In the West Bank, Israeli settlers steal 53 sheep in Tuqu’. Israeli forces shoot and injure a 13-year-old Palestinian girl and uproot streets and other infrastructure during a raid in Jenin....
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April 3, 2024
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February 19, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set a house and a car on fire in Burqa. Israeli settlers also throw stones at a home and damage 10 vehicles in Huwwara. Israeli forces shoot and injure 2...
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February 14, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers bring their cattle to graze on Palestinian farmland in Khirbet al-Farisiyya, destroying crops. Armed Israeli settlers force 4 Palestinian families to leave their...
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February 5, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attack a Palestinian vehicle traveling near Nahalin, causing damage. Israeli settlers also set fire to an agricultural structure in Ya’bad. Israeli forces shoot...
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January 31, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 2 Palestinian children in Susiya in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian man with their rifles south of Hebron. Elsewhere...
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January 30, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli forces dressed as Palestinian civilians and medical staff raid the Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, killing 3 Palestinians receiving treatment at the hospital. Israeli forces...
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January 21, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 2 Palestinians working their land in Ramin. Israeli settlers also raid homes in Milehat. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers kill 3 Palestinian-owned sheep and...
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January 15, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Burin, setting fire to a vehicle and attacking homes. Israeli settlers also seize and occupy dozens of residential caves in Tuqu’, ‘Arab al-Rashayida,...
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January 10, 2024
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man shot by Israeli forces on 1/8 in Beitunia succumbs to his wounds. Israeli settlers set olive trees and an agriculture structure on fire near Kafr ad-Dik....
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January 5, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shot and injured a Palestinian during a raid in Surif. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian child and injure 7 others during a raid in Bayt Rima. Israeli...
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January 4, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault a Palestinian man at his home in Kisan. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man in Tammun during a raid. Israeli forces also continue the raid in...
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December 16, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds in Tuba and vandalized homes in Saddat al-Thaala in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinians...
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December 12, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers stole around 30 cows in ‘Ain al-Hilweh. Israeli settlers also erected a large menorah on Palestinian-owned land in Tal Ma’in in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli...
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December 10, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers stole 6 sheep during a raid in Qusra. Israeli forces shot and injured 6 Palestinians during raids in Askar refugee camp, Surif, Dahariya, and Asira ash-...
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December 7, 2023
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Tulkarm on 11/14. Israeli forces shot and injured 6 Palestinians during raids in Qiffin and al-Khader....
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December 6, 2023
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces during a raid in Tulkarm on 11/7. Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinian vehicles near Bethlehem; no...
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December 5, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian during a raid in Qalandia. Israeli forces also raided Jenin, injuring 7 and uprooting streets. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and...
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November 27, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized around 1,000 olive, almond, and grape trees in al-Khader. Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians during a raid in Ya’bad. Israeli forces...
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November 23, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 12 olive trees in Salfit and vandalized Palestinian property in al-Twana in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces shot and killed 3 Palestinians,...
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November 21, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Yamun and damaged their vehicle. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles in Awarta, causing damage...
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November 16, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinians traveling near Nablus and Tulkarm. Israeli forces shot and killed 3 Palestinians after they shot and killed an Israeli soldier and...
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November 5, 2023
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces earlier this week in al-Eizariya. Israeli settlers set up 5 caravans near Tuqu’. Israeli settlers also threw...
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October 28, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shot and killed a Palestinian man harvesting olives during a raid in al-Zawiya. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Qusra, Kafr ad-...
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October 20, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinians harvesting olives in Yasuf, forcing the Palestinians to flee; no injuries were reported. Israeli settlers also set fire to a home and...
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October 17, 2023
In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed 471 Palestinians in al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. The hospital, which was filled with patients and Palestinians seeking shelter from Israeli bombardment...
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October 16, 2023
In the West Bank, a Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Tulkarm on 10/13. Israeli settlers vandalized 3 water wells, uprooted 70 olive tree saplings, and removed...
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October 15, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and stole an olive harvest near Burqa. Israeli settlers also used pepper spray against 2 Palestinians at the Awarta...
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September 25, 2023
In the West Bank, PA forces arrested Palestinian journalist Taraiq Yousef al-Sarkji in his home in Nablus. In Gaza, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters near the Gaza fence...
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September 12, 2023
In the West Bank, 2 Israeli settlers were injured by broken glass after their vehicle was shot at near Huwwara. Israeli settlers assaulted 1 Palestinian man with stones near Burqa. Israeli forces...
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August 30, 2023
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian man, described as a bystander, was killed during an exchange of fire between Palestinian militants and PA forces in Tulkarm. Palestinian militants threw an...
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers steal 53 sheep in Tuqu’. Israeli forces shoot and injure a 13-year-old Palestinian girl and uproot streets and other infrastructure during a raid in Jenin. Israeli forces also raid Dayr Sharaf, uprooting paved roads and water pipelines. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolish a house under construction in Umm al-Rihan. Israeli forces also seize a concrete pump in ‘Anin. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 30 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Hizma, Husan, al-Arroub refugee camp, Halhul, Dura, Qalqilya, and Nablus. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Dayr al-Balah, and Gaza City, killing at least 59 people. 2 rockets are fired at Israel; no damage is reported. In Kochav Yair, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man, alleging that he rammed and injured 4 Israeli police officers. In the Red Sea, U.S. forces shoot down a missile and 2 drones launched from Yemen. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/3; AJ 4/4; UNOCHA 4/5)
More than 32,975 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,750 children and 8,900 women, and around 75,577 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 446 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 112 children. More than 4,760 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 255 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,549 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 160 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. U.S. and Jordanian forces airdrop 38,000 meals over northern Gaza. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA 4/3; UNOCHA 4/5)
UNOCHA says it has documented more than 700 settler attacks on Palestinians since 10/7/2023, killing 17 Palestinians and injuring more than 400 others. (UNOCHA 4/3)
6 Israeli intelligence officers tell +972 Magazine and Local Call that Israel is using an AI program called Lavender to mark Palestinians and their homes as bombing targets on the basis that they are suspected members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad. According to the sources, 37,000 Palestinians have been marked as suspected militants. The report says that human analysts would spend on average 20 seconds evaluating the targets picked by Lavender, to make sure the target is male, before giving authorization. The reporting also says that a different AI system called Where’s Daddy would track targets to make sure they were at the family residence before an airstrike is conducted and that Israel permits 15-20 civilians to be killed for every junior member of Hamas and Islamic Jihad killed, while it has given authorization for the killing of more than 100 civilians to kill a commander. In November, the 2 news outlets revealed that Israel’s military uses an AI program called Gospel to mark buildings that are then attacked. (+972, AJ, HA 4/3; AJ, REU 4/4)
World Central Kitchen (WCK) founder Jose Andres tells Reuters that the Israeli attack that killed 7 WCK aid workers on 4/1 was systematic and not an accident. Andres says WCK had clear communications with the Israeli military which knew of the aid workers’ movements, saying “[e]ven if we were not in coordination with the [Israeli military], no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians.” (AJ, AX, HA, REU 4/3)
The Lebanese military says it was a landmine that wounded the 4 UNIFIL troops on 3/30. (AJ, NYT 4/3)
Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani says in a news conference that the main issue in the ceasefire negotiations is Israel allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza. (AJ, HA 4/3)
PA prime minister Mohammad Mustafa speaks with Bahraini foreign minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Italian foreign minister Antionio Tajani, and Jordanian prime minister Bisher Khasawneh in phone calls. PA president Mahmoud Abbas speaks with Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune in a phone call. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/3)
Fatah accuses Iran of trying to spread chaos in the West Bank. (REU 4/3)
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz calls for early elections in September. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the call. Israeli energy minister Eli Cohen says “[i]f the United States, our greatest friend which I value tremendously, doesn’t completely back Israel, it has nothing to do in the Middle East.” (AJ, AX, HA, REU 4/3; AJ 4/4)
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says Palestinian statehood should be determined by “direct negotiations” and not at the UN in response to a PA push to have the UN Security Council vote on full UN membership for the State of Palestine. (HA, REU 4/3; AJ, AP 4/4)
At the UN Security council, the U.S., UK, and France oppose a Russian-drafted statement condemning Israel’s attack on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus on 4/1. UN General Assembly president Dennis Francis tweets that he is outraged by the Israeli killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers on 4/1 and expresses deep concern over the risk of an escalation after the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate. (AJ, REU 4/3; AJ 4/4
Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf writes a letter to UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, calling on him to immediately end the sale of arms to Israel. 600 UK legal professionals, including 3 former Supreme Court justices, call on the UK government to suspend arms sales to Israel, saying the UK could be complicit in genocide in Gaza. (AJ, AP 4/3; AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU 4/4)
Polish deputy foreign minister Andrzej Szejna summons the Israeli ambassador, saying he wants “to talk to the ambassador about the new situation in Polish-Israeli relations and about the moral, political, and financial responsibility for the event that recently took place in the Gaza Strip,” referring to the killing of 7 aid workers on 4/1, including a Polish national. Israeli ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne said on 4/2 in response to reports that Israel deliberately killed the aid workers that “anti-Semites will always remain anti-Semites.” In a separate statement, the Polish foreign ministry says Israel does not have “the right to abuse force and illegal settlement” and that Poland recognizes the “right of Palestinians to establish a state.” (AJ, HA, REU 4/3; AJ 4/4; AP 4/5)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set a house and a car on fire in Burqa. Israeli settlers also throw stones at a home and damage 10 vehicles in Huwwara. Israeli forces shoot and injure 2 Palestinians during a raid in Sarra. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian woman in Zeita. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man, while others suffer tear-gas related injuries during a raid in al-Arroub refugee camp. Israeli forces also raze land in Husan. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 25 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and Jericho; a crew of journalists from Palestine TV are detained, cuffed, and blindfolded during the raid in Jericho. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli settlers also fence off a tract of Palestinian-owned land in Silwan. Israeli forces assault a Palestinian man in Silwan, stealing his phone and cash. Israeli forces also deliver a demolition notice for a sports club and a school in Isawiya. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Gaza City, Dayr al-Balah, Nuseirat refugee camp, Maghazi, Beit Lahiya, and al-Bureij refugee camp, killing at least 107 people. Israeli forces also open fire at Palestinians waiting to receive aid in Gaza City, killing 5 people and injuring at least 10.18 patients are evacuated from the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Ghaziyeh, injuring 14 people. Israeli forces also bomb Dhayra. Hezbollah attacks Barkat Risha. In Yemen, the Houthi movement says its forces shot down a U.S. MQ9 drone over Hodeidah. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/19; AJ, AP, AP, UNOCHA 2/20)
More than 29,092 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 69,028 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 393 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 100 children. More than 4,511 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 233 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,373 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 9 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. Israelis block the Nitzana crossing between Israel and Egypt, preventing aid entering Gaza via crossing. The Global Nutrition Cluster finds that 16% of children under the age of 2 in northern Gaza are “acutely malnourished” and that 90% of children under 5 in Gaza are infected by 1 or more infectious diseases.” (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/19; AP, AP 2/20; UNOCHA 2/22)
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says it has received information that Palestinian women and girls have been “arbitrarily executed in Gaza, often together with family members, including their children.” The office also expresses alarm over the arbitrary detention of hundreds of women and girls in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including reports of sexual assault of detainees, including rape. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says the U.S. “strongly encourage[s] Israel to thoroughly and transparently investigate credible allegations and ensure accountability for abuses and violations” in response to the OHCHR’s statement. (AJ 2/19; AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 2/20)
Hamas says Israel has killed 6,000 of its armed forces since 10/7/2023, contradicting Israel’s claim that the number is 12,000. (HA 2/19)
The Institute for the Study of War and the Critical Threats Project say Israeli forces are constructing a road across Gaza, dividing the north and the south. (AJ 2/20)
The ICJ begins hearings in the case of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. 52 countries will present oral and written arguments before the court between 2/19 and 2/26. The case was triggered on 12/30/2022 when a majority of members of the UN General Assembly voted to seek an opinion on the legal consequences of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki, PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, and academics and legal experts address the ICJ judges on the first day of the hearings. Al-Maliki urges the judges to order an end to the Israeli occupation. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel does not recognize the legitimacy of the ICJ proceedings. (HA 2/18; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/19)
At the UN Security Council, the U.S. circulates a draft resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire and calls an invasion of Rafah, under the current circumstances, dangerous to civilians and damaging for regional security. (AJ, HA, HA 2/19; NYT 2/20)
Prime Minister Netanyahu says he will submit legislation to the Knesset to reject “international efforts to force on us a Palestinian state.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tells his Religious Zionism party that he has called on Netanyahu to end the Oslo Accords if “unilateral steps [are] taken against the state of Israel,” including ending all transfers of funds to the PA. (AJ, HA, HA 2/19)
The Knesset fails to expel MK Ofer Cassif, reaching 85 out of 90 required votes. The campaign to expel Cassif follows his support of the South African genocide case against Israel at the ICJ. 11 MKs voted against the expulsion while 24 were absent. (AJ, HA, HA, REU 2/19; NYT 2/20)
The Qatari foreign ministry says Prime Minister Netanyahu is seeking to prolong the war on Gaza by calling on Qatar to pressure Hamas into releasing Israeli captives. (HA 2/18; AJ, HA, REU 2/19; HA 2/20)
EU high commissioner for foreign policy Josep Borrell says 26 of 27 EU members call for an immediate pause in fighting in Gaza. The only country not to support the statement is Hungary. (AJ, HA, REU 2/19)
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recalls the Brazilian ambassador to Israel in response to Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz saying Lula will not be welcome in Israel until he retracts comments comparing Israel’s assault on Gaza to the Holocaust. The presidents of Colombia and Bolivia express support for Lula’s comments. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA 2/19; AJ, HA, NYT 2/20; AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/21)
Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares says that if the EU does not take action against violent Israeli settlers then Spain will proceed with sanctions unilaterally. (AJ, HA, REU 2/19)
A report by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health projects that between 2/7 and 8/6/2024 the excess number of deaths in Gaza could range from 4,200 to 259,680. In the best scenario where a ceasefire is reached and no epidemics occur the mean estimate is 6,550 excess deaths while in the worst scenario where the attacks escalate and epidemics occur the mean estimate of excess deaths is 85,750. However, projections show that the number could be upwards of 259,680. (Gaza-Projections 2/19; NYT 2/21)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers bring their cattle to graze on Palestinian farmland in Khirbet al-Farisiyya, destroying crops. Armed Israeli settlers force 4 Palestinian families to leave their homes in Kisan. Israeli forces shoot 5 Palestinians with live ammunition, killing 1 child and wounding 5, and shoot 8 others with baton rounds during a raid in Beit Umar. Israeli forces also seize building equipment and arrest 4 Palestinians during a raid in Deir Balut. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 18 Palestinians during raids in Jericho, Hebron, Qalqilya, Nablus, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces demolish the home belonging to the prominent Palestinian activist Fakhri Abu Diab in Silwan, displacing 10 people. The U.S. and EU condemn the demolition. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, and Gaza City, killing at least 103 people, including Al Jazeera guest analyst Ayman Rafati and his family in an airstrike on Gaza City. Rockets are fired at Zikim and Ashkelon; no damage is reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attack Nabatieh and as-Sawana, killing 11 civilians, including 6 children. Israeli forces also kill a Hezbollah member in Adashit. A Hezbollah strike on a military base in Safed kills 1 Israeli soldier and injures 8 others. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/14; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/15)
More than 28,576 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 68,291 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 389 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 100 children. More than 4,475 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 230 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,352 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 130 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The WHO says Israel has prevented the organization from entering the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis since 1/29. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 2/14; UNOCHA 2/15)
Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti has been moved to solitary confinement, claiming he was encouraging the outbreak of a third intifada. Hamas has demanded that Barghouti be released as part of a ceasefire deal. (AJ 2/14; AJ 2/15)
Peace Now reports that the Israeli housing ministry has issued tenders for 523 housing units in 10 different settlements in the West Bank since the beginning of 2024. (PCN 2/14)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas issues a statement calling on Hamas to quickly finalize a ceasefire deal to avoid an Israeli invasion of Rafah. The PA requests an extraordinary meeting at the Arab League. (AJ, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA 2/14; HA 2/15)
