In the West Bank, Israeli settlers graze their sheep on Palestinian land in al-‘Awja, damaging wheat and barley crops. Israeli settlers also throw stones at Palestinian vehicles and block the road...
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April 1, 2024
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March 29, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to vending stalls on Route 90 near Ein al-Beida. Israeli forces close the entrance to Deir Istiya and block a road between Burqa and Sebastia. Israeli...
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March 28, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers burn down a Palestinian home in al-Muarajat. Israeli settlers also try to demolish a home in al-Jiftlik. 3 settlers are injured when gunmen open fire at vehicles...
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March 25, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli forces install iron gates and place cement blocks at the entrances to Maeen, Shaab al-Butum, and Umm al-Khair in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces also deliver...
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March 16, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers throw stones at homes in Burin. Israeli settlers also raid Duma, threatening Palestinians with evictions. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man in...
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March 14, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Jalbun and Huwwara, opening fire at homes; no injuries are reported. Israeli forces demolish 7 agricultural structures in Barta’a and 2 agricultural...
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March 12, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Burin, setting fire to a vehicle and vandalizing 2 others. Israeli forces shoot and kill 2 Palestinians, including a child, and injure 3 others in al-Jib....
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March 7, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers block a road leading to Nablus after Israeli forces reopened the road for the first time since 10/7/2023. Israeli settlers also bring livestock to graze on...
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March 5, 2024
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to wounds sustained from Israeli forces during a raid in Jenin on 2/29. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian child in Huwwara. Israeli forces...
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February 25, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Arab al-Milehat, stealing nearly 30 sheep. Israeli forces uproot 50 trees in Sarta while preparing to build a settler road. Israeli forces also raid Jenin,...
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February 4, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers block a road between Ramallah and Nablus with burning tires. Israeli forces dressed as Palestinians raid Balata refugee camp, injuring 3 Palestinians, including...
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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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December 4, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers razed 5 dunams (1.2 acres) of land and threw stones at Palestinians and Israeli activists in Khirbet al-Farisiyya. Israeli settlers also vandalized 15 vehicles...
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November 30, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 10 olive trees in Kafr ad-Dik. Israeli settlers with a military escort also raided al-Twana, assaulting Palestinians. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers...
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November 29, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces attacked Palestinian farmers in Kisan and set fire to crops in Qaryut. Israeli settlers stole an olive harvest in Khirbet Yanun. Israeli forces continued their...
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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 22, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided Tulkarm refugee camp, killing 6 Palestinians and injuring 3 in a drone strike, uprooted streets, and put 2 hospitals under siege. Israeli forces also shot...
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November 18, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Burin, stealing crops. Israeli settlers posing as soldiers also attacked 2 Palestinians in...
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November 11, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked and injured 4 Palestinians harvesting olives in Jamma’in with dogs, stones, and pepper spray. Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians during raids...
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October 31, 2023
In the West Bank, a Palestinian child succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Zawata on 10/30. Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinian farmers in Beit Umar, causing damage to a...
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October 21, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers injured 5 Palestinians in Yasuf, including 3 with live ammunition and 2 with stones. Israeli settlers also assaulted Palestinians harvesting olives in Deir...
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October 12, 2023
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October 8, 2023
In the West Bank, armed Israeli settlers vandalized Palestinian vehicles south of Jericho. Israeli settlers also opened fire at Palestinian homes in Jalbun; no injuries were reported. Israeli...
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September 18, 2023
In the West Bank, the Israeli military claimed that Palestinian militants had opened fire at Israeli soldiers on 3 separate occasions at the Salem checkpoint and in Dayr Sharaf and Jalbun,...
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September 14, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinians, including a medic, with baton rounds during a late-night raid in Beita; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces...
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September 5, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in Nur Shams refugee camp. Israeli bulldozers caused extensive damage during the raid, including to the main...
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May 9, 2023
In Gaza, Israeli forces assassinated 3 Islamic Jihad commanders, Khalil Bahtini, commander of the...
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February 12, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor and injured 2 others with live ammunition during a raid in Jenin. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian...
