bank settlements of Qedumim, Elqana, and possibly Ariel. (Likud MK and Ariel mayor Ron Nahman claims freeze will have "opposite result" in his settlement, plans to increase its pop. from 11,000 to 20,000 in a year.) (Al Hamishmar 7/16 in FBIS 7/16; HaAretz 7/17 in MM 7/17)

Fateh gunman shoots, wounds 3 unarmed Hamas supporters in Rafah, Gaza. Hamas gunmen shoot, wound 1 unarmed Fateh supporter. Some 1,000 Fateh supporters then raid mosque in Yibna camp, Hamas gunmen inside open fire, wound 8. IDF troops impose curfew on Yibna. Two-week total for Fateh-Hamas violence is 1 dead, about 150 wounded. (MM, WP 7/17)

Palestinians throughout o.t. stage commercial strike called for by PLO-backed UNLU to protest seige at al-Najah University. Palestinian-Israeli leaders including all 6 MKs meet to discuss strategy, form delegation to meet with PM Rabin concerning al-Najah. Some 250 prominent Palestinians begin hunger strike in Nablus to protest siege. (MM 7/16, 17; Qol Yisra'el 7/16 in FBIS 7/17)

U.S. State Dept. calls for "restraint" from Israel in its handling of situation at al-Najah University, Nablus. IDF soldiers continue to surround campus, searching all students who leave; students refuse to leave until army withdraws. (WP 7/17)

Faisal Husseini announces Israeli defense establishment proposal to deport wanted men in al-Najah University for 3 years as step to lifting siege; Palestinians are drafting counter-proposal, and have sent a letter to PM Rabin to lift siege and curfew of Nablus. (Qol Yisra'el 7/16 in FBIS 7/17)

PLO representative calls on UN Secy. Gen. Butrus Ghali to provide int'l. protection for Palestinians in o.t., implementation of res. 681 to deal with siege at al-Najah University. (Radio Algiers Network 7/16 in FBIS 7/17)

PM Rabin agrees to meet with Pres. Mubarak in Cairo after U.S. Secy. of State Baker's upcoming visit; meeting would be first such visit since 1986. (WP 7/17)

Palestinian "rejectionist" groups - Hamas and the Palestine National Salvation Front (PFLP-GC, Fateh Uprising, Communist Revolutionary Party, and Sa'iqa) - meet in Damascus to discuss strategy of blocking the peace process and escalating the intifada. (MM 7/16)

King Hussein arrives in Damascus for visit with Pres. Asad. (Syrian Arab Republic Radio 7/16 in FBIS 7/16)

Islamic Resistance attacks Israeli, SLA roadblock in Kafr Huna, S. Lebanon. Israel overflies Arqub region, strengthens positions in al-Qantara, al-Tayyiba with armored vehicles. (Radio Lebanon 7/16 in FBIS 7/17)

Syrian VP 'Abd al-Halim Khaddam says Syria will not withdraw to eastern Lebanon in September, states that Taef accord requires withdrawal within 2 years of constitutional adoption of political reforms. (VOL 7/16 in FBIS 7/16)