CIA director Bill Burns meets with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad director David Barnea, discussing ceasefire negotiations. Netanyahu orders the Israeli negotiation team not to return to Cairo for further talks. Netanyahu says Israel will “fight until complete victory and this includes a powerful action also in Rafah after we allow the civilian population to leave the battle zones.” Netanyahu speaks with French president Emmanuel Macron, who warns him against invading Rafah. Foreign Minister Israel Katz tells his German counterpart Anna Baerbock that UNRWA cannot be part of humanitarian assistance efforts in Gaza. Finance Minister Bezalel Smtorich and Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer announce a plan to provide cash payments of $550 a month for 2 years to new immigrants who settle in the West Bank and in border regions in the north and south. Communications Minister Shlomo Karni approves the UAE field hospital in Gaza’s use of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service. (AJ, AX, AX, HA, NYT, REU 2/14; AJ, AX, HA, HA 2/15; AJ, HA 2/16)
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi meet in Cairo, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. (AJ, AP, HA 2/14; HA 2/15)
U.S. president Joe Biden signs an executive order preventing Palestinians from being deported from the U.S. for a period of 18 months. The order also compels the Department of Homeland Security to issue work permits to Palestinians in the U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirms that Israel is blocking flour from entering Gaza. The State Department condemns the demolition of Fakhri Abu Diab’s home in East Jerusalem. (AJ, AP, AX, HA, NYT, REU 2/14)
The U.S. House of Representatives passes a resolution 418-0 condemning Hamas over accusations that Hamas used sexual violence during 10/7/2023. (HA 2/14)
Spain and Ireland call on the European Commission to investigate whether Israel is complying with international law. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 2/14)
The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. State Department is investigating Israeli usage of white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon. (AJ, WAFA 2/15)
The Washington Post reports that the U.S. and several Arab countries will present a long-term plan for establishing a Palestinian state, including Israeli withdrawal from many West Bank settlements, a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem, the rebuilding of Gaza, and international oversight over the Palestinian governance. (NYT, WP 2/14; HA, HA 2/15; HA 2/16)
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology bans the pro-Palestinian student group Coalition Against Apartheid. (AP, HA 2/14)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attack a Palestinian vehicle traveling near Nahalin, causing damage. Israeli settlers also set fire to an agricultural structure in Ya’bad. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian child, claiming he tried to stab soldiers at a checkpoint near al-Eizariya. Israeli forces also demolish a Palestinian home in al-Burj, displacing 7 people. Elsewhere, Israeli forces erect a surveillance tower and place caravans near Beit Umar. Israeli forces also arrest 28 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Silwad, Ramallah, Tulkarm, Hebron, Jenin, Tubas, and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 113 people. Israeli naval forces bomb an UNRWA aid truck. Israeli forces abduct al-Amal Hospital general manager Haider al-Qaddura and administrative director Maher Atallah as 8,000 people are evacuated from the hospital in Khan Yunis, which has been under an Israeli siege for 2 weeks. In Beershaba, Israeli police shoot and kill a Palestinian citizen of Israel after he allegedly tries to grab an Israeli police officer’s weapon. In Lebanon, Hezbollah attacks 2 Israeli military positions in Shebaa Farms and 1 in Yiftah. Israeli forces kill 3 members of the Amal Movement in an airstrike. In Yemen, U.S. forces bomb a drone launch site. (AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/5; UNOCHA, WAFA 2/6)
More than 27,478 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 66,835 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 375 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 95 children. More than 4,415 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, 223 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,300 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. UNOCHA says Palestinians sheltering in and around Khan Yunis and Rafah need 50,000 cold weather tents, 200,000 bedding sets, 200,000 sealing kits, and 200,000 winter clothing kits. 218 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. Jordanian and Dutch forces airdrop aid to the Jordanian Field Hospital in Gaza for the second day in a row. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 2/5; AJ, UNOCHA 2/6)
The Israeli military issues evacuation orders for parts of Gaza City and Rafah. The military also says at least 540 Israeli soldiers have been injured in friendly fire since the ground invasion of Gaza began. (AJ, UNOCHA 2/5)
PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh says Israel has not transferred the PA tax funds to Norway and that the PA has not received any of the money. President Mahmoud Abbas meets with French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne in Ramallah, calling on France to recognize the state of Palestine. Sejourne meets Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz earlier in the day, with Katz thanking Sejourne for suspending UNRWA funding. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA 2/5)
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid says he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would enter the emergency government to provide a safety net in favor of a ceasefire deal to get the remaining captives released. A no confidence motion against the government at the Knesset gets 21 votes in favor, failing to obtain the 61 votes required. (HA 2/5)
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres appoints an independent review group led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colanna to assess UNRWA’s neutrality and Israeli allegations against the agency. UK’s Channel 4 reports, after seeing the 6-page dossier Israel used to accuse 12 UNRWA staffers of taking part in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, that Israel “provides no evidence” to back its claim. Instead, the dossier states that “from intelligence information, documents, and identity cards seized during the course of the fighting, it is now possible to flag around 190 Hamas and PIJ terrorist operatives who serve as UNRWA employees. More than 10 UNRWA staffers took part in the seventh of October.” The New York Times reports that UNRWA will lose $65 million by the end of February due to funding suspensions by Germany, Japan, and Sweden. Spain says it will donate $3.8 million in aid to UNRWA. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/5; NYT 2/6; HA 2/7)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, discussing humanitarian aid to Gaza and regional diplomacy. After the meeting, Blinken says that Saudi Arabia has a strong interest in pursuing normalization with Israel but that it requires “an end to the conflict in Gaza, and a clear, credible, time-bound path to the establishment of a Palestinian state.” Blinken also announces that the U.S. will cancel visas for employees of companies that provide spyware that is used against political activists, human rights defenders, and journalists. (AJ, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU 2/5; AJ, HA, NYT 2/6)
At the UN Security Council, China and Russia criticize the U.S. for its airstrikes on Iraq and Syria on 2/3. (AJ 2/6)
Amnesty International says Israeli killings of Palestinians in the West Bank since 10/7/2023 show “a chilling disregard for Palestinian lives” and “are in blatant violation of international human rights law.” (AI, AJ 2/5)
A man on a motorbike attacks a Palestinian American man driving in Austin, Texas, stabbing and wounding him and pulling a Palestinian flag from the car. (AJ 2/6)
The Japanese company Itochu Corporation’s aviation unit announces it will end its strategic cooperation with the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems, citing the ICJ ruling from January. (AJ, REU, WAFA 2/5)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 2 Palestinian children in Susiya in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian man with their rifles south of Hebron. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers demolish a tent and uproot 20 olive trees in the Fatih Sidra area of Masafer Yatta. Israeli settlers also ram Palestinian-owned sheep in al-Muarajat, killing and injuring several. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers attack Palestinian shepherds in Shaab al-Butum, forcing them to flee. Israeli forces open fire at a Palestinian vehicle before assaulting Palestinians in the car and seizing it in Tuqu’. Israeli forces also demolish a Palestinian home in Tarqumiyah. 15 Palestinians are arrested during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Nablus, Bethlehem, Qalandia refugee camp, and Kharbatha Bani Harith. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Beit Hanun, Jabalia refugee camp, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 150 people. Israeli forces also shoot and kill 12 people at al-Amal Hospital. An Israeli soldier is killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Blida, Hanine, at Tiri, Aitaroun, Naqoura, al-Dhahira, Majdalzon, and Labouneh, killing a person and destroying an ambulance. Hezbollah says it attacked 3 Israeli military sites. In Yemen, U.S. forces bomb a missile launch site. (AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/31; AJ, NYT 1/2)
More than 26,900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 10,600 children and 7,200 women, and around 65,946 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 374 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 94 children. More than 4,387 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, 222 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,293 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. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/31)
The PA calls for the formation of an international field committee to investigate Israeli crimes in Gaza, referring to the 30 bodies that were found in Beit Lahiya on 1/30 who appear to have been killed and dumped in a mass grave while blindfolded and with their hands tied. (WAFA 1/31)
The UN Security Council meets to discuss the ICJ ruling on provisional measures. PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour says a ceasefire is needed to implement the provisional measures instituted by the ICJ on 1/26. UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordination Martin Griffiths calls the relief entering Gaza “grossly inadequate.” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres calls UNRWA the “backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza” and iterates his call for countries that have suspended funding for the agency to reverse their decisions. EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borell calls UNRWA’s role in Gaza “irreplaceable” and critical to preserve. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/31; NYT 1/2)
Israeli Channel 12 reports that Mossad director David Barnea briefed the Israeli cabinet on the ceasefire negotiations held over the weekend. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu writes on X that his “red lines” on an agreement are that Israel will not end the war and will not release “thousands of terrorists,” refering to Palestinian prisoners. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir writes a letter to Netanyahu calling on him to block aid from entering Gaza. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer meets with U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan at the White House. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 1/31)
South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor says Israel is ignoring the ICJ ruling on provisional measures. Pandor also says she asked ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan why he was able to issue an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin but not for Prime Minister Netanyahu. (AP, AP, HA 1/31)
The U.S. House of Representatives passes H.R. 6679, preventing entry to the U.S. of members of the PLO, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad in a 422-2 vote. The bill would need to be approved by both the Senate and the president. PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh calls the bill a “dangerous decision” and demands a response from the Biden administration. The PA presidency condemns and denounces the bill for banning the entry of PLO members. (AA, WAFA, WAFA 2/1; WAFA 2/2)
Haaretz reports that Israeli commanders have instructed soldiers to set fire to Palestinian homes in Gaza and that in the past months hundreds of homes have been destroyed by Israeli soldiers setting fire to them. A photo of a note left behind by Israeli soldiers reads “[w]e are not burning the house so you can enjoy it, and when you leave – you will know what to do.” (HA 1/31)
Haaretz also reports that in the aftermath of 10/7/2023, Zaka community emergency response volunteers staged scenes in Israeli villages that were attacked to attract donations for the organization instead of properly handling bodies of deceased Israelis and spread accounts of atrocities that never happened to garner media attention. The Israeli military decided from 10/7/2023 to let Zaka handle the bodies of the dead instead of using its unit trained in the identification and collection of human remains. (HA 1/31)
Ynet reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu told the UN envoys from Malta, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Slovenia, and Sierra Leone that UNRWA must be replaced during a meeting in Jerusalem. (AJ, AP, REU 1/31)
Axios reports that U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken has instructed the State Department to review and present policy options on U.S. and international recognition of a Palestinian state. A senior U.S. official tells Axios that some people in the Biden administration think that recognition of a Palestinian state should be the first step toward ending the Israeli occupation rather than the last. (AX, REU 1/31)
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the U.S. is looking for an extended pause in fighting in Gaza. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says the U.S. has warned Israel about reducing the size of Gaza. (AJ, HA 1/31)
A federal judge in Oakland, California, dismisses a lawsuit brought by Palestinian Americans seeking to end U.S. support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza on the basis of genocide, saying he would have issued an injunction but is legally not able to do so due to a lack of jurisdiction. The judge, Jeffrey White, instead implores the Biden administration to “examine the results of their unflagging support” of Israel on the basis that “it is plausible that Israel’s conduct amounts to genocide.” (NYT 1/31; AJ, INT, HA 2/1)
The city of Chicago follows a number of other U.S. cities in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Some 70 cities in the U.S., including Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, Detroit, and St. Louis, have passed resolutions on the Israeli attacks on Gaza with most calling for a ceasefire. (AJ, HA, NYT, REU 1/31; AJ, NYT 2/1)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces dressed as Palestinian civilians and medical staff raid the Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, killing 3 Palestinians receiving treatment at the hospital. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian during a raid in Qiffin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raid Nur Shams refugee camp and Tulkarm destroying 2 homes, displacing 12 people, and causing vast destruction to infrastructure. Israeli forces also demolish the Palestinian Equestrian Club in Qalandia. 18 Palestinians are arrested during late-night raids in and around Jenin, Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities force a Palestinian family to demolish their own home in Jabel Mukaber, displacing 5 people. Israeli forces demolish a commercial structure in Silwan. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Dayr al-Balah, Nuseirat refugee camp, Beit Lahiya, Rafah, Gaza City, and Khan Yunis, killing at least 114 people. Israeli forces also detain dozens of Palestinians after raiding a shelter in Shati’ refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raid al-Amal Hospital, killing at least 1 woman and forcing people sheltering there to leave. Palestinians discover 30 bodies in a mass grave at a school in Beit Lahiya. The bodies are handcuffed and blindfolded. UNRWA says its staff and thousands of displaced Palestinians have been forced to leave Khan Yunis due to Israeli attacks. 3 Israeli soldiers are killed in combat. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires rockets at a site in Metula. In the Red Sea, U.S. forces say they shot down a cruise missile fired from Yemen. (REU 1/29; AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/30; AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/31; AJ, UNOCHA 2/1)
More than 26,751 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 10,600 children and 7,200 women, and around 65,636 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 374 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, 222 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,283 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. 134 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/30)
Israel hands over the bodies of 80 Palestinians it has killed in Gaza through the Karem Abu Salem crossing. (AJ, REU, WAFA 1/30; UNOCHA 1/31)
Israel acknowledges it is pumping water into tunnels under Gaza. (AJ, HA, HA, NYT 1/30)
5 Israeli prison guards accused of beating Palestinian prisoner Thaer Abu Asab to death in the Ketziot prison on 11/18/2023 are transferred to a different prison unit while Israel investigates the incident. (HA 1/30)
PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh meets with ambassadors and representatives from European countries in Ramallah, briefing them on the situation in Palestine. President Mahmoud Abbas speaks with Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/30)
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh says Hamas is reviewing the ceasefire proposal formulated by Israeli, Qatar, Egypt, and American officials in Paris over the weekend. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will not agree to a ceasefire deal that includes a large-scale release of Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. (AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT 1/30)
The Knesset House Committee votes to expel Hadash-Ta’al MK Ofer Cassif, referring the impeachment to the Knesset plenum. (AJ, AP 1/30; HA, REU 1/31)
The UN Security Council expresses concern over the “rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.” U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield says the U.S. needs to see “fundamental changes” to UNRWA before it resumes its funding. Thomas-Greenfield also says the U.S. has reached out to Israel for more information about the allegations made by Israel against 12 UNRWA staffers. (AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA 1/30; AJ, NYT, NYT, UNOCHA 1/31)
The heads of UN agencies issue a statement calling on countries that have suspended aid to UNRWA to reverse their decisions. Sweden and New Zealand join the list of countries that have suspended funding of UNRWA. After suspending funding for UNRWA on 1/26, Canada announces a $28.8 million contribution to the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization, earmarked for Gaza. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/30; WAFA 1/31)
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says Israel has a right to “bring terrorists to justice” in response to questions about the Israeli raid at the Ibn Sina Hospital. The Red Cross says the Israeli killing of the 3 people contravenes international law. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Washington D.C., discussing a “just and durable solution for the Palestinian cause,” according to a Qatari statement. (AJ 1/30; AJ 1/31)
U.S. senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) issues a statement calling on the Biden administration to restore funding of UNRWA. (AJ 1/30)
Kataib Hezbollah announces a suspension of hostilities against U.S. forces, saying it does not want to “embarrass” the Iraqi government. (REU 1/30; AJ 1/31; REU 2/1)
Times of Israel reports that Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli lawmakers that Israel should be able to operate in Gaza the same way it operates in the West Bank after the war, using the Israeli raid on the Ibn Sina Hospital as an example. (AJ 1/30)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 2 Palestinians working their land in Ramin. Israeli settlers also raid homes in Milehat. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers kill 3 Palestinian-owned sheep and wound 4 others near Susiya in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces punitively demolish 2 homes in Hebron belonging to families of 2 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces on 11/16/2023. Israeli forces also assault 2 Palestinians in Ya’bad. Israeli forces arrest 15 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities force a Palestinian family to demolish their own home in az-Za’ayyem, displacing 5. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, al-Shati refugee camp, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, and Dayr al-Balah, killing at least 178 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Kafra and Markaba, killing a civilian and a Hezbollah member and wounding several others. Lebanese security officials say the attack targeted a Hezbollah commander who was unharmed. Hezbollah fires rockets at a home in Avivim and at the Biranit military base, causing damage. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/21)
More than 25,105 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 10,600 children and 7,200 women, and around 62,681 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 362 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 91 children. More than 4,310 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, 193 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,203 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 69,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 66 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 1/21)
Hamas issues a report titled “Our Narrative” explaining Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, calling it a “natural response” to the Israeli attempts to kill the Palestinian cause. Among the reasons given for the attack are the Israeli settlement campaign, the Judaization of the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians since 2000. Hamas rejects claims that it deliberately targeted civilians, pointing to reports in Israeli media that Israeli forces targeted cars and homes in Israel on 10/7, but acknowledges that some civilians may have been killed by Hamas militants by accident during its confrontation with Israeli forces. Hamas also calls on the ICC to immediately investigate “all crimes in occupied Palestine.” Lastly, Hamas says its conflict is with Israel, not with Jewry. (AJ, AJ, HA 1/21)
PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki meets with South African minister of international relations and cooperation Naledi Pandor in Kampala, Uganda, discussing the South African case against Israel at the ICJ. Al-Maliki also meets with his Tunisian, Colombian, and Brazilian counterparts. PA UN ambassador Riyad Mansour meets UN General Assembly president Dennis Francis on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kampala. (WAFA, WAFA 1/21; WAFA, WAFA 1/22)