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July 19, 2021
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers planted trees near al-Farisya and ‘Ain al-Hilweh. Israeli forces delivered a stop-work order to 1 Palestinian for his agricultural fields and seized 1 bulldozer...
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March 18, 2021
In the West Bank, 9 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Bayt Umar, Ya‘bad, Hebron, Jalazun, Qalandia, Salfit, Abu Dis, and Hizma; during a raid in Bayt Umar, Israeli forces assaulted 4...
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers graze their sheep on Palestinian land in al-‘Awja, damaging wheat and barley crops. Israeli settlers also throw stones at Palestinian vehicles and block the road leading to the Huwwara checkpoint. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, causing damage. Israeli settlers also attack a Palestinian home in Khalayl al-Louz. Israeli forces violently disperse Palestinians in Huwwara, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also demolish 6 commercial structures in al-‘Awja and issue a stop-work notice for a home in Deir Balut. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seize a tractor in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Israeli forces also close the entrance to Husan. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 25 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarm, Aqraba, Hebron, and Bethlehem. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Khan Yunis, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 63 people, including 7 aid workers of Palestinian, Polish, American, British, and Australian nationality from World Central Kitchen in Dayr al-Balah. Israeli forces also withdraw from al-Shifa Hospital after a 14-day siege, leaving it completely destroyed; witnesses say that hundreds of bodies are found in and around the hospital. The Gaza Media Office says that 400 Palestinians were killed during the attack on al-Shifa. In the Naqab, Israeli police arrest the sister of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who is an Israeli citizen, in Tel as-Sabi. A drone launched from Iraq damages an Israeli military building in Eliat; no injuries are reported. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq takes responsibility. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Rachaya Al Foukhar. In Jordan, protesters demonstrate near the Israeli embassy in Amman for the ninth day in a row. In Syria, Israeli forces target an Iranian consulate building in Damascus with airstrikes, assassinating Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp senior commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and killing 11 others. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/1; AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA 4/2; AP, UNOCHA 4/3; NYT 4/4)
More than 32,845 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,750 children and 8,900 women, and around 75,392 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 445 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 4,700 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, 254 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,520 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. 190 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (AJ, HA, WAFA 4/1; AP, AP, NYT 4/2; UNOCHA, UNOCHA 4/3)
World Central Kitchen (WCK) suspends all operations in Gaza after 7 of its workers are killed in an Israeli airstrike (see above), returning 3 ships docked off the coast of Gaza carrying 240 tons of aid to Cyprus. The organization runs 68 community kitchens in Gaza and has sent some 1,700 truckloads of aid into Gaza. Several investigations into the Israeli bombing of the WCK aid convoy reveal that the 3 vehicles the aid workers were in were targeted in 3 strikes 1.5 miles apart. The 3 vehicles were clearly marked with WCK’s logo on the top of the cars. The Israeli narrative changes several times during the period after the attack, from saying an armed person was traveling with the vehicles to saying the clearly marked vehicles were misidentified. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the attack “unintended” and “tragic” and says “[t]hese things happen in wartime.” UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese says the Israeli attack was a deliberate effort to starve the population of Gaza. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese calls Netanyahu, expressing “anger and concern” at the killing of the Australian aid worker. U.S. president Joe Biden says he is “outraged and heartbroken,” adding Israel is not doing enough to protect aid workers. The White House claims that there is no evidence that the aid workers were killed deliberately. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres says 196 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since 10/7/2023. Refugees International president Jeremy Konyndyk calls the attack “a clear war crime.” Hamas labels the attack terrorism. (REU 4/1; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, AX, BC, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/2; AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 4/3; NYT 4/4)
The Israeli Civil Administration announces that it will seize 206.3 dunams (51 acres) of land in Jiftlik, adding it to the settlement council in the Jordan Valley and declare 170 dunams (42 acres) of Palestinian land south of Furaydis near the Etzion settlement bloc as state land. (AJ, PCN, WAFA 4/1; PCN 4/2)
