The Palestine Chronology

The IDF assassinates wanted AMB mbr. Ibrahim al-Nanish in Tulkarm, wounding 1 bystander; bulldozes 3 dunams of land, a bird farm nr. Khan Yunis; for no apparent reason fires on Palestinians, cars waiting to cross a checkpoint nr. Khan Yunis, wounding 8. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in the 10/20 IDF attack on Nussayrat r.c., bringing that toll to at least 12. The Knesset Finance Comm. approves a $28 m. supplemental allocation for “frontline” Jewish settlements. (HA 10/28; NYT, WT 10/29; PCHR 10/30)

Arafat asks Qurai‘ to remain on as PM, for a new government after the term of the emergency government expires on 11/4. (HA, NYT, WP, WT 10/29)

IDF undercover units arrest 2 senior Hamas mbrs. in a raid on Ramallah. The IDF also demolishes a Palestinian home in Qalqilya; occupies a Palestinian home in Dayr al-Balah; blows up a carpentry shop in Nablus; conducts arrest raids in Qalqilya. Palestinians fire 3 Qassam rockets at Sederot; 1 falls on a factory outside the city, lightly injuring 3 Israelis. Palestinians also fire 2 mortars at an IDF base nr. Gush Katif settlement, lightly injuring 9 soldiers, moderately injuring 1; in retaliation, the IDF sends more than 100 tanks and armored vehicles, supported by helicopters, into Khan Yunis, shelling residential areas, wounding at least 20 Palestinians, demolishing 26 Palestinian homes (leaving 247 Palestinians homeless), damaging another 30. The body of the missing 4/29 British bomber washes up on shore nr. Tel Aviv; he apparently drowned. (AFP, BBC, HA, JP, MM 5/13; AFP, HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 5/14; NYT, PCHR 5/15; MM 5/16; HA 5/18, 5/19)

In a predawn raid on Umm al-Fahm, Israeli police arrest 15 Israeli Arabs, all leading mbrs. of the Islamic Movement (which has 2 seats in the Knesset) on charges of laundering millions of dollars for Hamas in the guise of raising money for charitable orgs.; police say they do not have proof that the Islamic Movement funded acts of terrorism. (HA, JP, MM 5/13; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 5/14)