The PA Foreign Ministry issues a statement urging the U.S. and EU countries to recognize the State of Palestine to counter Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s repeated rejection of a 2-state solution. (WAFA 1/22)
The Israeli security cabinet approves the transfer of the PA’s tax revenue to Norway. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is the only member of the cabinet to oppose the decision. PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh says the PA maintains that any deductions from the full amount of the tax revenue will be rejected and calls on the international community to force Israel to stop stealing the Palestinian people’s money. (AJ, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 1/21)
Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects a Hamas proposal to end the Israeli attacks. Hamas’s proposal would have seen at least 100 captives released in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and recognition of Hamas’s governance of Gaza. Netanyahu says, “I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas.” (HA 1/21; AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU, REU 1/22)
The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. intelligence agencies estimate that Hamas has lost 20-30% of its militants and still has weaponry to continue attacking Israeli forces for months. (AJ, HA 1/21; HA 1/22)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Burin, setting fire to a vehicle and attacking homes. Israeli settlers also seize and occupy dozens of residential caves in Tuqu’, ‘Arab al-Rashayida, Kaysan, Za’atra, and Bayt Ta’mar. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling in Huwwara. Israeli settlers posing as soldiers also attack a school in Khallet al-Maiya. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers throw stones at a house in Turmus ‘Ayya and attempt to set fire to it, causing damage to the house, a solar panel, and several vehicles. Israeli forces fatally shoot 2 Palestinians and injure 9 others during a raid in Dura; a video shows that Israeli forces used a Palestinian man they took from his phone shop as a human shield. A video circulating on social media also shows 2 Israeli soldiers kicking a man lying on the ground during the raid. Israeli forces also fatally shoot a member of the PA security forces during a raid in Nur Shams refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man and demolish 2 homes and a barbershop, displacing 12 people during a raid in Qalqilya. Israeli forces also shoot and injure 8 Palestinians, including 2 children, at a checkpoint in Qalandia and in Bayt Liqya, Qiffin, and Nablus. Meanwhile, Israeli forces assault 2 Palestinians during raids in Dheisheh refugee camp and Beita. Israeli forces also demolish a greenhouse in al-Jalama. Israeli forces arrest 48 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bayt Awa, Dura, Bayt Rima, Jalazone refugee camp, Beitin, Zababdeh, and Nablus, including 25 students at an-Najah University in Nablus. In Ra’anana, Israeli police arrest 2 Palestinians from Hebron, saying they rammed and stabbed 13 Israelis, killing 1 of them. Israeli forces subsequently raid the family homes of the 2 Palestinians in Bani Na’im and Bayt ‘Amr, taking measurements for punitive demolitions; tear-gas related injuries are reported in both places as Palestinians resist the raids. In Gaza, telecommunications services are down for the fourth day in a row. Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Gaza City, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Maghazi, killing at least 132 people. An Israeli soldier is killed in combat. Rockets are fired at Israel; no damage is reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces conduct airstrikes on Maroun al-Ras. Rockets are fired at Israel; no damage is reported. In the Red Sea, Houthi forces attack a U.S.-owned container ship, causing damage. In Iraq and Syria, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps attack what it calls a Mossad espionage headquarters near Erbil with ballistic missiles, killing 4 and injuring 6 others and alleged ISIS perpetrators of terrorist operations in Iran in eastern Syria. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, 1/15; AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA 1/16; HA 1/18)
More than 24,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 16,870 women and children, and around 60,834 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 348 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 87 children. More than 4,197 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, 186 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,113 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 69,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 108 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/15)
Hamas releases a video of the bodies of 2 Israeli captives it says have been killed in an Israeli airstrike. In another video a captive says she was injured in an Israeli airstrike. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU 1/15)
Israel’s military says it has withdrawn an army division from Gaza, leaving 3 combat divisions in the area. The military also transfers the Duvdevan unit from Gaza to the West Bank as Israeli military officials say the West Bank is “on the brink of an implosion.” (AJ, HA, HA 1/15)
The Knesset approves the extension of an emergency regulation allowing Israel to deny Palestinian prisoners meetings with their lawyers for up to 180 days and approves the first reading of an extension of the temporary order which allows poorer conditions for prisoners. The Israeli cabinet approves the 2024 budget, slashing funds earmarked for the development of Palestinian communities in Israel by 15% and allocating $80 million to the Settlements and National Missions Ministry. 5 members of Benny Gantz’s National Unity party vote against the budget. (AJ, HA, REU 1/15; AJ, AJ, HA, HA 1/16)
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid claims Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are not speaking to each other. Gallant reportedly stormed out of a cabinet meeting this weekend after 1 of his aides was refused entry. (AJ, HA 1/15)
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man shot by Israeli forces on 1/8 in Beitunia succumbs to his wounds. Israeli settlers set olive trees and an agriculture structure on fire near Kafr ad-Dik. Israeli forces raid Nablus and Abud, injuring 8 people with live ammunition, including a child, and cause widespread destruction in Nablus. Israeli forces also demolish a car wash and a nursery in Kafl Haris. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raze 6 dunams (1.5 acres) of Palestinian-owned land planted with 50 olive trees in Hebron and 2 dunams (.5 acres) of Palestinian-owned land near Bethlehem. Israeli forces also raid a medical clinic near Bethlehem, causing damage. Israeli forces arrest 26 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Ramallah, Tulkarm, Tubas, Hebron, Jenin, and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities demolish a Palestinian home in Sur Baher, displacing 8 people. In Gaza, Israel bombs Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Maghazi, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least 147 people, including 4 crew members and 2 injured Palestinians being transported an ambulance, killing 40 people in a home at the entrance of al-Aqsa Hospital in Dayr al-Balah, and 15 people in an apartment building in Rafah. In the Naqab, Israeli forces demolish the al-Za’arura and Bir Hadaj Bedouin villages. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attack the home of a Hezbollah member in Kfarchouba, killing him. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/10; AJ 1/11)
More than 23,357 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 16,350 women and children, and around 59,410 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 335 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 84 children. More than 4,148 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 184 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,076 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 69,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 193 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (WAFA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/10)
Israel places Khalida Jarrar in administrative detention for an initial period of 6 months. (AJ 1/10)
Haaretz reports that Israel demolished 140 Palestinian homes and 84 other structures in East Jerusalem in 2023, marking a 60% increase in home demolitions compared to 2022. The newspaper notes that during the first 9 months of 2023 10 housing units were demolished per month and after 10/7 the figure rose to 17 a month. (HA 1/10)
Hamas official Osama Hamdan says there are no talks about a prisoner exchange, adding Israel is defrauding the Israeli public by circulating reports about talks. Hamdan maintains the Hamas position that it will not engage until Israel stops its attacks on Gaza. Hamdan also calls on the ICJ not to be pressured by the U.S. (AJ, HA, NYT 1/10)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken in Ramallah, discussing the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. Reports describe the meeting as intense, with Abbas pressing Blinken on Israel’s freezing of the PA’s tax revenue and Israel’s attacks on Gaza. Palestinians protest Blinken’s visit, saying he is not welcome. Blinken later tells the press in Bahrain that Abbas agreed to reform the PA in preparation to take control of Gaza. Abbas flies to Aqaba in Jordan after the meeting with Blinken where he meets Jordanian king Abdullah II and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, discussing ways to end Israel’s war in Gaza and prevent the displacement of Palestinians. PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh meets with U.S. deputy assistant secretary for Palestinian affairs Hady Amr in Ramallah. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/10; AJ, AJ, HA, NYT 1/11)
In an English language post on X Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, “Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population,” contradicting statements by several of his coalition members. Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz says Hamas no longer has ruling capabilities in Gaza and that Israel will continue its war to prevent Hamas from regaining control. Gantz also says that security in Gaza will remain “in our hands.” Likud member and deputy speaker of the Knesset Nissim Vatur tells the Kol Barama radio station that “Gaza and its people must be burned.” (AJ, AP, HA, HA 1/10)
Colombia and Brazil issue statements in support of the South African case against Israel at the ICJ. Palestinians rally in Ramallah in support of the case. (AJ 1/10; AJ 1/11)
The UN Security Council passes a resolution demanding that Yemen’s Houthi government ends its attacks on ships in the Red Sea and frees the ship Galaxy Leader and its crew. Russia, China, Mozambique, and Algeria abstain. 3 Russian amendments to the resolution fail. The Houthis call the resolution a “political game.” (AJ, AP, AP, HA 1/10; AJ, AJ, HA 1/11)
The ICC sets up a portal for submission of evidence of Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, or aggression. (AJ, WAFA 1/10)
The Chinese Foreign Ministry calls for an immediate ceasefire and for Israel to stop “collective punishment” of the people of Gaza. (AJ 1/10)
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis suggests at a presidential primary debate that Egypt or Saudi Arabia should resettle some Palestinians from Gaza if Israel “makes the calculation that [it is needed] to avert a second Holocaust.” Another candidate, Nikki Haley, says the U.S. should give Israel “whatever it wants.” (AJ, HA 1/11)
A poll conducted for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy finds that 96% of Saudis believe all Arab states should sever all ties with Israel. A YouGov poll commissioned by Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Council for Arab-British Understanding shows that 71% of people in the UK support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, while 17% approve of the UK government’s handling of the war on Gaza. (AJ 1/10)
The Jewish Forward reports that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has started including pro-Palestine rallies in its tally of anti-Semitic incidents. The report also says that the ADL now deems all anti-Zionist chants and slogans anti-Semitic, leading to pro-Palestine rallies where anti-Zionist slogan were chanted constituting 40% of incidents of anti-Semitism counted in a recent ADL report. (AJ, HA 1/10)
The International Ice Hockey Federation bars Israel from participating in world championship events, citing security concerns. Israel calls the ban “anti-Semitic.” The decision prevents the U20 Israeli hockey team from participating in a Division III world championship tournament later this month. (HA, TOI 1/11)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shot and injured a Palestinian during a raid in Surif. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian child and injure 7 others during a raid in Bayt Rima. Israeli forces also shoot and injure 2 Palestinians with live ammunition during a raid in Balata refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a 12-year-old boy during a raid in Ya’bad. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian at a checkpoint near Nablus. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Nuseirat refugee camp, and al-Bureij refugee camp, killing at least 162 people and attacking the Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s headquarters in Khan Yunis for the fourth day in a row. Israeli forces also withdraw from the Gaza City neighborhoods of Daraj and Tuffah after spending 10 days demolishing homes and cemeteries. Israel says it attacked more than 100 targets in Gaza overnight. Rockets fired from Gaza cause damage in Sderot. In Lebanon, 8 rockets are fired at Kiryat Shimona, no damage was reported. Rockets fired from Lebanon also target 2 Israeli military bases. Israeli forces attack Aita al-Shaab and Majdal Zoun. (AJ, AP, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/5)
More than 22,600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 57,910 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 319 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 81 children. More than 3,949 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, 173 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,020 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. 80 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. France and Jordan jointly airdrop aid to Gaza from 2 C-130 transport planes. UNRWA appeals for more basic supplies, saying it does not have diapers for babies being sheltered in its facilities. (AJ, AP, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/5)
UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths says in a statement that people in Gaza “are facing the highest level of food insecurity ever recorded” and that Gaza has “become a place of death and despair.” (AJ, AP, UNOCHA 1/5; HA, WAFA 1/6)
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh issues a video message to U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken, saying he hopes the U.S. has learned lessons from its mistakes in the past 3 months and will working toward ending the occupation. Blinken arrives in Turkey, the first stop on his Middle East visit where according to the State Department he will work toward the protection of civilians in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, freeing more captives, getting more aid into Gaza, ensuring Palestinians in Gaza are not forcibly displaced, deter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, reduce tensions at the Blue Line, and takes steps toward creating a Palestinian state. (AJ, HA 1/5)
PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki speaks with UK foreign secretary David Cameron. According to a PA statement, Cameron condemns comments made by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir in favor of the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza. Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf calls Smotrich and Ben-Gvir’s statements “the textbook definition of ethnic cleansing.” (AJ, HA, WAFA 1/5; AJ, HA 1/6)
Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah gives a speech warning that if Hezbollah does not respond to the assassination of Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut then all of Lebanon will be exposed to Israeli attacks. Nasrallah says Hezbollah has attacked Israel 670 times since 10/8. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT 1/5)
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reports that the PA is working with South Africa on the genocide case against Israel at the ICJ in which hearings will begin next week. (AJ 1/5)
Rwanda, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of Congo deny reports by the Israeli publication Zman Yisrael that they have discussed receiving Palestinians from Gaza. (AJ 1/5; AJ 1/6)
Family members of 6 Israelis held captive in Gaza meet with Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, discussing the lack of progress in negotiating their release. According to Axios, Al Thani tells the families that Israel’s assassination of Saleh al-Arouri has made the negotiations harder. Al Thani also speaks with Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati, discussing Israel’s effort to drag Lebanon into war with Israel. (AJ 1/5; AX 1/6)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault a Palestinian man at his home in Kisan. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man in Tammun during a raid. Israeli forces also continue the raid in Nur Shams refugee camp for the second day in a row. The raid ends after 40 hours with 13 Palestinians suffering from broken bones during Israeli interrogations, 400 Palestinians detained, and vast destruction caused by bulldozers and drone-fired missiles on its second day; 3 Israeli soldiers are reportedly injured during the raid. Elsewhere, Israeli forces begin constructing settler roads in the Masafer Yatta area near Umm al-Khair. Israeli forces also arrest a child and confiscate 60 sheep he is herding. Israeli forces arrest 27 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Salfit, Qalqilya, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, and Ramallah. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Maghazi, Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 125 people, including at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s headquarters in Khan Yunis for the third day in a row. Palestinians in Maghazi report that Israeli forces massacre Palestinian civilians with snipers and bulldozers. Jabalia refugee camp floods after heavy rain, leading to sewage mixing with the standing water. An anti-aircraft missile fired at an Israeli helicopter hits a clinic in Kibbutz Nirim. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli soldiers near al-Marj and Israeli forces target Hezbollah in Maroun al-Ras. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/4; AJ 1/5; AJ 1/6)
More than 22,438 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. 318 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 80 children. More than 3,949 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, 173 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,003 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. 177 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/4)
Israel’s military publishes on Facebook that it has closed the evacuation corridor on Salah al-Din Street and opened a new corridor on al-Rashid Street. Movement is only allowed from north to south between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (AJ, UNOCHA 1/4)
The Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority names 51 Palestinian women and children who had been abducted by Israeli forces in Gaza and taken to the Damon Prison. (AJ, WAFA 1/4)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant releases a framework for post-war Gaza in which a Palestinian entity that is not hostile to Israel and is not Hamas nor the PA is in control of Gaza, Israeli settlers do not return to Gaza, but the Israeli military will be able to operate in Gaza and oversee the borders. Gallant also says an international coalition will be responsible for rebuilding Gaza. The PA rejects Gallant’s framework. Gallant also meets with U.S. deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser for energy and investment Amos Hochstein, saying the window for diplomacy with Lebanon is closing. Hochstein also meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who tells him that Israel is seeking “a fundamental change on its border with Lebanon.” Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz says Israel will return its ambassador to Spain. (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, REU 1/4; AJ, HA, NYT, WAFA 1/5)
Lebanon files a complaint with the UN Security Council over the Israeli assassination of Saleh al-Arouri and over Israel’s usage of Lebanese airspace to attack Syria. (AJ, HA 1/5)
Jordan says it backs South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ. (AJ 1/9)
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, France, Japan, Germany, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Qatar condemn statements made by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir calling for the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the resettling of Gaza by Israeli settlers. UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk says he is “very disturbed” by the statements. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 1/4; AJ, WAFA, WAFA 1/5)
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the U.S. has “not seen anything that would convince us that we need to take a different approach in terms of trying to help Israel defend itself.” Kirby also says that Israel should release the PA tax revenue to the PA, saying it is “Palestinian money,” and defends UNRWA from attacks by Israel and U.S. Republicans, saying “UNRWA does important work.” (AJ, HA 1/4; HA 1/5)
U.S. forces conduct an airstrike in Baghdad, killing Popular Mobilisation Forces commander Hajj Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi. Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemns the attack, calling it a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and later on 1/5 says the government will start the process of removing the U.S.-led coalition from Iraq. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 1/4; AJ, AP, REU 1/5)
Israel chooses British lawyer Malcom Shaw to represent the country at the upcoming genocide hearings at the ICJ. Axios reports that Israel’s Foreign Ministry has sends out a cable to its embassies instructing its diplomats to pressure countries into issuing statements against South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ. (HA, HA 1/4; AX 1/5)
A political appointee at the U.S. Department of Education, Tariq Habash, resigns over U.S. support for Israel’s attacks on Gaza, saying he will not be quietly complicit. Habash was the political advisor in the department’s Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development. (HA, NYT 1/4)
Peace Now issues a report saying settlement activity in the West Bank has surged at unprecedented levels since 10/7. The report says Israeli settlers have created 9 new settlement outposts, made 18 paved roads, returned to the Amona outpost, closed roads for Palestinian vehicles, and built fences outside settlements. (PCN, PCN 1/4; NYT, WAFA 1/5)
The Intercept reports that all CNN stories related to Israel and Palestine are being reviewed at the CNN Jerusalem bureau before publication, where the stories are subject to the Israeli military’s censor. The Intercept also says CNN has issued directives to its journalists on language to avoid, directed them not to relay statements from Hamas, and has hired a former Israeli soldier from the Military Spokesperson Unit to serve as a reporter. (INT 1/4)