The Knesset passes a law allowing the Israeli government to ban Al Jazeera in Israel in a 71-10 vote. Al Jazeera says Prime Minister Netanyahu, who called it a “terror channel,” is lying about the news organization to justify the killing of its employees. Minister for the development of the Negev (Naqab) and Galilee Yitzhak Wasserlauf calls for the resettlement of Gaza. (AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, REU 4/1; AJ 4/2)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas speaks with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken in a phone call, calling on the U.S. to stop the Israeli attacks on Gaza. The 2 also discuss the new PA government. PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour calls on the UN Security Council to schedule a vote on full Palestinian membership of the UN in April. The UN General Assembly voted to grant Palestine full membership in 2011 but the decision was never discussed at the Security Council. (AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 4/1; AP 4/2)
U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary Blinken hold a virtual meeting with Israeli national security advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, discussing Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah. A joint statement says Israel has agreed to take U.S. concerns into account. Reuters reports that the U.S. considering approving an arms transfer to Israel worth $18 billion, including 25 F-15 fighter jets. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre says the Biden administration is seeking more information from Israel about footage of executions at al-Shifa Hospital. Jean-Pierre also express concern over Israel’s push to ban Al Jazeera. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 4/1; AJ, AP, HA, NYT 4/2; AX 4/3)
At the UN Security Council, France circulates a draft resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, condemning Hamas’ attack on Israel on 10/7/2023, and demanding immediate access for aid into Gaza. (AP 4/2)
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Israeli failures in Gaza have led to Israel targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus, calling for a serious international response. Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi says the attack will not go unanswered. Pakistan and Syria condemn Israel’s attack. Russia requests that the UN Security Council convene on 4/2 to discuss the attack. Axios reports that the U.S. tells Iran that it did not have any involvement in the attack. (AJ, HA, HA, NYT 4/1; AP, AX, HA, REU 4/2; AP, REU 4/3)
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez tells reporters in Amman that he expects Spain will recognize the State of Palestine by July and that many other countries in the EU would do the same. (AJ, HA, HA, REU 4/2)
Sri Lanka donates $1 million to UNRWA. (WAFA 4/1)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to vending stalls on Route 90 near Ein al-Beida. Israeli forces close the entrance to Deir Istiya and block a road between Burqa and Sebastia. Israeli forces also arrest 25 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Jerusalem. In East Jerusalem, Christians mark Good Friday while thousands of Christians from the West Bank are prevented from entering the city. Around 125,000 worshippers attend Friday prayers at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Maghazi, Jabalia refugee camp, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 71 people, including 17 people at a police station in Gaza City. Israeli forces continue to raid and besiege al-Shifa Hospital. An Israeli soldier is killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces assassinate Hezbollah member Ali Abed Akhsan Naim in an airstrike on Bazouriyeh. Israeli forces also bomb Ayta ash Shab and Meiss Ej Jabal. Hezbollah forces fire missiles at Israeli military positions in Avivim, Metula, and al-Malikiyya. In Jordan, protesters demonstrate outside of the Israeli embassy in Amman for the sixth day in a row. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb Aleppo, killing 52 people. A Syrian colonel is assassinated when his booby-trapped car explodes in Damascus. The colonel reportedly had close links to Hezbollah. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, 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 3/29; AJ, HA 3/30; UNOCHA 4/3)
More than 32,623 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 75,092 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 444 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 111 children. More than 4,700 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, 253 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,520 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. 135 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. U.S. and UK forces airdrop aid over northern Gaza. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/29; UNOCHA 4/3)
Forensic Architecture says Israel is committing deliberate ecocide in Gaza, adding to the famine. The organization finds that Israel has uprooted most of the orchards in Gaza and systematically targeted agricultural farmlands since 10/7/2023. (FA, GDN 3/29)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas speaks with Bulgarian president Rumen Radev in a phone call, discussing the situation in Palestine. (WAFA 3/29)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will return to ceasefire negotiations. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly pitched to U.S. officials during his visit to Washington D.C. earlier this week that Arab forces are brought to Gaza to defend aid convoys and the jetty the U.S. is planning to build. (AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, REU 3/29; HA 4/1)