Former U.S. vice president Mike Pence tours northern Israel, writing a message on a bomb intended to be dropped on Lebanon. (HA 1/5; HA 1/6; HA 1/7)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds in Tuba and vandalized homes in Saddat al-Thaala in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinians harvesting olives in Kafr Thulth, injuring 2. Israeli forces shot and killed 4 Palestinians, including a child, during raids in Huwwara, Deir Ammar, Deir al-Ghusun, and Beit Umar; 2 were injured during the raid in Deir Ammar. Israeli forces also demolished a home under construction and seized an excavator in Farkha. 16 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Nablus, Bethlehem, Jericho, Tulkarm, Ramallah, and Hebron. In Gaza, telecommunications remained cut off for the third day in a row, obfuscating reporting on casualty numbers. Israeli forces bombed Jabalia refugee camp, Khan Yunis, Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, and Gaza City, killing at least 100 Palestinians. Israeli forces also used bulldozers to demolish tents Palestinians were sheltering in outside of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, crushing and burying around 20 Palestinians. Israeli forces also shot and killed 2 Palestinian women sheltering in the Holy Family Church in Gaza City. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat. Near the Blue Line, 1 Israeli soldier was killed and 4 were injured near Margaliot. In the Red Sea, the U.S. said it shot down 14 drones launched from Yemen. (AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/16; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA 12/17; HA, NYT 12/18)
More than 19,088 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 7,729 children and 5,153 women, and around 54,000 had been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 284 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 72 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. 119 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 648 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. 121 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. (AJ, UNOCHA, WAFA 12/16)
Qatar said there were renewed talks on a ceasefire as Mossad director David Barnea met with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Oslo. Hamas has said it will not negotiate while Gaza is being bombarded. (AX 12/15; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU 12/16; HA, REU 12/17)
PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh told Reuters that all Palestinian factions must discuss the formation of a “single Palestinian government governing the Palestinian homeland.” (AJ, HA, REU 12/17)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference that he was “proud that I prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state.” (NYT, WAFA 12/17)
USAID said one of its Palestinian contractors was killed along with his family in an Israeli airstrike on 11/5. (REU 12/16; AJ 12/17)
Yemen said it had in engaged with Omani-mediated talks over its operations in the Red Sea. (AJ, HA 12/16)
Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah died at the age of 86. Al Sabah was succeeded by his half-brother Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad AL Jaber. (AP, REU, WAFA 12/16; REU, WAFA, WAFA 12/17)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers stole around 30 cows in ‘Ain al-Hilweh. Israeli settlers also erected a large menorah on Palestinian-owned land in Tal Ma’in in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces raided Jenin for the majority of the day and into 12/13, killing 6 Palestinians, including 4 in a drone strike, and arresting at least 100; 1 ill Palestinian child died in an ambulance that was unable to reach a hospital that was under Israeli siege. Israeli forces also shot and injured 3 Palestinians, including a child, during raids in Ni’lin and Kobar. Israeli forces also demolished 2 agricultural structures in ‘Anata. In addition to the 100 people detained and arrested in Jenin, 50 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and Tubas. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed Khan Yunis, Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Nuseirat refugee camp, and Gaza City, killing at least 217 Palestinians and injuring 455. Israeli forces raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital, arresting 71 medical staffers and bombed an UNRWA school in Beit Hanun; there were reports that medical staff had been shot and killed in the hospital. 10 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat, including 9 in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood of Gaza City. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attacked a site they claimed was used by Hezbollah. Hezbollah said it attacked 2 Israeli military positions. In Syria, Israeli forces attacked several places, saying 3 missiles were fired at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In the Red Sea, Israel deployed 4 warships. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/12; AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU 12/13; NYT 12/14)
More than 18,412 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 7,729 children and 5,153 women, and around 50,100 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 274 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 70 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. 107 trucks carrying aid, including fuel, entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Israel said it had inspected aid trucks at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing and the trucks sent to the Rafah crossing in Egypt before entering Gaza. An injured Palestinian and 399 dual nationals were evacuated to Egypt. Israel said it found the bodies of 2 Israeli captives in Gaza, including a soldier and a civilian. The Gaza Ministry of Health said it has document 360,000 cases of infectious diseases in shelters. The WHO said it has recorded cases of meningitis, jaundice, impetigo, chickenpox, and upper respiratory infections. (AJ, AJ, AX, NYT, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 12/12)
The Israeli military released data showing at least 20 out of 115 soldiers killed in Gaza have been killed in friendly fire and in accidents, including 13 that were mistaken for Palestinians. Israel said it believed that 19 of the remaining 135 Hamas-held captives were dead (AJ, HA, HA, YNET 12/12; HA 12/13)
Hamas called on the PA to end its security coordination with Israel, saying Israel does not want a political settlement but to consolidate the occupation. (AJ 12/12)
The UN General Assembly adopted an Egyptian-drafted resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all captives with 153 votes in favor, 10 against, and 23 abstentions. Austria, Czechia, Guatemala, Israel, Liberia, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and the U.S. voted against the non-binding resolution. Amendments put forward by the U.S. and Austria failed to reach the 2/3 threshold with 84 voting in favor of the U.S. amendment and 89 voting in favor of the Austrian amendment. Hamas welcomed the resolution. U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. opposed the “one-sided” resolution because it did not condemn Hamas (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU 12/12; AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA 12/13)
U.S. president Joe Biden gave a speech at a campaign reception, reiterating narratives that have proven to be false, including that Hamas militants beheaded babies on 10/7 and calling Hamas animals. Biden also said Israel has to strengthen the PA and said Israel was “starting to lose that support [from the EU] by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place” in Gaza. He further complained about Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition partners, naming National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Lastly, he said “I believe, without Israel as a freestanding state, not a Jew in the world is safe,” despite more than a quarter of the world’s Jewry living in the U.S. In response to Biden’s speech, PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh said the U.S. should call for an immediate ceasefire and put forward a comprehensive peace plan. Israeli minister of communications Shlomo Karhi said in response to Biden’s call for a 2-state solution that Israel would not accept a Palestinian state. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU WAFA, White House 12/12; AJ, HA 12/13)
Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement that “Gaza will be neither a Hamas-stan nor Fatah-stan.” Netanyahu also told the Israeli Public Broadcasting Cooperation that the Gaza “Strip will be under Israeli military control. After the war, a civilian administration will operate in Gaza and the Strip will be rehabilitated under the leadership of the Gulf states. We will not give in to international pressure.” He added he will not “let Israel repeat the mistake of Oslo.” (AJ, HA 12/12; NYT 12/13)
Haaretz reported that the Israeli military’s Influencing Department was operating a Telegram channel called 72 Virgins – Uncensored where Israelis share footage and videos of Israelis attacking Palestinians and of dead Palestinians. The channel had 5,300 followers. (AJ, HA, HA 12/12)
The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had begun pumping seawater into the tunnel system under Gaza, citing multiple U.S. officials. (AJ, HA 12/12; HA 12/13)
The World Bank said it expected the Palestinian economy to contract by 3.7% in 2023 and 6% in 2024 due to the impact of the Israeli war on Gaza. The World Bank had expected the economy to grow by 3% in 2024. (AJ 12/12)
The lower house of the Swiss parliament moved to cut the government’s aid to UNRWA. The decision was overturned by the upper house on 12/14 (AJ, HA 12/12; REU 12/13)
German sports brand Puma announced it was ending its sponsorship of the Israeli national soccer team in 2024, saying the move was decided last year and was unrelated to the war on Gaza. BDS activists have targeted Puma for its sponsorship of Israel’s national team since it was announced in 2018. (AJ, WAFA 12/12)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers stole 6 sheep during a raid in Qusra. Israeli forces shot and injured 6 Palestinians during raids in Askar refugee camp, Surif, Dahariya, and Asira ash-Sharmaliya. 28 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Tubas, Dahariya, Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Qalandia. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed az-Zawayda, Rafah, Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, and central Gaza, killing more than 297 Palestinians. Israeli forces also opened fire at a Gaza Ministry of Health warehouse, injuring 3 people. 3 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes destroyed 5 homes and damaged others in Aitaroun and attacked areas near Yaroun, Rmeish, and Aita al-Shaab. Hezbollah said it had wounded several Israeli soldiers in attacks on Israel. In Syria, Israeli forces attacked areas around Damascus, causing damage. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/10; AP, HA, NYT, NYT, UNOCHA 12/11)
More than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 7,729 children and 5,153 women, and around 49,300 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 267 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 69 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. 101 Israeli soldiers have been killed 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. Around 100 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. 25 injured Palestinians and 468 dual nationals were evacuated to Egypt. (AJ, HA, HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 12/10)
The Israeli military said 1,593 Israeli soldiers have been wounded since 10/7, including 255 who were in serious condition and 446 who were moderately injured. Of these, 559 were said to have been injured in Gaza. 425 soldiers have been killed since 10/7, including 97 since the ground invasion began. Haaretz said a comparison of numbers between hospital reports and the military reporting showed a significant gap, indicating that the military was underreporting the number of injuries. (HA 12/10)
The Palestinian Prisoners Society said Israel has abducted 142 Palestinian women and children and taken them to prisons in Israel. (AJ, WAFA 12/10)
The Israeli socioeconomic cabinet voted unanimously against lifting the ban on entry for Palestinian workers from the West Bank into Israel. The security cabinet later postponed voting on the recommendation after it became clear that most ministers would vote against allowing Palestinian workers to enter Israel again. Israel is having a labor shortage after expelling all Palestinian workers from Gaza and the West Bank and is expecting thousands of workers from India and Nepal to arrive within 2 weeks. (HA 12/10; HA, HA 12/11)
PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told the Doha Forum that the PA’s “main concern is not the day after. It is today. We want the stop of atrocities and genocide that is happening today,” and called for sanctions on Israel. Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said Israel is trying to “empty Gaza of Palestinians” calling its campaign “genocide.” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the UN Security Council was paralyzed due to geopolitical divisions and said he would not give up on a ceasefire. Shtayyeh also met with Algerian foreign minister Ahmed Attaf and Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on the sidelines of the Doha Forum. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/10)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin. In an Israeli readout of the conversation, Netanyahu was said to have expressed displeasure with the Russian stance against Israel at the UN. The Russian readout said the main focus of the conversation was the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.” Later during a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu thanked the U.S. for providing “important ammunition” for Israel to continue attacking Gaza and for the U.S. veto at the UN Security Council on 12/8. A spokesperson for Netanyahu said that Israel is not seeking to force the Palestinian population to flee Gaza. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 12/10; HA 12/11)
Egypt and Mauritania invoked UN Resolution 377, prompting UN General Assembly president Dennis Francis to convene a special session of the General Assembly on 12/13. Resolution 377, adopted in 1950, allows the General Assembly to act if the UN Security Council fails to “exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.” (AJ 12/10; AP, REU 12/11)
The WHO executive board approved a resolution calling for the “immediate, sustained, and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief, including the access of medical personnel” to Gaza. (WAFA, WAFA 12/10; AJ 12/11)
UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said dehumanization of Palestinians allowed the international community to accept the continued Israeli attacks in Gaza. (REU 12/10)
The New York Times reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu had encouraged Qatari payments to Gaza to keep Hamas as a strong counterweight to the PA as this would lessen pressure on Israel to negotiate a 2-state solution. (NYT 12/10)
The Israeli Finance Ministry said the Israeli budget deficit rose by $4.5 billion in November, citing expenses due to Israel’s war on Gaza. (REU 12/10)
Moroccan protesters in Rabat called on the Moroccan government to cut ties with Israel. (REU 11/10)
Reuters reported that Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bodanov had spoken to officials from Hamas and other Palestinian factions, saying they should release the remaining captives. (REU 12/11)
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Tulkarm on 11/14. Israeli forces shot and injured 6 Palestinians during raids in Qiffin and al-Khader. Israeli forces also assaulted a Palestinian man in Huwwara. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided a printing shop in Ramallah, sealing the shop, and closed and sealed the offices of an orphanage in Beit Umar, seizing files and computers. Israeli forces also issued notices that it will seize 501 dunams of land in Jaba’a and 12 dunams in Wadi Rahal. 44 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Far’un, Qusin, Dheisheh refugee camp, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police dispersed a march by Israeli extremists who called for full Israeli control over the Haram al-Sharif compound. The march was dispersed after marchers violated the agreement with Israeli police. 6 Palestinians were arrested in Sur Baher and at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, and Rafah, killing around 350 people. Israeli airstrikes also destroyed the 13th century Othman bin Qashqar Mosque in Gaza City and put al-Awda Hospital under siege, opening fire at the hospital. Hamas said it had destroyed 135 military vehicles in the past 72 hours. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed, including the son of Israeli war cabinet member Gadi Eizenkot. In Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike on Majdal Zoun injured several people. Islamic Jihad said 2 of its members were killed by Israel near the Blue Line. 1 Israeli was killed and 2 Israeli soldiers were lightly injured by an anti-tank missile in Matat and near Shtula. Israel said it attacked Syria after 2 missiles were launched toward Israel. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/7; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU, REU 12/8)
More than 17,177 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 7,729 children and 5,153 women, and around 46,000 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 258 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 67 children. More than 3,325 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. 93 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.9 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. The Jordanian military air dropped medical supplies at its field hospital in Gaza. 69 trucks carrying aid, including 13 gallons of fuel, entered Gaza. Rafah remained the only place where aid was delivered to, except for the delivery of medical supplies to 2 hospitals in Khan Yunis. 121 wounded Palestinians and 491 foreign nationals were evacuated to Egypt. (AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 12/7; AJ, HA 12/8)
Israeli videos of dozens of Palestinian men being stripped to their underwear, forced to sit on the ground, and taken by Israeli forces to a large hole dug in the ground circulated in Israeli media and on social media. What happened to the men, who were taken from UN schools in Beit Lahiya, remained unknown as some of them were identified as civilians, including journalists, doctors, and academics. Hamas condemned the Israeli action, calling it revenge for Israel’s failed invasion and calling on human rights organizations to intervene. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed identified one of the Palestinians as their journalist Diaa Kahlout and said several of his family members were among the detainees. (AJ, AP 12/7; AJ, NYT, REU 12/8)
Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered the Israel Prison Service to move members of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades to an underground wing of the Nitzan Prison. The underground wing was said to have not been used for years. (AJ 12/8)
UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths said the current humanitarian mission in Gaza could not be described as an “humanitarian operation” given the pace of the Israeli attacks on southern Gaza, which prevent the UN from delivering aid. (AJ, AP, UNOCHA 12/7)
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said their investigation into the Israeli killing of Lebanese Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah on 10/13 revealed the killing was likely deliberate and should be investigated as a war crime. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said the killing should be investigated, noting that he believed Israel was already doing so. Lebanon said it would add the investigation to its complaint it has filed with the UN over Israeli attacks. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said “Israeli criminality has no limits.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA 12/7; AJ, REU, REU 12/8)
PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told Bloomberg News that the PA was working with the U.S. to plan for the political situation in Gaza once Israel’s war is over. Shtayyeh said Hamas could become a partner under the PLO umbrella if it accepts the PLO’s political platform. The Times reported that a team of UK advisors were in Ramallah to help the PA prepare for governing Gaza. Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry expressed support for the PA governing Gaza. (AJ 12/7; AJ, HA, HA, REU 12/8)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will turn “Beirut and South Lebanon into Gaza and Khan Yunis” in a warning to Hezbollah. (AJ, AP, HA 12/7; AJ 12/8)
Secretary of State Blinken said at a press conference with UK foreign secretary David Cameron that there was a gap between Israel’s stated intent to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza and the reality on the ground. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 12/7; AJ, REU 12/8)
U.S. president Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu. According to the White House, Biden told Netanyahu that more aid is required to enter Gaza, Israel needed to do more to protect civilians, and expressed concern over settler violence in the West Bank. Biden also spoke with Jordanian king Abdullah II, who demanded he call for an immediate ceasefire. U.S. officials said Israel had agreed to open the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing to allow more aid to enter Gaza. (AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA 12/7; HA 12/8)
The U.S. said it had resumed flying drones over Gaza to locate captives. (HA 12/7)
Russian president Vladimir Putin met with Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow, discussing the situation in Palestine. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU 12/7)
The G7 released a statement saying Israel should do more to protect civilians and allow more aid into Gaza. (AJ 12/7)
13 U.S. senators announced they were working on introducing an amendment to the bill that includes $14 billion in military aid to Israel, requiring that U.S. arms are used in accordance with U.S law., international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict. (AJ, AP, HA 12/7)
Al-Haq and Global Legal Action Network filed a legal challenge to UK exports of weapons to Israel in the UK High Court. (AP 12/7)
Axios reported that Egypt had warned Israel and the U.S. of a “rupture” in Egyptian-Israeli relations if Palestinian refugees begin to flee to Egypt as a result of Israeli attacks on Gaza. (AX 12/7)
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it had received 2,171 complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate between 10/7 and 12/2. (AJ 12/7)
Austria ended its suspension of aid to Palestinians, saying there was no indication the funds had been spent on funding or promoting terrorism or to spread anti-Semitic content. (HA 12/7)
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces during a raid in Tulkarm on 11/7. Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinian vehicles near Bethlehem; no injuries were reported. Israeli settlers also began constructing a settlement road on Palestinian-owned land in Birin. Israeli forces shot and killed 4 Palestinians, including 2 children, and injured 17 others during raids in al-Fara’a refugee camp, Ya’bad, and Balata refugee camp. Israeli forces also opened fire at a Palestinian vehicle and detained the driver in Husan. Elsewhere, Israeli forces also demolished a home in Umm Rukba near al-Khader and 2 homes and 2 agricultural structures in Umm Qissa in the Masafer Yatta area. 42 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, and Tubas. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces demolished parts of a home in Silwan. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed Maghazi, Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, Rafah, Nuseirat refugee camp, and Gaza City, killing hundreds of people, including more than 100 in Jabalia. Prominent Palestinian poet and academic Refaat Alareer was also killed along with several family members in Gaza City. 3 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat. Rockets were fired at Israel, injuring 1 in Nir Yitzhak. In Lebanon, rockets were fired at Israeli military sites and soldiers in Tal Shaar and Karm al-Tuffah and Israel attacked several places. In Yemen, the Houthi-led government said it had fired ballistic missiles at Israeli military posts near Eilat which were shot down by Israel’s Arrow missile defense system. The U.S. said it had shot down a drone launched by Yemen. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/6; AJ, AJ 12/7; AJ 12/8)
The casualty numbers for Gaza were not updated, leaving the number at more than 16,248 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 6,387 children and 4,257 women, and around 43,616 injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 257 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 67 children. More than 3,325 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. 90 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.9 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 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. The Red Crescent said its ambulance center in the northern province of Gaza has stopped working due to a lack of fuel. Patients and staff were evacuated from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalia as the hospital had stopped working. 20 patients that could not be evacuated stayed at the hospital. 80 trucks carrying aid, including 15 gallons of fuel, entered Gaza. Only Rafah received aid for the fourth day in a row. 23 wounded Palestinians and 680 foreign nationals were evacuated to Egypt. (AJ, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA 12/6)
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, forcing the UN Security Council to convene on 12/8 on the basis of threats to “international peace and security,” saying a ceasefire is needed in Gaza to avoid “irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region.” Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said Guterres had reached “a new moral low.” Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen called Guterres a “danger to world peace.” After the invocation of Article 99, the UAE circulated a draft resolution calling for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” and for all parties to comply with international law. (AJ, AP, AX, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 12/6; AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 12/7; AP, WAFA 12/8)
The Israeli security cabinet approved an increase in the amount of fuel entering Gaza from around 13,000 gallons to 26,000 gallons a day. Axios reported that the decision was made after pressure from the Biden administration, which had called on Israel to allow 39,000 gallons to enter Gaza daily. The decision was opposed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. (AJ 12/6; AX 12/7)
Birzeit University published pictures of the central archive of the Gaza municipality, saying Israel had deliberately destroyed thousands of valuable documents to erase the history of Gaza. (AJ 12/6)
The PA Wall and Settlements Commission said it had recorded 610 Israeli settler attacks, which killed 10 Palestinians, since 10/7. (AJ 12/6)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant signed an administration detention order for an Israeli settler who was arrested on 10/3 for attacking Palestinians. (HA 12/7)
PA UN envoy Riyad Mansour addressed the assembly of parties to the Rome Statute, saying “Israel has effectively destroyed every single requirement for live in the Gaza Strip” and complaining that the ICC has not delivered justice for Palestine. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA 12/6)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with U.S. vice president Kamala Harris’ National Security Advisor Phil Gordon in Ramallah, discussing the future of the political situation in Gaza after Israel’s war. (HA, WAFA 12/6; HA 12/7)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the PA will not govern Gaza as long as he is prime minister. (AJ 12/6)
Israel revoked the residency visa for UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Lynn Hastings, saying she did not condemn Hamas’ Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. The UN said on 12/1 that Hastings would be replaced in anticipation of the visa revocation. The PA condemned the revocation of Hastings’ visa. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA 12/6)
Israel’s military discussed closing the “Desert Frontier” unit made up of Israeli settlers in the West Bank after a series of incidents where soldiers from the unit attacked and abused Palestinians and Israeli activists. (HA 12/6)
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said Israel has established 100 “Community Security Squads” equipped with M16 rifles, adding the members of the militias have only received 7 hours of training and lacked proper oversight. ACRI also said there have been reports of Palestinian citizens of Israel being rounded up by the militias to show their identity cards. (AJ, HA 12/6; HA 12/7)
UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said he had asked Israel for weeks to have his team investigate Israeli allegations of sexual violence committed by Hamas militants in Israel on 10/7 but said Israel had not responded. (AJ, WAFA 12/6)
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said “I consider even the debating of this plan as disrespectful to my Palestinian siblings. For us, this is not a plan that can be debated, considered, or discussed,” referring to Israeli suggestions that a buffer zone should be made within Gaza. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also said the Israeli plan was in violation of U.S. policy, suggesting Israel could make a buffer zone in its own territory. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 12/6)
Russian president Vladimir Putin met with UAE president Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, discussing energy cooperation, the situation in Gaza, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Saudi state media reported that Putin and bin Salman shared “deep concern” for the situation in Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA 12/6; AJ, REU 12/7)
The U.S. Senate failed to pass a $111 billion bill to provide $50 billion to Ukraine and $14 billion to Israel in a 49-51 vote. All Republicans and Democratic senators Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) voted against the bill. Republicans sought to separate the aid for Israel from the aid for Ukraine as many Republican senators are opposed to significant spending on Ukraine, while Sanders opposed spending on Israel given the Palestinian death toll in Gaza. Schumer changed his vote from in favor to against to allow him to bring the bill up again at a later date. (HA, NYT 12/6; AJ, HA 12/7)
Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo said his government will work with the U.S. to sanction “individuals involved in actions that undermine peace, security, and stability” in the West Bank. (AJ 12/6; HA, HA, REU, WAFA 12/7)
Reuters reported that an “orientation note” circulated among EU foreign ministers ahead of a meeting showed the EU was considering tougher sanctions on Hamas and imposing sanctions against violent Israeli settlers. EU commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic condemned an Israeli settler attack in Khirbet Zanuta which destroyed an EU-funded school. Nils Schmid, foreign policy spokesperson of Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party, said imposing sanctions on settlers was a good idea. (HA, REU, REU, REU 12/6)
Haaretz reported that Foreign Minister Cohen had bypassed objections from foreign ministry staff to issue diplomatic passports for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s son Yair, Likud politician and settlement leader Israel Gantz, and senior Likud member Benny Biton. (HA 12/7)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian during a raid in Qalandia. Israeli forces also raided Jenin, injuring 7 and uprooting streets. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 4, including a disabled man, in Qalqas, al-Arroub refugee camp, and Baqa al-Hatab. Israeli forces also sealed 2 printing facilities in Dawha, claiming they were printing incendiary materials. Meanwhile, Israeli forces uprooted 31 olive trees in Nahalin. Israeli forces also seized a vehicle in Qablan. 38 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Bethlehem, Qalandia, Nablus, Ramallah, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces demolished a building in Bayt Hanina, displacing 13 people. In Gaza, at least 300 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Khan Yunis. Israel said it had surrounded and invaded Khan Yunis. Israeli troops also laid siege to the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat. Rockets were fired at Israel, injuring 2 in Ashkelon. In Lebanon, Israeli forces killed a Lebanese soldier and injured 3 others in an attack on a Lebanese military base; Israel later expressing regret, saying it would review the incident. 3 rockets were fired at Kiryat Shmona. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/5; AJ, HA, HA, NYT, WAFA 12/6)
More than 16,248 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 6,387 children and 4,257 women, and around 43,616 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 252 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 65 children. More than 3,325 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. 87 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.9 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 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. The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 1,207 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire ended on 12/1. UNRWA said 130 of its staff members have been killed by Israeli forces since 10/7. The UN said dozens of trucks carrying aid, including fuel, entered Gaza but did not provide the actual number. Rafah was the only area to receive aid for the third day in a row. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 12/5)
At the beginning of the day, PA health minister Mai al-Kaila said at least 15,900 Palestinians have been killed and 40,900 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 10/7, saying the final number of dead will be much higher since many are buried in rubble. (REU, WAFA 12/5)
The PA Ministry of National Economy said 29% of business in the West Bank have been completely or partially closed since 10/7 due to Israeli actions. (WAFA 12/5)
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said Israeli calls for Palestinians to evacuate do not work, stating the “so-called safe zones . . . are not scientific, they are not rational, there are not possible, and I think the [Israeli] authorities are aware of this.” (AJ 12/5)
Amnesty International released an investigation saying that 43 Palestinian civilians were killed on 10/13 in Israeli attacks where U.S.-made JDAM bombs were used. The U.S. said it was reviewing the Amnesty investigation. (AJ 12/5; REU 12/6)
The PA warned against reported Israeli plans to flood tunnels in Gaza with seawater, saying it would lead to the collapse of residential buildings and infrastructure and to the mixing of ground, sea, and wastewater. (AJ 12/5)
Israeli police approved the “March of Maccabees” in the Old City of Jerusalem on 12/7, where Israeli right-wingers will march in support of removing the Islamic Waqf in order to replace it with full Israeli control over the Haram al-Sharif compound. (AJ, HA, HA 12/5)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Israel has killed half of Hamas’ military commanders in Gaza. Netanyahu also said that Israel is the only power that can keep Gaza demilitarized after Israel’s war, rejecting suggestions that an international force be deployed in Gaza. (AJ, AX, HA 12/5; NYT 12/6)
Prime Minister Netanyahu also met with families of Israeli captives held in Gaza. Some of those who attended the meeting labelled it a farce and insulting. (HA, HA, REU 12/5; AJ 12/6)
Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry met with senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Chris Coons (D-DE) in Washington D.C., discussing efforts to end Israel’s war on Gaza. (AJ 12/5)
The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council called for an end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza at a summit in Doha. Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said at the summit that Israel was committing genocide, called support for Israel’s actions “a disgrace,” and urged the UN Security Council to force Israel back to the negotiations on a ceasefire. (AJ, AJ, HA 12/5)
U.S. vice president Kamala Harris’s National Security Advisor Phil Gordon met with Israeli president Isaac Herzog, war cabinet members Benny Gantz, Tzachi Hanegbi, Ron Dermer, and Gadi Eisenkot, and opposition leader Yair Lapid, updating them on meetings Harris and Gordon held with Arab leaders in Dubai during the COP28 climate conference. Harris is leading the Biden administration’s efforts on securing another ceasefire. (AX, HA 12/5)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken announced that that the U.S. has put new visa restrictions on violent Israeli settlers, saying Israel is not doing enough to combat settler violence. Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant later condemned Israeli settler violence, saying only the military, the police, and the Shin Bet have a right to use violence against Palestinians. USAID administrator Samantha Power visited El Arish airport in Egypt where aid to Gaza arrives, saying more “must be done to protect civilians” and for aid to enter Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU 12/5)
U.S. president Joe Biden said at a fundraiser that he had heard reports “of women raped, repeatedly raped, and their bodies being mutilated while still alive” by Hamas militants on 10/7. Hamas denied the accusations. (REU 12/5)
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution, H.R. 894, declaring that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism in a 311-14 vote; 94 Democrats voted present. The resolution also condemned the phrase “from the river to the sea.” (AJ, HA, NYT 12/5; AJ 12/6)
5 U.S. pro-Israel organizations, the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federation of North America, the Anti-Defamation League, AIPAC, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, created a joint lobbying arm called The 10/7 Project to promote pro-Israel narratives to journalists and U.S. lawmakers. (HA 12/5)
Deutche Welle reported that applicants for citizenship in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt will be required to declare their support for Israel’s right to exist to obtain German citizenship. (AJ 12/5)
CNN reported that the U.S. expects Israel to end its mass ground invasion of Gaza in January 2024. (AJ, HA 12/5)
The Washington Post reported that Israeli sources have estimated that 5,000 out of 30,000 Palestinian militants in Gaza have been killed since 10/7. (AJ, WP 12/5)
Dabke, the Palestinian national dance, was included on the UNCESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. (WAFA 12/5)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized around 1,000 olive, almond, and grape trees in al-Khader. Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians during a raid in Ya’bad. Israeli forces demolished 2 homes and razed land, uprooting 120 olive trees and water pipes in Birin. 56 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Kafr Ni’ma, Jaba’, Nablus, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israel forced a Palestinian family to demolish their apartment building in Jabel Mukaber. Israeli forces raided Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah, Isawiya, and al-Tur, warning families not to celebrate the release of their relatives in the prisoner exchange. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/27)
The Gaza Media Office updated the casualty numbers after dozens of bodies were found in rubble, saying the comprehensive death toll from Israel’s attacks on Gaza was 15,000, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, and around 35,000 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 231 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 56 children. More than 3,150 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. 200 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. 40 trucks carrying aid entered northern Gaza. 34 wounded Palestinians and 18 foreign nationals entered Egypt while 300 Palestinians returned to Gaza. A French military ship docked in El Arish in Egypt, where it will be used to treat wounded Palestinians. (AJ, AP, HA, UNOCHA 11/27; AJ 11/28)
Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the ceasefire agreement until the morning of 11/30. 33 Palestinians were released from Israeli prisons as part of the fourth prisoner exchange, including 3 women and 30 boys. 17 Hamas-held captives were released, including 3 French citizens, 2 Germans, 6 Argentinians, and 6 Thai nationals. Hamas said it was willing to negotiate the exchange of Israeli soldiers held in Gaza and that they had located more captives. U.S. national security council spokesperson John Kirby said that the U.S. hopes to see the ceasefire extended further. Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Hamas needs to locate more than 40 women and children held captive by different factions to be able to extend the ceasefire further. (HA 11/26; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/27; AJ, HA, HA, WAFA 11/28)
Prominent Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi was one of the names added to the list of Palestinian prisoners Israel is willing to release in exchange for Hamas-held captives. Tamimi was arrested on 11/6 and placed in administrative detention on 11/26 for a social media post that reportedly was made from an account that Tamini did not control but was in her name. (AJ, HA, NYT 11/27; AJ 11/28)
The PA finance ministry said public servants will only be paid 50% of their salaries due to Israel withholding a large part of the PA tax revenue, leading to the PA refusing to accept the heavily reduced funds. (WAFA 11/27)
An Israeli court charged Palestinian journalist Marwat al-Azza with sympathizing with a terror organization, incitement to terrorism, and obstruction of justice for a social media post. Al-Azza was arrested on 11/24. (HA 11/28)
X, Tesla, and SpaceX owner Elon Musk met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, touring the Israeli villages attacked during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Hamas later invited Musk to see the devastation in Gaza to which Musk responded that it “[s]eems a bit dangerous there right now.” Israel said Musk had promised not to activate the Starlink internet satellites over Gaza without Israel’s permission. Musk has faced accusations of anti-Semitism and of promoting anti-Semitism on his social media platform X. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 11/27; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU 11/28; AJ, AJ 11/29)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli soldiers that after the ceasefire ends the Israeli attacks “will be bigger and take place throughout the Gaza Strip.” (AJ, HA 11/27)
At a meeting hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona, Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said Israeli attacks on Gaza are within the realm of the legal definition of genocide. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki said the attendees had to find a way to pressure Israel to stop its attacks. 43 countries, mostly represented by foreign ministers, attended the meeting that was chaired by EU high commissioner for foreign policy Josep Borell. Israel did not send a representative despite receiving an invitation. (AJ, AP, HA 11/27)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 12 olive trees in Salfit and vandalized Palestinian property in al-Twana in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces shot and killed 3 Palestinians, including a 12-year-old during raids in Balata refugee camp, Beita, and Burqa. Israeli forces also shot and injured 5 people during raids in Balata refugee camp, Habla, and Burqa. Israeli forces also issued stop work orders for 8 homes in al-Khader. 76 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around ‘Azzun, al-Arroub refugee camp, Nablus, Balata refugee camp, Jenin, Tubas, Bethlehem, Aroura, and Abu Dis. 3,130 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank since 10/7. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shot, injured, and arrested a Palestinian child in Jabel Mukaber. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed around 270 Palestinians, including 30 in an airstrike on an UNRWA school in Jabalia refugee camp, 15 in Khan Yunis, 14 in Rafah, 10 in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, and 5 in Nuseirat refugee camp. Israel also bombed the Zeitoun neighborhood, Bani Suhaila, al-Daraj, and al-Tufah. Israel said it had assassinated Hamas naval commander Omar Abu Jallah. Israeli forces also attacked the Indonesian Hospital’s main gate, power generators, and administrative office. Elsewhere, Israeli forces arrested al-Shifa Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya and other medical staff. After the arrest, the Gaza Ministry of Health suspended coordination with the WHO. 4 wounded Palestinians died during an evacuation from the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital to Khan Yunis. Israel said it attacked 300 sites in Gaza during the day. Rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel; no injuries were reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attacked several sites, saying they had been used to fire 35 rockets toward Israel, causing damage to 2 homes. In the Red Sea, the U.S. said it shot down drones launched from Yemen. (HA 11/22; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/23; UNOCHA 11/24; AJ 11/25; AJ 11/25)
The Gaza Media Office reported that 14,800 Palestinian have been killed, including 6,000 children and 4,000 women, and around 35,000 have injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 220 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 54 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. 18,000 gallons of fuel and 80 truckloads of aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. 433 foreign nationals and 17 wounded Palestinians were evacuated to Egypt. Less than 500 people fled northern Gaza to the south; UNOCHA noted that there were more people arrested by Israeli forces while crossing than in previous days. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 11/23)
Qatar announced that the ceasefire will begin at 7 a.m. on 11/24 with 13 captives being released to Israel at 4 p.m. The ceasefire was reportedly delayed due to a disagreement over the list of captives that would be released. The Israeli High Court of Justice rejected 2 petitions against the prisoner exchange, saying the court did not have justification to intervene in the ceasefire deal. Israel said Palestinians will not be allowed to return to the north of Gaza during the ceasefire. Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said he expected the Israeli attacks on Gaza to continue for 2 months after the ceasefire period is over. Egypt said 35,000 gallons of diesel, 4 trucks of gas, and 200 trucks carrying aid would enter Gaza daily from 11/24 during the ceasefire. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT 11/23; HA, HA 11/24)