The Washington Post reports that the U.S. has approved the transfer of 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs, 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, and F35-A fighter jets worth $2.5 billion to Israel. The PA foreign ministry issues a statement saying “[d]emanding [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to stop killing civilians and supplying him with weapons is an unprecedented principled and moral contradiction.” (HA, REU, WP 3/29; AJ, AJ, HA 3/30; AJ 3/31)
The Times of Israel reports that the U.S. has informed the Israeli Finance Ministry that U.S. sanctions on Israeli settlers do not have to be enforced by Israeli banks. The clarification reportedly comes after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would retaliate against the sanctions by further impeding the Palestinian economy. (HA, TOI 3/29)
The Harvard University law school’s student government calls on the university to “divest completely from weapons manufacturers, firms, academic programs, corporations, and all other institutions that aid the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine and the genocide of Palestinians.” (AJ 3/31)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers burn down a Palestinian home in al-Muarajat. Israeli settlers also try to demolish a home in al-Jiftlik. 3 settlers are injured when gunmen open fire at vehicles near Jericho. Israeli forces shoot and injure 4 Palestinians during a raid in Qalandia refugee camp. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian during a raid in Nablus. Israeli forces arrest 25 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Tulkarm, Jenin, and Salfit. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Beit Lahiya, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, and Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least 62 people. Israeli forces also continue the sieges of al-Shifa and al-Amal hospitals, shooting and killing Sawt al-Quds Radio journalist Muhammad Abu Sakhil at al-Shifa. A Palestinian child dies of starvation at the Kamal Adwan Hospital. In Lebanon, Hezbollah forces attack Israeli positions in Kfarchouba. In Jordan, large protests near the Israeli embassy continue for the fifth day in a row. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb Damascus, injuring 2. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/28; AP, AP, REU, UNOCHA 3/29)
More than 32,552 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 74,980 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 444 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 111 children. More than 4,700 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, 252 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,520 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. Reuters reports that Israel is delaying visa requests for aid workers, hindering aid efforts. UNICEF says Israel has directly hit 212 schools in airstrikes since 10/7/2023, including 53 that have been completely destroyed. 7 members of Palestinian Red Crescent are released by Israel after being arrested at al-Amal Hospital on 2/9. (AJ, REU, REU, WAFA 3/28; UNOCHA 3/29)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas approves the new government presented to him by prime minister Mohammed Mustafa. The government will be sworn in on 3/31. The PA says Israel is showing “total contempt” for the UN Security Council ceasefire resolution with its continued attacks on Gaza. Abbas meets with Belgian foreign minister Hadja Lahbib. Lahbib says during a tour of West Bank villages “[c]olonization and increasing violence perpetrated by settlers in the West Bank are illegal. They must stop.” (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, REU, WAFA, WAFA 3/28; HA, NYT 3/29)
Hamas deputy political leader Khalil al-Hayya says he is not optimistic about a ceasefire deal in the near future but that Hamas is ready to resume negotiations and ready to show “the greatest level of flexibility for the sake of our people.” Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades leader Mohammed Deif calls on Muslims to “[s]tart marching today, now, not tomorrow, towards Palestine” in a recorded speech. (AJ, AP 3/28)
Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziyad al-Nakhalah meets with Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran. (AJ 3/28)
Israel claims to have killed Hamas commander Raad Thabet at al-Shifa Hospital, calling him a top 10 commander. The Gaza Media Office says Israeli forces have killed around 200 people on the hospital grounds since 3/18, including 65 members of the civil defense. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor says Israel has executed 13 children in and around al-Shifa since 3/18. (AJ, HA 3/28)
The ICJ issues new provisional orders against Israel, including ordering Israel to ensure the unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, and medical supplies. The ICJ also orders Israel to open up more crossings and keep them open for “as long as necessary.” The ICJ says that since the provisional measures were first ordered on 1/26 the situation in Gaza has changed from a risk of famine to the beginning of a famine. The PA and South Africa welcome the new measures. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, REU, REU, WAFA 3/28; AJ, AP 3/29)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells families of Israeli soldiers held captive in Gaza that the Israeli military is preparing to enter Rafah. (AJ 3/28)