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that an Iranian brokered deal would see 23 Thai captives released by Hamas without conditions. (HA 11/23)
Displaced Palestinians returning to the homes they fled from in al-Qanoub near Sa’ir said Israeli settlers had demolished and stolen all their belongings, including 5 homes, tents, and solar panels. The settlers had threatened the Palestinians with displacement or death. (WAFA 11/23)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez and Belgian prime minister Alexander de Croo in Ramallah, discussing the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. (WAFA 11/23)
A delegation of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, including the PA, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, and Nigeria met with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris, discussing the situation in Gaza. The delegation had met with leaders in the UK, Russia, and China in the past week. (WAFA 11/23)
Israeli Channel 12 reported that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had instructed police not to deal with Israeli settler violence against Palestinians. Ben-Gvir also instructed prison authorities to use “an iron fist” in repressing celebrations of prisoner releases. (AJ 11/23)
Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah met with Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Lebanon. (AJ 11/23; HA 11/24)
Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said before a meeting in Israel between Prime Minister Sanchez and Israeli president Isaac Herzog and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Spain wants to recognize a Palestinian state in the “very short term,” adding the existence of a Palestinian state is the “best guarantee for peace in the Middle East.” During the meeting with Netanyahu, Sanchez proposed an international conference to settle the overall conflict. UK prime minister David Cameron also met with Netanyahu. (AJ, HA, REU 11/23)
Israeli communications minister Shlomo Karhi submitted a proposal to the Israeli cabinet that would end the publication of government notices in Haaretz and halt all government payments to the newspaper, including by canceling all state employees’ subscriptions. (AJ, HA 11/23)
German police raided 15 properties it claimed were linked to Hamas and Samidoun. (AJ, AP 11/23)
The UN said its member states had raised $218 million in funding for its flash appeal for Gaza, constituting 18% of the 1.2 billion requested. (UNOCHA 11/23)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Yamun and damaged their vehicle. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles in Awarta, causing damage. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers set fire to a school in Zanuta, causing extensive damage. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian during a raid in Balata refugee camp. Israeli forces also shot and injured 6 Palestinians, including a child, during raids in ad-Doha, ‘Asira al-Qibliya, Jenin, and Balata refugee camp. 45 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Jenin, Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian-owned home in Isawiya, displacing 6, and a structure in Silwan. In Gaza, the Israeli military said it had encircled Jabalia refugee camp. Israeli soldiers continued their sieges of the Indonesian and al-Shifa hospitals; around 500 patients and staff were evacuated from the Indonesian Hospital to a hospital in Khan Yunis later in the day. At least 120 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza City, Jabalia refugee camp, Beit Lahiya al-Bureij, and Khan Yunis. Israel also attacked al-Awda Hospital, killing 3 doctors and a patient. The number of fatalities was likely much higher since the Gaza Ministry of Health was unable to communicate with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed. 10 rockets were fired at Israel with 1 hitting Ness Ziona; no injuries were reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attacked several areas of South Lebanon, saying anti-tank missiles were fired by Hezbollah at Israel. 4 people, including an elderly woman and 2 journalists working for Al-Mayadeen television network, were killed in Israeli attacks in Kfar Kila and Tair Harfa. 4 Hamas members were killed in a drone strike on Chaatiyeh, reportedly including deputy chief of the Qassem Brigades in Lebanon Khalil Kharraz. Hezbollah later said it attacked Israeli tanks and soldiers, a military base in Beit Hilal, and a missile factory in Shlomi. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, 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 11/21)
The Gaza Ministry of Health was not able to fully update the casualty figures due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza, leaving the casualty numbers at around 13,000 Palestinians killed, including 5,500 children and 3,500 women, and around 32,000 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 3,250 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 209 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 52 children. More than 2,885 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.61 million Palestinians, around 70% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 11/6, at least 40,000 housing units had been destroyed and 220,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 45% of all housing units. 2 trucks carrying 17,000 gallons of fuel and 79 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. UNRWA said 108 members of its staff have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ, AP, HA, UNOCHA 11/21)
Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha was released after being arrested on 11/18 by Israeli forces in Gaza. Abu Toha was reportedly beaten while detained. (AJ, HA, NYT 11/21)
The Ministry of National Economy in the Nablus governorate said Israel had only allowed 45 Palestinian businesses to operate in Huwwara since 10/7, forcing 255 business to close. (AJ 11/21)
Jordan said Israel had ordered the evacuation of its field hospital in Gaza, saying it would not heed the order. (AJ, HA 11/21)
Hamas said it had agreed to the terms of the first prisoner exchange and temporary ceasefire. Islamic Jihad said it was coordinating with Hamas on the prisoner exchange deal. The Israeli war, security, and government cabinets convened in separate meetings in the evening to discuss the deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal was likely to happen, despite opposition from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and that Israel would continue its war on Gaza after the temporary ceasefire. The meeting of the government cabinet was still ongoing at the end of the day. It was reported by Haaretz that the Israeli public would have 24 hours to appeal to the Israeli High Court of Justice if the government decides to approve the deal. Islamic Jihad said an Israeli captive it had tried to release earlier for humanitarian reasons had died. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA, REU, REU, REU 11/21; AJ, HA 11/22)
Jordanian prime minister Bisher Khasawneh said “[a]ny displacement [of Palestinians in the West Bank] or creating the conditions that would lead to it, Jordan will consider it a declaration of war and constitute a material breach of the peace treaty.” (AJ, HA, REU 11/21)
Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati condemned the Israeli killing of 2 Lebanese journalists, saying Israel’s “goal is to silence the media that exposes its crimes and attacks.” (AJ, AP 11/21)
U.S. national security council spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. would not support Israeli military action in southern Gaza unless it “clearly articulated [a] plan for how they are going to protect the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people that have now added to the population because they were asked to leave by the Israelis.” Kirby also said that the Biden administration was considering redesignating the Yemeni Houthi government a terrorist organization, citing its attacks on Israel and the seizure of an alleged Israeli-linked vessel on 11/19. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said the U.S. continued to supply Israel with “155 mm rounds, precision-guided munitions, and air defense systems.” Politico reported that the U.S. had sent Israel the coordinates for humanitarian sites, including hospitals, and gave Israel information about the movement of aid groups to avoid Israeli attacks on protected groups. However, Israel reportedly continued attacking those sites. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU 11/21; AJ 11/22)
A survey by the organization Arab World for Research and Development found that 98% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza said they could not “forgive nor forget” Israel’s attacks on Gaza, with 65% saying the attacks were targeting all Palestinians. 75% said they supported Operation Al-Aqsa Flood to some extent. 22% said they expected the PA to return to power in Gaza. (AJ 11/21)
The European Commission said its review of its aid to Palestine did not find evidence that funds were used for Hamas. (AJ, HA, REU 11/21)
Representatives from the OIC and Arab League and the foreign ministers of the PA, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Jordan met with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said Israel’s goal with bombing southern Gaza was to force Palestinians to flee Gaza. (AJ, HA, WAFA 11/21)
Leaders of the BRICS countries met virtually to discuss the situation in Gaza, demanding a ceasefire and condemning attacks on civilians in Gaza and Israel. Representatives of Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, all countries that will join BRICS in 2024, also attended the meeting. Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman called for a global ban on exports of arms to Israel. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU 11/21)
The South African parliament voted 248-91 to close the Israeli embassy and suspend ties with Israel. The motion was non-binding, leaving President Cyril Ramaphosa to implement it. (AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA 11/21)
The Scottish parliament voted 90-28 in favor of a ceasefire. All parties except for the Scottish Conservatives supported the motion. (AJ 11/21)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinians traveling near Nablus and Tulkarm. Israeli forces shot and killed 3 Palestinians after they shot and killed an Israeli soldier and injured 3 Israeli soldiers at the Tunnels checkpoint west of Bethlehem; Hamas took responsibility for the attack. Israeli forces also shot and injured 3 Palestinians, including 2 children during raids in Beita and Deir Nidham. Elsewhere, Israeli forces assaulted 2 Palestinians near Carmel, causing bruises. Israeli forces also demolished 2 homes and a marble factory in Wadi Fukin. 69 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Hebron, Dura, Jenin, Kafr Ra’i, Qalqilya, Husan, Nablus, Jericho, and al-Fara’a refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested during a late-night raid in Isawiya. In Gaza, telecommunications broke down for the third time, this time due to a lack of fuel. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 19 people in Jabaliya refugee camp, al-Qarara, and al-Maghazi refugee camp. The number of fatalities was likely much higher since the Gaza Ministry of Health was unable to communicate with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza and due to the telecommunications breakdown. Israeli forces continued to raid al-Shifa Hospital, stealing bodies of Palestinians who had not yet been buried. Israel also put al-Ahli Hospital under siege, preventing movement in and out of the hospital. Israel said the bodies of 2 of the Israeli captives were found in a building near al-Shifa Hospital. In South Lebanon, Israel attacked several sites and anti-tank missiles were fired at Israel. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/16; AJ, AP 11/17)
The Gaza Ministry of Health was not able to update the casualty figures due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza, leaving the death toll at 11,479, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women, and around 32,000 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 3,250 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 190 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 47 children. More than 2,730 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals had been killed and 5,431 have injured since 10/7. 51 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.61 million Palestinians, around 70% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 11/6, at least 40,000 housing units have been destroyed and 220,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 45% of all housing units. No aid entered Gaza due to UNRWA vehicles running out of fuel. Turkey said that 27 cancer patients from Gaza arrived in Turkey for treatment. The director of the Indonesian Hospital said its facilities were “completely out of service,” with 45 patients still awaiting surgery. The Gaza Ministry of Health said 9 out of 35 hospitals in Gaza were partially functioning while the rest were out of service. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/16)
The Palestinian Prisoners Society said Israel had arrested more than 2,760 Palestinians during raids in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7. (AJ, WAFA 11/16)
The members of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee at the UN said they will not participate in the establishment of a “safe zone” without an agreement of all parties, saying these ‘safe zones’ otherwise put Palestinians at risk. (UNOCHA 11/16)
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said he was confident in the resistance’s ability to outlast the Israeli war on Gaza. (AJ 11/16)
The Israeli military claimed to have found a tunnel and weapons at al-Shifa Hospital but refused to allow independent observers access to its findings. Israel had claimed that Hamas had a command-and-control center at the hospital but no longer appeared to make that claim. (AJ, REU, REU 11/16)
PA finance minister Shoukry Bishara sent a letter to Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich demanding that Israel pay the PA the full amount of tax revenue due from October. (HA 11/16)
Israeli interior minister Moshe Arbel informed 2 Palestinians, who he claims are Hamas operatives, that Israel has begun efforts to revoke their Jerusalem residency status. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel should stop talks on a prisoner swap, saying Israel should only “talk with fire and brimstone.” (AJ, HA 11/16)
Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said Jordan will not ratify an agreement with Israel to exchange water for energy due to Israel’s attacks on Gaza. (AJ, HA, REU 11/16)
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Israel must ensure that food, water, and medical care is available at al-Shifa Hospital. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz, urging him to address the rise in settler violence and discussing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Blinken also told ABC News that he has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel cannot reoccupy Gaza. France called Israeli settler violence a “policy of terror.” (AJ, HA, REU 11/16; AJ, HA, WAFA 11/17)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Israel was violating the visa waiver agreement with the U.S. by preventing Palestinian Americans from entering the West Bank and flying into Ben-Gurion Airport. (AX, NYT 11/16)
Bloomberg News reported that the EU and U.S. were considering raising a UN peacekeeping force to be deployed in Gaza when a ceasefire is reached. (AJ 11/16)
U.S. senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called on Israel to “Stop the bombing NOW” in a tweet on X. (AJ, HA 11/16)
The Los Angeles Times editorial board called for a ceasefire. (AJ 11/16)
Protesters from Jewish Voice for Peace blocked traffic on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, calling for a ceasefire. (AJ, HA, REU 11/16)
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces earlier this week in al-Eizariya. Israeli settlers set up 5 caravans near Tuqu’. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and assaulted a Palestinian man near Sabastia. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling north of Ramallah. Israeli forces shot and killed 4 Palestinians during raids in Abu Dis and Nuba, including 1 in a missile strike on a building in Abu Dis. Israeli forces also shot and injured 8 Palestinian during raids in ‘Usarin, Hebron, and Abu Dis. Elsewhere, Israeli forces vandalized several vehicles in Bayt Jala and uprooted 70 olive trees in Haris. 46 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Birzeit, Bil’in, Nuba, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, and Tubas. In Gaza, Israel cut internet and phone communications for the third time since 10/7. Israeli forces killed 243 Palestinians and injured 635 others. Israel bombed Maghazi refugee camp and al-Bureij refugee camp, killing 71 Palestinians and injuring dozens of others. 1 Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza, bringing the total death toll to 28 since the ground invasion started. Rockets were fired at Israel; no damage was reported. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed 4 Lebanese, including 3 children and an elderly woman, traveling in a car between Ainata and Aitaroun. 4 medics were also injured in Israeli attacks in Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah responded by attacking Kiryat Shmona, killing 1 Israeli. 1 Israeli soldier succumbed to injuries he sustained last week when his tank overturned. (AJ, HA 11/4; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/5; AJ, AP, AP 11/6)
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said at least 9,770 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,008 children and 2,500 women, and 24,173 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 2,260 people were buried in rubble, including 1,270 children. 144 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 43 children. More than 2,386 people have been injured. Around 1,400 Israelis, including foreign nationals, have been killed and 5,431 injured since 10/7. Over 1.5 million Palestinians, more than half 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 10/23, at least 27,781 housing units have been destroyed and 150,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The number is likely much higher given the lack of recent data. Egypt said the evacuation of injured Palestinians and foreign passport holders has been suspended since 11/4 due to the Israeli attack on an ambulance on 11/3. (AJ, HA 11/4; AJ, AP, HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/5; NYT 11/6)
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces had divided Gaza into “a south Gaza and a north Gaza.” The Israeli military called on Palestinians in northern Gaza to travel south on Salah al-Din Street between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Israeli heritage minister Amichai Eliyahu suggested that Israel use nuclear bombs in Gaza. He was later suspended from cabinet meetings but not as a minister. Eliyahu also suggested that the Palestinian population in Gaza should be forcefully displaced to Ireland or the desert. Saudi Arabia condemned the comments and called on Israel to fire him. Israeli military rabbi Amichai Friedman told Israeli soldiers, “[t]his is our country. All of it. Including Gaza. Including Lebanon, the entire Promised Land.” Newly appointed chairperson of the Knesset subcommittee on West Bank Issues Zvi Sukkot called on Israel to prevent all Palestinians from harvesting olives, claiming the harvest endangers Israeli settlers. (AJ 11/4; AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/5; AP, HA, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA 11/6)
Israeli police banned an anti-war protest in Umm al-Fahm. (HA 11/5)
King Abdullah II of Jordan said Jordanian military had airdropped medical aid for a field hospital run by Jordan in Gaza. Israel later claimed it coordinated with Jordan on the airdrop. (AJ 11/4; HA 11/5; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU 11/6)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken in Ramallah, calling on Blinken to support a ceasefire. Abbas said that the PA could return to power in Gaza if a “comprehensive political solution” is found to the Israeli occupation. U.S. officials said Blinken had told Abbas that the PA will play a central role in “what comes next for Gaza.” Palestinians protested Blinken’s visit to Ramallah. Blinken also traveled to Iraq, meeting with prime minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with the French consul-general to Jerusalem Pierre Cochard, discussing the upcoming French conference on aid to Gaza. (AJ 11/4; AJ, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/5; AJ, AJ, AP 11/6)
The Fatah Central Committee held a meeting discussing the situation in Gaza. In a statement after the meeting the committee condemned the “barbaric war of extermination by the occupying army.” (AJ 11/6)
CIA director William Burns arrived in Israel for meetings with Israeli officials. (AJ 11/4; NYT 11/5)
The New York Times reported that Israeli officials have been pushing other countries to lobby Egypt to allow Israel to displace Palestinians to the Sinai. The Times also reported that U.S. officials overseeing arms transfers to foreign countries will approve the sale of 24,000 assault rifles to Israel, despite concerns that some of the rifles will be handed out to settlers and civilian militias in Israel. Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has handed out weapons to settlers and promised more will arrive. Axios reported on 11/6 that the Biden administration, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee have approved the Israeli purchase of M16 rifles from U.S. companies on the condition that they would not be handed to civilians in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. (NYT, NYT 11/5; AX 11/6)
Thousands of Turkish protesters demonstrated outside of a U.S. airbase in Incirlik after traveling 584 miles from Istanbul in solidarity with Palestine. Turkish police violently dispersed some protesters with water cannons and tear gas. (AJ, AJ 11/4; AP, HA, REU 11/5; AP 11/6)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shot and killed a Palestinian man harvesting olives during a raid in al-Zawiya. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Qusra, Kafr ad-Dik, Deir Istiya, Haris, and Shaab al-Butum, injuring 1. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers vandalized 10 Palestinian-owned vehicles in Beit Iksa. Israeli settlers also raided at-Tuba in the Masafer Yatta area, attacking homes and stealing property. Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian child during a raid in al-Arroub refugee camp. Israeli forces also demolished the family home in Jalazone refugee camp of Hamas activist Bajis Nakhleh, who was arrested on 10/9, displacing 7. Elsewhere, Israeli forces placed cement barriers at the main entrance to Burqa. 25 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Jalazone refugee camp, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, Israel forced 3 Palestinian families to demolish their own homes in Bayt Hanina, displacing 18. In Gaza, all telecommunications were cut off for the second day in a row as Israel’s ground invasion continued overnight. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 377 Palestinians; the death toll could be much higher as the breakdown in telecommunications made delivering news from Gaza extremely difficult. Israel said it had hit 150 underground facilities and infrastructure in Gaza. Israel also said it assassinated Hamas members Asem Abu Rakaba and Ratab Abu-Tsahiban. Rockets were fired from Gaza, causing damage. Palestinian students at Netanya Academic College were attacked by Jewish Israelis chanting “Death to Arabs” at the dormitory. In Lebanon, Israel said it had attacked Hezbollah positions overnight. A surface-to-air missile was fired at an Israeli drone. A shell hit the UNIFIL headquarters in South Lebanon without exploding; it was unclear who fired the shell. UNIFIL also said 1 of its peacekeepers had been injured after a shell hit a UNIFIL base in Houla and called for a ceasefire. (HA 10/27; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/28; AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT 10/29)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 7,703 Palestinians have been killed, including around 5,000 women and children, and 19,743 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. Hundreds of others are feared dead, trapped under rubble. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 109 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 30 children. More than 2,011 have been injured. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 5,431 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. As of 10/23, at least 27,781 housing units had been destroyed and 150,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. At least 45% of all housing units have been either destroyed or damaged in Israeli airstrikes. The Gaza Ministry of Health also reported that Israeli attacks have killed 110 medical staff injured more than 100, that 50 ambulances have been targeted since 10/7, and that 12 hospitals and 46 healthcare facilities have been shut due to bombing or lack of fuel. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said “Israeli obstacles” impede the delivery of aid to Gaza. (AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 10/28)
Sustained Israeli settler attacks forced 141 Palestinians in Khirbet Zanuta to flee their homes. (WAFA 10/28; UNOCHA 10/29; UNOCHA, WAFA 11/1)
Amid a total communications blackout in Gaza, the Israeli military said in an English language video that Palestinians should evacuate northern Gaza. (HA 10/28; REU 10/29)
Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar said Hamas is ready for “an immediate prisoner exchange deal, all the captives in exchange for all the prisoners.” Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obeida said Israel has not been serious about a prisoner exchange and criticized Arab nations for not doing more to get humanitarian aid to Gaza. (HA 10/28)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League to address the “genocide in the Gaza Strip.” PA health minister Mai al-Kaila also called the Israeli attacks genocide, saying 7,300 civilians had been killed, 70% of them women, children, and elderly. The PLO Executive Committee held a meeting in Ramallah, issuing 3 top priorities, including an immediate ceasefire, lifting of the blockade of Gaza, and halting forced displacement of Palestinians inside and outside of Gaza. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/28)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ground invasion of Gaza was approved unanimously by the government. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 10/28; AJ, AJ 10/29)
The U.S. told Israel that it would stop supplying weapons to Israel if they are used to arm civilians and handed out at political events. The warning followed Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s tour of Israel handing out guns to Israelis. (HA 10/28)
The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower arrived in the Mediterranean, joining the USS Gerald Ford. (AJ, HA 10/28)
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted a massive rally in Istanbul in support of Palestinians. Erdoğan told the rallygoers that that Israel is an occupier, and that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. Israeli UN ambassador Gilad Erdan called Erdoğan a “snake” and Israel recalled all of its diplomats in Turkey. The UAE and Saudi Arabia condemned the Israeli ground operation in Gaza and the UAE called for a UN Security Council meeting on the situation. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU, REU, WAFA 10/28)
X and SpaceX owner Elon Musk said his Starlink satellite internet would be made available to humanitarian organizations in Gaza if the organizations are approved by both Israel and the U.S. Israel said it would not allow Starlink to be used in Gaza. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU 10/28)
More than 100,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched in London. Thousands of pro-Palestinians protesters defied a ban by Paris police on their demonstration and marched in the city. 100,000 people also rallied in support of Palestine in Kerala, India. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA 10/28; AJ 10/29)
Former U.S. president and current republican front-runner for the upcoming U.S. elections Donald Trump said at a convention for the Republican Jewish Coalition that he would cancel the visas of pro-Palestinian protestors if he is elected president. Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis again claimed that Students for Justice in Palestine “provided material support to terrorists.” Newly elected House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson pledged support for Israel, saying “God is not done with Israel.” (HA, HA 10/28; HA 10/29)
American Muslims for Palestine said it has been forced to move its annual convention in Chicago in November after the original venue Hyatt Regency O’Hare received threats over its planned hosting of the convention. (HA 10/28)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinians harvesting olives in Yasuf, forcing the Palestinians to flee; no injuries were reported. Israeli settlers also set fire to a home and vandalized water pipes in al-‘Awja. Israeli forces shot and killed 2 minors during raids in Huwwara and Beitunia. Israeli forces shot and injured 21 Palestinians with live ammunition during raids in al-Azza refugee camp, ‘Urif, Idhna, Beit Furik, al-Bireh, Bethlehem, al-Khader, Tura, and Beitunia. Elsewhere, Israeli forces punitively demolished a home with explosives in ‘Urif. 55 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah, and Jalazone refugee camp. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed around 350 Palestinians, including Hamas member Muhammad Tzviach. Israeli airstrikes destroyed the Grand al-Omari Mosque in Jabalia. Rockets were fired at Israel; no fatalities were reported. At the Lebanese border, an Israeli soldier was killed and 3 others injured in anti-tank fire near Margaliot. Israeli forces also attacked Hezbollah camps with combat helicopters. (AJ, AP, HA 10/19; AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/20; AP, HA, REU 10/21)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of 5 p.m. at least 4,137 Palestinians had been killed, including at least 1,524 children, and 13,162 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. 83 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 25 children. More than 1,434 have been injured, including at least 350 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 4,629 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 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 Palestinian Red Crescent said Israel has told al-Quds Hospital to evacuate its 500 patients and the 12,000 people sheltering at the hospital. UNRWA said 16 of its staff members have been killed and 10 wounded in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The Committee to Protect Journalists said that 22 journalists have been killed since 10/7, including 18 Palestinians, 3 Israelis, and 1 Lebanese. (AJ 10/19; AJ, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/20; WAFA 10/21)
Amnesty International said it has documented Israeli actions that should be investigated as war crimes, including indiscriminate attacks leading to mass civilian casualties. (AI 10/20)
Hamas released 2 American captives, a mother and her daughter, “on humanitarian grounds” after negotiations with Qatar. It was unclear if Hamas received anything in return. A Hamas statement also said the group had released the captives “to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.” (AJ 10/19; AJ, HA, HA 10/20; HA 10/22)
Forensic Architecture released a preliminary analysis of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing saying the “[f]ragmentation patterns may indicate the projectile came from the northeast – the direction of the Israeli-controlled side of the Gaza perimeter – and not from the west [as Israel has claimed].” UK Channel 4 and Al Jazeera have also concluded that Israeli claims that the explosion at the hospital was caused by an errant rocket are dubious. (AJ 10/19; AJ, AJ 10/20)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Cairo for a summit on the Hamas-Israel war and humanitarian aid to Gaza. Representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UN, the UK, and the UAE will attend. In Cairo, Abbas met with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. Abbas also spoke with French president Emmanuel Macron, Chilean president Gabriel Boric, and Pakistani caretaker prime minister Anwar al-Haq. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/20)
The Israeli prime minister’s office said, “[t]he prime minister has defined the objective – to obliterate Hamas, any talk of decisions to relinquish Gaza to the Palestinian Authority or any other authority is a lie.” (HA, HA 10/20)
The White House made a formal request to Congress for $10.6 billion in military aid to Israel, $3.7 billion in State Department financing to cover foreign military financing and embassy support, and $9.15 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Israel, Gaza. U.S. president Joe Biden has publicly said $100 million will be allocated for Gaza. (AJ 10/16; HA 10/20)
The U.S. and EU issued a joint statement after the EU leadership met with President Biden in Washington D.C., expressing concern at the “deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.” More than 800 EU officials wrote a letter to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, criticizing her “uncontrolled” support of Israel and calling the EU’s response to the massacres in Gaza “indifference.” (AJ 10/19; AJ, AJ 10/20)
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Israeli attacks on Gaza amounted to genocide and had to be stopped. (AJ 10/19; HA 10/20)
The New York Times reported that the President Biden urged the Israeli war cabinet not to attack Hezbollah in a “preemptive strike,” fearing that the U.S. and Iran would get directly involved. (HA 10/21)
McDonald’s franchises in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, and Turkey pledged $3 million in support for Palestinians in Gaza after McDonald’s in Israel said its franchises there would give free meals to Israeli soldiers. (AJ 10/19; AJ 10/20)
Meta apologized for inserting the word “terrorist” in the biographies of many Palestinian users on Instagram. (AJ 10/19)
In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed 471 Palestinians in al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. The hospital, which was filled with patients and Palestinians seeking shelter from Israeli bombardment, had received evacuation warnings from Israel on 10/14, 10/15, and 10/16. Israel claimed it was an errant rocket fired by Hamas that caused the mass casualties, however all evidence presented by Israel was debunked in subsequent investigations. Other Israeli airstrikes killed around 200 Palestinians, mostly in Rafah and Khan Yunis. Israel also assassinated the head of Hamas’ Shura Council Osama Mazini, who led negotiations on the prisoner exchange that saw Gilad Shalit transferred to Israel in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in 2011, and Hamas commanders Muhammad Alwadia, Ayman Nofal, and Akram Hijaz. Israeli airstrikes also reportedly killed 3 members of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh’s family. 6 were killed in an airstrike on an UNRWA school sheltering Palestinians in al-Maghazi. Rockets were fired at Israel, causing damage. In the West Bank, there were large demonstrations against the PA and the Israeli bombing of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital throughout the West Bank, with PA forces violently dispersing Palestinian protesters, killing a 12-year-old girl in Jenin with live ammunition, and injuring many others with tear gas. Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians, including a minor, during raids in Halhul and Nabi Salih. An elderly Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 10/13 in Nablus. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians, injuring 8 with live ammunition in Nablus. Elsewhere, Israeli forces assaulted an ambulance driver near al-Arroub refugee camp, causing a fractured arm and bruises. Israeli forces arrested Palestinian Legislative Council speaker Aziz Dweik during a raid. 115 others were arrested during raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Nablus, including 50 Palestinians from Gaza who were employed in Israel before being expelled to the West Bank. The Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs Authority said Israel has arrested 680 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attacked targets north of the Blue Line. Hezbollah said it fired an anti-tank missile at a vehicle in Metula; 3 were reportedly injured. Israel said it killed 4 people who had entered Israel from Lebanon. 4 were also killed in an Israeli airstrike west of Yarine. In Jordan, protesters attempted to storm the Israeli embassy in Amman. (AP 10/7; AJ, AP, HA, REU 10/16; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/17; AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA 10/18)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 3,500 Palestinians have been killed and 12,500 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7, including 47 entire families consisting of 500 people. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 61 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 13 children. More than 1,230 had been injured, including at least 300 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals; 4,229 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that over 1 million Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 11,887 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The number is likely much higher as the latest data is from 10/14. The Palestinian civil defense team said that more than 1,000 Palestinians were under the rubble of buildings in Gaza. The Committee to Protect Journalists said 13 Palestinian, 3 Israeli, and 1 Lebanese journalist have been killed in attacks relating to the Israel-Hamas war since 10/7. (AJ 10/16; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 10/17; HA 10/18)
UNRWA said parts of southern Gaza, containing about 14% of the population, received water for 3 hours. The remaining seawater desalination plant in Gaza shut down due to a lack of fuel. (AJ 10/16; HA 10/17)
Hundreds of trucks carrying aid to Gaza were stuck near the Rafah crossing as Israel continued to prevent safe passage into Gaza. Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said the crossing was not officially closed but was not functioning due to being targeted 4 times by Israel. (AJ 10/16; HA, REU, REU 10/17)
UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Israel’s siege and order to evacuate northern Gaza could breach international law. (AJ, REU 10/17)
Israel attempted to deny that it killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians in an airstrike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, presenting a range of questionable evidence to put the blame on Islamic Jihad. Israeli government social media accounts published what it claimed to be evidence that it was a rocket misfire not an airstrike, but later deleted the videos when a New York Times journalist questioned the timing of the videos. Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said “[a]ccording to our intelligence, Hamas checked reports and understood it was a Palestinian Islamic Jihad misfire, then launched a global media campaign to inflate numbers of casualties.” Israel has previously employed misinformation campaigns to deflect blame for atrocities, on occasion then taking responsibility long after the event, as in the case of the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh. A UK Channel 4 investigation said evidence presented by Israel was both likely fabricated and contradictory, but did not reach a conclusion regarding the origin of the blast. Israeli president Isaac Herzog called reports that Israel conducted the airstrike “21st century blood libel.” Many Western leaders called for an investigation or referred to the loss of life without condemning the perpetrators. Leaders in the Middle East were unequivocal in their condemnation of the Israeli airstrike. King Abdullah II of Jordan, PA president Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi canceled meetings with U.S. president Joe Biden scheduled for 10/18 in Amman. The UAE and Russia called a meeting of the UN Security Council on 10/18 on the attack on the hospital. U.S. Defense Department spokesperson Sabrina Singh said in response to questions about the incident that Hamas puts “their command and control units inside hospitals,” adding the U.S. does not know who the perpetrator was. Biden said he spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu and that his national security team will gather information about the incident. Large demonstrations were held in Washington D.C., Turkey, Jordan, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and Morocco. (AJ, AP 10/16; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/17; AJ, AJ, AP, C4, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/18)
The PA foreign ministry accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and genocide aimed at removing all Palestinians from Gaza. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said Israel has killed at least 3,057 Palestinians since the beginning of 2023, including 2,793 in Gaza and 264 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (WAFA, WAFA 10/17)
Fatah’s military wing, al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, called on President Abbas to step down as the head of Fatah’s Martyrs and Prisoners Commission. (AJ 10/18)
Military spokesperson Hagari ruled out a ceasefire, saying Israel continues to “prepare for the next stages of war.” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the Israeli campaign would take several months. The Israeli military also said that it could not confirm that white phosphorus was used in attacks on Gaza but maintained that it would not be “unlawful” in certain situations. Israeli police commissioner Kobi Shabtai said, “[w]hoever wants to become an Israeli citizen, welcome. Anyone who wants to identify with Gaza is welcome. I will put him on the buses heading there now.” Shabtai also said he had outlawed demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. (HA 10/17; AJ, HA, WAFA 10/18; AJ 10/19)
After the Israeli airstrike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital, President Abbas traveled back from Amman to Ramallah to hold an emergency meeting. In a speech Abbas called the airstrike a heinous crime and declared 3 days of mourning. Earlier in the day Abbas met with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken in Amman. Blinken later called Abbas to offer condolences on the massacre at al-Ahli Arab Hospital. PA envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour called on the UN Security Council to intervene by demanding a ceasefire. (AJ 10/16; AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/17; AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 10/18)
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with South African foreign minister Nalendi Pandor, who conveyed support for Palestine and expressed sadness for the loss of innocent life in Gaza and Israel. (AJ 10/16; REU 10/18)
The Knesset National Security Committee approved legislation allowing Israeli prisons to admit new inmates above their legal capacity, which would worsen conditions for Palestinian prisoners. Since 10/7, family visits have been suspended, public phones have been blocked, and all electrical devices have been cut off from power. The Hadassah University Hospital refused to treat a Palestinian militant captured by Israel, saying it would “offend national feelings.” (HA, HA 10/17)
The U.S. announced that President Biden will visit Israel on 10/18. The New York Times reported that Biden’s visit will postpone Israel’s planned ground operation in Gaza by at least 24 hours. The Times also reported that Israel has asked the U.S. for $10 billion in emergency aid. Secretary of State Blinken said the announcement was made after Prime Minister Netanyahu committed to allowing aid to enter Gaza and to establishing safe zones at an 8-hour long meeting of the Israeli war cabinet that Blinken attended. New York governor Kathy Hochul said she will visit Israel. Biden also said he will visit Jordan. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said he would push through an emergency aid package to Israel “as quickly as possible.” 6 Republican senators introduced legislation to end all U.S. funding for UNRWA. All senators except Rand Paul (I-KY) sponsored a resolution in support of Israel’s war against Hamas. (AJ, HA 10/16; AJ, HA, HA, REU, REU 10/17; HA 10/18)
King Abdullah II said Jordan and Egypt would not take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza, calling it a red line. Abdullah II also met with German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. Scholz warned Hezbollah and Iran to stay out of the Hamas-Israel war. Scholz later traveled to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Netanyahu, invoking the German genocide of the Jewish people as a reason for Germany to “ensure Israel’s existence and security.” Lebanese foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib said Israel was “pouring oil on fire” at the Lebanese border. Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said Egypt will host a summit on the situation in Gaza on 10/21. (AJ 10/16; HA, REU, REU, REU 10/17; AP, HA 10/18)
Iranian sources told Al Jazeera that the U.S. had sent the Iranian UN representative a message warning Iran of war if it enters the conflict. (HA 10/17)
U.S. Central Command commander Michael Kurilla arrived in Israel for meetings with Israeli military leaders. The U.S. also sent 2,000 Marines to the Middle East. (AJ, HA, HA, HA 10/16; HA, REU 10/17; AP 10/18)
Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping discussed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict during a meeting in Beijing. (AJ, AJ, HA 10/17)
159 U.S. citizens were evacuated from Israel headed for Cyprus on a cruise ship. Nearly 1,000 U.S. citizens have left Israel on State Department-charted planes to Europe since 10/13. (AJ, HA, HA 10/16; HA 10/17)
Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa said Japan will donate $10 million in emergency aid to Gaza. Spain said it would donate $1 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Netherlands pledged $10 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza. (AJ 10/16; HA, REU, REU, REU 10/17)
The EU held a video conference for the leaders of its 27 members to discuss the situation in Gaza and find a unified stance after EU member states had expressed dissatisfaction with the EU leadership’s pro-Israel statements, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s failure to call on Israel to abide by international law during her visit on 10/17. Irish president Michael D Higgins called von der Leyen’s comments about Israel’s attacks “thoughtless and even reckless,” questioning where she gets the authority to speak on behalf of the EU on the issue. After the meeting, the EU leadership agreed to condemn Hamas’ operation in Israel on 10/7, expressed solidarity with the people of Israel, said Israel has a right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law, and called on Hamas to release all captives. (AJ 10/15; AJ 10/16; AJ, EU, HA, REU 10/17)