U.S. military chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown says the U.S. has not provided Israel with all the weapons they have asked for due to a lack of capacity and not being willing to provide certain types of weapons or ammunition. Politico reports that the Department of Defense is exploring creating a fund for a multinational or Palestinian peacekeeping force in Gaza. (AJ, AP, HA 3/28)
The German bank Berliner Sparkasse freezes the account of the Jewish anti-Zionist group The Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East and request a list of its members and their addresses. (AJ 3/28)
France will reportedly pursue legal action against French Israeli soldiers implicated in war crimes in Gaza. (HA 3/28)
Japan says it will resume funding of UNRWA after foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa meets UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini in Tokyo. France says it will provide $32.41 million to UNRWA in 2024. Kuwait donates $2 million to UNRWA. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 3/28; AJ 3/29)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces install iron gates and place cement blocks at the entrances to Maeen, Shaab al-Butum, and Umm al-Khair in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces also deliver demolition notices for several structures in Hizma. Elsewhere, Israeli forces arrest 15 Palestinians during raids in and around Ramallah, Qalqilya, Jenin, Hebron, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers vandalize Palestinian shops in the Old City. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, and Dayr al-Balah, killing at least 107 people. Israeli forces also force Palestinians to evacuate al-Amal Hospital as it and al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals remain under siege. 8 rockets are fired at Israel; no damage is reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Meiss Ej Jabal. (AJ, AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, UNOCHA 3/25)
More than 32,333 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 74,694 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 440 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 111 children. More than 4,665 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, 251 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,509 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. 139 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The U.S. and UK airdrop aid over northern Gaza. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 3/25; AJ, HA 3/26; UNOCHA 3/29)
At the UN Security Council, a resolution drafted by the council’s 10 elected members and demanding an immediate ceasefire through the month of Ramadan leading to a lasting ceasefire and the release of Israeli captives passes as the U.S. abstains and the 14 other council members vote in favor. The U.S. claims the resolution is non-binding, contrary to the stipulations of international law, and that the vote does not represent a shift in U.S. policy. U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield says the U.S. abstained because it does not agree with everything in the resolution, noting that the U.S.’s request to add condemnation of Hamas was ignored. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the U.S. abstention a “clear departure from the consistent U.S. position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war” and cancels an Israeli delegation’s visit to the White House that would have discussed alternatives to a ground invasion of Rafah. The PA calls the resolution a step in the right direction. Hamas says it is committed to the conditions of the resolution and calls on the world to oblige Israel to implement it. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres says the resolution must be implemented and that it would be “unforgivable” if it is not. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AX, AX, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/25; AJ, AP, NYT, WAFA, WAFA 3/26)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock in Ramallah. Germany donates $48 million to UNRWA for programs in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. (AJ, WAFA 3/25)
Hamas says Israel has not responded to its ceasefire counterproposal and reiterates that the 4 main points of its proposal are: a comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in, and “a real exchange of prisoners.” (AJ, HA, REU 3/25; HA, HA 3/26)
Fatah issues a statement attacking Hamas for its criticism of the choice of Mohammad Mustafa as the new PA prime minister, saying “whoever caused Israel’s reoccupation of the Gaza Strip …. Does not have the right to dictate national priorities.” (WAFA 3/25)
The U.S. says it finds Israel’s assurances that it is not using U.S.-supplied weapons in contravention of international law credible and finds that Israel is not impeding U.S. humanitarian assistance to Gaza. 17 U.S. senators urged the Biden administration on 3/22 to determine that the Israeli assurances were not credible. (AJ, HA, HA 3/25)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant meets with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington D.C. Blinken reportedly tells Gallant that there are alternatives to an invasion of Rafah and calls for more aid to enter Gaza. (AX, HA, REU 3/25; AJ, NYT 3/26)
UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese issues a report saying that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Albanese adds that, “Israel’s genocide on the Palestinians in Gaza is an escalatory stage of a long-standing settler colonial process of erasure.” Albanese calls on UN member states to implement an arms embargo on Israel in addition to other economic and political measures. Albanese also recommends that South Africa brings its ICJ case against Israel to the UN Security Council as Israel is ignoring the interim rulings. (AJ 3/25; AJ 3/26)
Israeli emergency unity government minister Gideon Saar resigns from the government after his request to join the war cabinet is denied. (AJ, AX, HA, HA, REU 3/25)
Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi says during a press conference with Secretary-General Guterres that there “is nothing to deter Israel, but we have gone beyond that. The Israeli government is led by radical racist menaces.” (AJ, REU 3/25)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says in an interview with Israel Hayom that Israel has to “finish up” the war because it is “losing at lot of the world … losing a lot of support.” (AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU 3/25; AJ 3/26)
The Brussels City Council votes unanimously to ban public procurement of products made in Israeli settlements. (AJ 3/26)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers throw stones at homes in Burin. Israeli settlers also raid Duma, threatening Palestinians with evictions. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man in Hebron, claiming he had opened fire at Israeli settlers; no Israelis are injured. Israeli forces also arrest 20 Palestinians during raids in and around Tulkarm, Hebron, Tubas, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Jenin. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 63 people. In Tel Aviv, Israeli police disperse protesters calling for early elections with water cannons. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Marwahin, Markaba, Wazzani, Tayr Harfa, and Meiss Ej Jabal. Hezbollah forces fire rockets at Israeli forces in Kfarchouba and Ramim. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb 2 sites near Damascus. In Yemen, U.S. and UK forces attack 4 sites in al-Durayhimi. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/16; UNOCHA 3/18)
More than 31,553 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 73,546 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 426 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 111 children. More than 4,665 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, 247 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,476 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. 200 tonnes of food aid, equivalent to 10 truckloads, arrive at the coast of Gaza. The aid is delivered in coordination between the charities Open Arms and World Central Kitchen and the UAE. 36 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. France, the U.S., Germany, and Jordan airdrop aid over northern Gaza. The UN Human Rights Office says it has documented at least 26 attacks on aid trucks in Gaza since the middle of January. (AJ, GDN, HA, NYT, NYT, WAFA 3/16; NYT 3/17; UNOCHA, UNOCHA 3/18)
Palestinian prisoner Juma Abu Ghanima dies at an Israeli hospital after he is found in his cell at the Eshel prison on 3/12, becoming the 14th Palestinian prisoner to die in Israel custody since 10/7/2023 (HA, HA, WAFA 3/16)
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Israeli efforts to expand the buffer zone along the Gaza fence have caused widespread destruction of buildings and that Israel intends it to be more than half a mile wide. The reporting also says that Israeli forces have demolished some 150 homes in order to create a road that cuts Gaza in half. (HA, WSJ 3/16)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas speaks with Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, discussing the situation in Palestine. (AJ, WAFA 3/16)
Israeli media reports that New Hope party leader Gideon Sa’ar has threatened to leave the unity government if he is not appointed to the war cabinet. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel the Israeli delegation’s trip to Doha for ceasefire negotiations. (AJ, HA 3/16)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with Bahraini prime minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in Manama, discussing their joint efforts to combat Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and ceasefire efforts in Gaza. (HA 3/16)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Jalbun and Huwwara, opening fire at homes; no injuries are reported. Israeli forces demolish 7 agricultural structures in Barta’a and 2 agricultural structures in Qabalan. Israeli forces also deliver a stop-work notice for a Swiss-funded sports field in Qalandia and seize a vehicle and equipment. Elsewhere, Israeli forces set up 2 iron gates on roads leading to Huwwara. Israeli forces also arrest 20 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Jericho, Qalqilya, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raid al-Qibli Mosque at the Haram al-Sharif compound, forcibly removing worshippers. Israeli forces also erect iron barriers at the King Faisal, al-Ghawanmeh, and al-Hadid gates to the compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb al-Bureij refugee camp, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, and Rafah, killing at least 69 people. Israeli forces also open fire at Palestinians waiting to receive aid at the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City, killing at least 21 people and injuring 155. In Beit Kama, a Palestinian citizen of Israel stabs and kills an Israeli soldier before he is shot and killed. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb a home in Naqoura. Israeli forces also bomb Tayr Harfa, Kunin, and Hamul. Hezbollah attacks Israeli soldiers in al-Abad. In Yemen, U.S. forces bomb 9 anti-ship missiles and 2 drones at different sites, saying Houthis fired 4 anti-ship missiles at vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/14; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT 3/15)