Germany’s Mainz 05 soccer club suspended Dutch Egyptian player Anwar El Ghazi for a pro-Palestinian social media post. (AJ 10/17)
In the West Bank, a Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Tulkarm on 10/13. Israeli settlers vandalized 3 water wells, uprooted 70 olive tree saplings, and removed barbed wire in Susiya. Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians during raids in Aqabat Jaber refugee camp and Jenin. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians in Aqabat Jaber refugee camp and Fawwar refugee camp, injuring 4 with live ammunition. At least 70 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Tulkarm, Nablus, Ramallah, Nil’in, Qarawat Bani Hassan, Bethlehem, and Jericho. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed more than 100 Palestinians and caused extensive damage. Israeli forces also attacked the Rafah crossing for the fourth time since 10/7. Rockets were fired at Israel, causing damage and injuries. In Lebanon, Israel said it attacked Hezbollah targets. (AP 10/7; AJ, HA 10/15; AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/16; AJ, HA 10/17)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 2,808 Palestinians have been killed and 10,850 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7, including 47 entire families consisting of 500 people. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 58 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 12 children. More than 1,176 have been injured, including at least 300 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals; 4,121 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that over 1 million Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 11,887 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The Palestinian civil defense team said that more than 1,000 Palestinians were under the rubble of buildings in Gaza. 7 members of the civil defense team were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian civil defense headquarters in at-Tuffah, bringing the number of humanitarian staff killed since 10/7 to 31. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said 11 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ, HA 10/15; AJ, HA, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/16; AJ 10/17)
UNRWA said in a tweet that people claiming to be from the Gaza Ministry of Health seized fuel and medical equipment from its compound in Gaza City, before later deleting the tweet. An UNRWA statement later said that there had been no looting of UNRWA warehouses. (HA, HA 10/16; HA 10/17)
Palestinian prisoner Kayed al-Fafsous suspended his 75-day hunger strike after his family urged him to end it, fearing that Israel will let him die as part of its campaign against Palestinians related to the war with Hamas. Al-Fafsous was protesting being held in administrative detention. (WAFA 10/16)
Hamas released a video of one of its captives, a 21-year-old dual French Israeli citizen, who said in the video, “I'm in Gaza. I came back early on Saturday morning from a party in the Sderot area. I was seriously injured in the arm. They brought me to Gaza, and they took me to the hospital here for three hours. They've been taking care of me, providing medication. I'm just asking that you bring me back home as soon as possible to my family, my parents, my siblings. Please get me out of here as quickly as possible.” Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obeida said Hamas is holding around 200-250 people captive and that they are being treated with dignity and respect. He added that 22 captives have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7 and that non-Israeli captives will be released when “circumstances allow.” (AJ 10/15; AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 10/16; HA, REU, REU 10/17)
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan about the release of Hamas-held captives and with Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. (AJ 10/15; AJ, HA, REU, REU 10/16)
PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh met with UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Tor Wennesland in Ramallah, discussing the need for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and Russian president Vladimir Putin. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/16)
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said 199 people have been taking captive by Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli prime minister’s office denied reports that there will be a ceasefire to allow foreigners to leave Gaza. (AJ 10/15; AJ 10/16)
Israel said it allowed some aid to enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing but did not allow fuel to enter. Egypt said humanitarian aid for Gaza is stuck in Egypt as Israel is not cooperating in allowing the aid to enter Gaza. The EU said it would launch a humanitarian air bridge to Egypt with aid to Gaza and the UN began shipping aid to Egypt in anticipation of being able to enter Gaza. (AJ 10/15; AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU 10/16; WAFA 10/17)
Hezbollah said it started destroying Israeli surveillance cameras near the Blue Line. (AP 10/16)
The Israeli military said it will evacuate Israeli residents from 28 communities within 1.2 miles of the Blue Line. (HA, REU, REU 10/16; HA, HA 10/17)
The Knesset National Security Committee approved new regulations making it easier for Israelis to obtain a gun license. 41,000 Israelis have applied for a license since 10/7. (HA 10/16; WAFA 10/17; HA 10/24)
The U.S. said 30 U.S. citizens were killed since 10/7 and 13 are unaccounted for. (HA 10/15; HA 10/16)
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Iranian state TV that a “preemptive strike” against Israel could be expected as Israel continues to attack Gaza. Amir-Abdollahian suggested the strike would be carried out by Hezbollah and would be related to a potential Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said that Iran considers the U.S. militarily involved in the conflict. (AJ 10/15; AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU, REU 10/16; AJ 10/17)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Putin that Israel would not end its attacks on Gaza until Israel had eliminated Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities. Netanyahu also spoke with UAE president Mohammed bin Zayed. (AJ 10/15; HA, REU 10/16; HA, REU 10/17)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken visited Israel again after touring the Middle East over the weekend, meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Israeli war cabinet, and President Isaac Herzog. Blinken said Israel had agreed to develop a plan to get humanitarian aid to Gaza without it benefiting Hamas. Blinken also spoke with Foreign Minister Fidan, who condemned Israel’s “inhumane” actions in Gaza. President Joe Biden spoke with German chancellor Olaf Scholz and Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. has prepared around 2,000 soldiers for potential deployment to Israel to serve as advisors and for medical support. (AJ 10/15; AJ, HA, NYT, REU, REU 10/16; AP, HA, REU 10/17; HA 10/18)
The UN Security Council rejected a Russian resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and condemning violence and terrorism against civilians. 5 countries voted for the resolution (China, Russia the UAE, Gabon, and Mozambique), 4 voted against (the U.S., the UK, France, and Japan), while 6 abstained. The U.S. criticized the resolution for not condemning Hamas. (AJ, HA, REU 10/16; AP, WAFA 10/17)
U.S. senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Peter Welch (D-VT) called on Israel to protect civilians in Gaza. 14 U.S. senators, 8 Democrats, 5 Republican, and 1 independent, called on President Biden to freeze $6 billion in Iranian assets held in Qatar that the U.S. exchanged for the release of people held in Iran last month. 13 members of the House co-sponsored a resolution urging Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire. The resolution spearheaded was by Cori Bush (D-MO), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Summer Lee (D-PA), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), and Andre Carson (D-IN). (AJ 10/15; AJ, AJ, HA 10/16)
Pakistani foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani called Israel’s attacks on Gaza genocide. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau called for the opening of a humanitarian corridor in Gaza to allow delivery of food, fuel, and water. Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf said that he fears that his in-laws, who are visiting Gaza, could die any day as they are running out of water and food. Prime Minister Sunak characterized the Hamas operation on 10/7 as a “pogrom” while addressing the House of Commons and said, “Israel must defend itself in line with international humanitarian law.” Sunak said 6 UK citizens have been killed and 10 are missing. Furthermore, Sunak said the UK would increase its aid to Palestinians by $12.12 million. Sunak also spoke to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who warned him about making “provocative steps” and reminded him of the “unkept promises [made] to Palestine.” (AJ 10/15; HA, HA, REU, REU, REU, REU 10/16; HA 10/17)
U.S. police arrested 50 demonstrators outside the White House who were calling for a ceasefire. The demonstration was arranged by Jewish American groups, including IfNotNow. (AJ 10/15; HA 10/16)
The BBC apologized for describing thousands of protesters in London on 10/14 as backing Hamas, calling the reporting misleading. (AJ 10/15)
The New York Times reported that Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, was accused of suppressing pro-Palestinian content on its platforms. (NYT 10/16)
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, concluded that “Israeli forces used lethal forces without justification under international human rights law,” when soldiers killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin in 5/11/2022. (AJ 10/15; AJ 10/16)
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. president Donald Trump said he would expel immigrants who are anti-Zionists, support Hamas, or are Communist, Marxist, or Fascist. (HA, REU 10/16)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and stole an olive harvest near Burqa. Israeli settlers also used pepper spray against 2 Palestinians at the Awarta checkpoint. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinian vehicles in Shaab al-Butum in the Masafer Yatta area, causing damage. Israeli settlers also assaulted a Palestinian man in Deir Istiya. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian minor in Beita. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters, injuring 2 with live ammunition, in Tubas. 52 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Deir Istiya, and Ramallah. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed around 450 Palestinians and caused extensive damage. Israel also assassinated Hamas commander in the Khan Yunis Battalion Bilal al-Kadra. Rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel, causing injuries. In Lebanon, UNIFIL said its headquarters in southern Lebanon was hit by a rocket. Hamas said it had fired 20 rockets from Lebanon at Israel. Hezbollah said it had hit 2 tanks and an armored vehicle “in response to the killing of journalists and civilians.” An Israeli was killed and 3 were wounded by anti-tank missiles fired by Hezbollah at Shtula. (AP 10/7; AJ, HA 10/14; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/15; HA, HA, HA 10/16)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 2,670 Palestinians have been killed and 9,600 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7, including 47 entire families consisting of 500 people. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. Due to a lack of space in cemeteries, about 100 unidentified Palestinian bodies were laid to rest in mass graves in Gaza City. 55 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 12 children. More than 1,173 have been injured, including at least 300 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals; 3,436 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that nearly 600,000 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. The UN acknowledged that the number of displaced Palestinians was likely much higher because of the Israel order for Palestinians in the north to leave for the south. At least 11,887 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ 10/14; AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/15; AJ, HA, REU 10/16; HA 10/20)
The WHO said 4 hospitals in northern Gaza have been made nonoperational due to Israeli attacks and 21 hospitals have been ordered to evacuate by Israel. WHO also said it delivered medical supplies to 2,000 patients in Gaza “[d]espite the Israeli airstrikes.” There were reports of aid amassing near the Rafah crossing as Israel has not promised safe passage for the aid to enter Gaza. The U.S. said Israel had agree to supply water to some areas of Gaza. Hamas said the water had not started running as of 10/16. UNRWA said that water has run out at UN facilities sheltering Palestinians who have fled their homes. The remaining seawater distillation plant in Gaza closed due to a lack of fuel. (AJ 10/14; AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 10/15; AJ, HA, REU 10/16)
UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said “Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life. Soon, I believe, with this there will be no food or medicine either.” Lazzarini said UNRWA was no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza. 14 UNRWA employees have been killed and 13,000 displaced from their homes. (AJ, HA, WAFA 10/15)
The Commission of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs and the Prisoners’ Society said Palestinian workers from Gaza were being detained by Israel at Anatot camp. It was unclear how many were being kept in the camp. (WAFA 10/15; HA 10/17)
The New York Times reported that Israel had “loosened” its rules of engagement for its planned ground invasion in Gaza. (AJ 10/14)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas told Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro that Hamas’ actions and policies do not represent the Palestinian people. After the phone call, Maduro said that Venezuela would send 30 tones of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Abbas also spoke to U.S. president Joe Biden. (AJ 10/14; HA, REU 10/15; WAFA 10/16)
A landlord in Planfield, Illinois stabbed and killed a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and severely injured his mother. The man screamed “you Muslims must die!” as he attacked the 2 in their apartment. President Biden called the killing a “horrific act of hate.” (AJ 10/14; AJ, AJ, HA 10/15; HA, WAFA 10/16)
Israeli communications minister Shlomo Karhi said he will ask the cabinet to close Al Jazeera’s office in Israel. Karhi also promoted emergency regulations titled, “Limiting Aid to the Enemy through Communications,” that would allow him to direct Israeli police to arrest people, remove them from their homes, and seize their property if he believes they have spread information that could harm national morale or serve as enemy propaganda. (HA, HA 10/15)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said President Abbas and “virtually every other leader that I have talked to in the region” warned against the idea of transferring Palestinians from Gaza to the Sinai Peninsula. Blinken also met with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, announcing the Rafah crossing was open. It was unclear if it was only open for aid or for travel; reporting suggested it was not open for either. El-Sisi criticized Blinken for his remarks in Israel earlier in the week, when Blinken said he came to Israel “as a Jew,” and el-Sisi said the Israeli attacks on Gaza go beyond self-defense and amount to collective punishment. Blinken also met with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman who, after letting Blinken wait for hours for the meeting, urged him to help stop the attacks, make Israel respect international law, and lift the siege on Gaza. Blinken has also visited the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain since leaving Jordan on 10/13. (AJ 10/14; DOS, HA, HA, REU, REU 10/15; AJ 10/16; HA 10/18)
President Biden tweeted “[w]e must not lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas’s appealing attacks, and are suffering as a result of them.” Biden also told 60 Minutes that it would be a big mistake for Israel to reoccupy Gaza. Biden further said Hamas needs to be eliminated, while there needs to be a Palestinian authority in Gaza and a path to a Palestinian state. (AJ, HA, REU 10/15; HA 10/16)
U.S. senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Jackie Rosen (D-NV) traveled to Israel, meeting with President Isaac Herzog. (HA 10/15)
Israel suspended security exports to Colombia in response to a tweet on 10/9 by President Gustavo Petro comparing Israel’s response to Gaza, particularly its language about Palestinians and the total blockade of Gaza, to that of the Nazis. (AJ, HA 10/15)
The African Union and Arab League issued a joint statement saying an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza could lead to “genocide of unprecedented proportions.” (AJ 10/14)
King Abdullah II of Jordan met with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak in London in his first visit to Europe as part of his effort to convince European leaders to help end the war on Gaza. (HA 10/15)
Algeria said it would host “all official and non-official matches involving the Palestinian [national soccer] team’s preparation for qualification to the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup and to assume all associated costs.” (AJ 10/14; AJ 10/17)
In the West Bank, PA forces arrested Palestinian journalist Taraiq Yousef al-Sarkji in his home in Nablus. In Gaza, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters near the Gaza fence east of Gaza City, injuring 1 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also conducted airstrikes, causing damage to 2 sites east of Gaza City. (HA, MEE, WAFA, WAFA 9/25; PCHR 9/27)
The non-resident Saudi ambassador to Palestine, Nayef al-Sudairi met with PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh in Ramallah. Al-Sudairi is expected to meet with PA president Mahmoud Abbas on 9/26, marking the first visit by a Saudi official to Palestine since 1967. (WAFA, WAFA 9/25)
In the West Bank, 2 Israeli settlers were injured by broken glass after their vehicle was shot at near Huwwara. Israeli settlers assaulted 1 Palestinian man with stones near Burqa. Israeli forces issued demolition orders for 3 homes and stop-work orders for 14 homes in Ein ad-Duyuk at-Tahta; 1 Palestinian was shot and injured before being arrested during the raid. 24 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Bethlehem, Nablus, Khirbat Karme, Tulkarm, Rumana, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers with police protection stormed and tried to seize 1 Palestinian-owned home in the Old City, the settlers were later removed from the home. Israeli settlers also toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, 12 Palestinian militant factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, held military drills dubbed Hard Corner 4. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/12; ALM 9/13; MDW, PCHR 9/14; UNOCHA 9/26)
Hamas Political Bureau deputy chairperson Moussa Abu Marzouk met with Lebanese officials and members of Palestinian factions, including Fatah’s Azzam al-Ahmad, to try to broker a settlement between the Islamist groups and Fatah who have been fighting in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp since late July. (AP 9/12; AJ, ALM 9/13)
PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh met with UK foreign secretary James Cleverly in Ramallah, calling on the UK to recognize the State of Palestine. Foreign Secretary Cleverly met with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, before arriving in the West Bank. (MEMO 9/11; QDS, WAFA 9/12)
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian man, described as a bystander, was killed during an exchange of fire between Palestinian militants and PA forces in Tulkarm. Palestinian militants threw an explosive device at Israeli soldiers who were escorting Israeli settlers to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus, injuring 4. Israeli settlers assaulted 1 Palestinian man in Khirbet Umm Zuqah in the Jordan Valley. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian man before arresting him, claiming he had attempted to ram Israeli soldiers near Hebron; his father at their home in Karma. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians in Beit Umar, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished an agricultural structure in Khirbet Tiba. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Jericho, Tulkarm, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, an Israeli settler shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor in Bab a-Zahara, claiming he had stabbed 1 Israeli soldier. Israeli forces prevented the minor from receiving first aid; in a video the minor appeared unarmed before he was executed. Israeli settlers also toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israel forces made 1 Palestinian family demolish their own home in the Old City, displacing 4. 7 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids. (AJ, AJ, ALM, HA, HA, HA, MEE, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/30; AP, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, PCHR, WAFA 8/31; UNOCHA 9/11)
The Coordination Administration for the Marches of Return in Gaza announced that it would be setting up tents east of Gaza City in preparation for the renewal of the Great March of Return protests. (HA, MEMO 8/31)
Israel denied the director of the Bisan Center for Research and Development, Ubai Aboudi, exit to Jordan via the Allenby crossing, summoning him for questioning. It was the third time that Israel has prevented Aboudi from traveling since 2022. Aboudi was scheduled to attend a meeting with UN human rights experts in Jordan. (Bisan, QDS, WAFA 9/5)
UNRWA made an appeal for $15.5 million to rebuild infrastructure, provide new schooling locations, and give cash assistance to Palestinian refugees who were displaced due to the fighting in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon earlier this month. (AP 8/30)
PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki attended the opening of the Palestinian embassy to Tajikistan in Dushanbe. (WAFA 8/30)
Axios reported that the PA has provided Saudi Arabia with a list of possible deliverables in exchange for not opposing Saudi-Israeli normalization. PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh was reported to have given Saudi national security advisor Musaed bin Mohammed al-Aiban the list 3 months ago. The list reportedly included: changing the status of parts of Area C to Area B, for the U.S. to reopen its consulate to Palestinians in Jerusalem, for Saudi Arabia open a consulate to the PA in Jerusalem, for Saudi Arabia to resume funding of the PA, and for Israel to agree to resume final status negotiations under a clear timeline. Axios further reported that al-Sheikh, PA intelligence chief Majed Faraj, and PA president Mahmoud Abbas’ foreign policy advisor Majdi Khaldi met with U.S. assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs Barbara Leaf last week in Jordan. Axios later reported that the meeting between the Palestinian officials and Leaf was tense, as Leaf dismissed the idea that the U.S. would support Palestine to obtain full UN membership. (AX 8/30; HA, MEE, WSJ 8/31; AX 9/3)
A report commissioned by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People found that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank is unlawful, calling on Israel to immediately and unconditionally withdraw, including evacuating Israeli settlers. (MEE 8/30)
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned Israeli attacks in Syria during a press conference in Damascus, threatening retaliation. (HA 8/30)