More than 31,341 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 73,134 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 425 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 111 children. More than 4,665 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, 247 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,475 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. 142 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. U.S. and Jordanian forces airdrop 13,900 meals over northern Gaza. (HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/14; UNOCHA 3/15)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas appoints the current chairperson of the Palestine Investment Fund and former deputy prime minister and minister of national economy, Mohammed Mustafa, as the new PA prime minister. Abbas says in a statement that he asked Mustafa to create a plan to re-unify the administration of Gaza and the West Bank, lead reforms in the PA government, security services, and economy, and fight corruption. The U.S. National Security Council welcomes the appointment of Mustafa. UK foreign secretary David Cameron also welcomes the appointment. According to Axios, State Department and White House officials have met with Mustafa and heard his plans for post-war Gaza and rehabilitating the PA economy. The PA condemns Israel for setting up barriers and gates around the Haram al-Sharif compound ahead of Friday prayers. The PA also calls on the ICC to summon Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for incitement to kill Palestinians, citing his statement in support of the killing of a Palestinian child in East Jerusalem on 3/12. Abbas speaks with Jordanian king Abdullah II, discussing the situation in Palestine. (AJ, AJ, AX, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/14; AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT 3/15)
Reuters reports that Hamas has submitted a 2-stage ceasefire proposal where the first stage would see Israeli women, children, elderly, and ill captives, including female soldiers, exchanged for 700-1,000 Palestinian prisoners. During the first stage a date for a permanent ceasefire and a deadline for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would be set. The remaining captives would be released in another prisoner exchange. The Israeli prime minister’s office calls Hamas’s terms “unrealistic” but says the war and security cabinets will discuss the proposal on 3/15. Hamas also calls on Palestinians to break the siege of the al-Aqsa Mosque. (AJ, HA, HA, REU 3/14; AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU 3/15)
Representatives from several clans in Gaza tell international organizations and Israel that they will not participate in Israel’s plan to circumvent Hamas in the distribution of aid. (HA 3/14)
National Security Minister Ben-Gvir bans the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation from broadcasting in Israel and Jerusalem. (WAFA 3/14)
The U.S. sanctions 3 Israeli settlers, Neriya Ben Pazi, Zvi Bar Yosef, and Moshe Sharvit, and the 2 settlement outposts Moshe’s Farms and Zvi’s Farms. Sharvit and Bar Yosef are responsible for the 2 outposts and are also sanctioned by the UK. (AJ, AX, HA, REU, WAFA 3/14)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant signs a letter assuring the Biden administration that Israel will use U.S. weapons in accordance with international law and will allow U.S.-supported humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. (AX 3/15)
The U.S. circulates a draft resolution at the UN Security Council, supporting efforts to establish an immediate and sustained ceasefire. It is unclear when the draft will be put to a vote. (REU 3/14; AP 3/15)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calls for new elections in Israel, calling Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu 1 of 4 major obstacles for peace, along with “radical right-wing Israelis in government and society,” Hamas, and PA president Abbas. Schumer also says that if Netanyahu remains in power then the U.S. should “play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course.” House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says he may introduce a standalone bill for aid to Israel, saying Schumer’s comment “made the situation even more urgent.” The House has already passed 2 Israel funding bills, which Schumer has rejected as Senate Democrats want to tie Israel funding to Ukraine funding. The Likud Party condemns Schumer’s remarks, saying “the Israeli public supports a total victory over Hamas, rejects any international dictates to establish a Palestinian terrorist state, and opposes the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza” and that Israel is “not a banana republic.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT 3/14; AJ, HA 3/15)
Leader of the Houthi movement Abdul-Malik al-Houthi says Houthi forces will attack Israeli-linked ships in the Indian Ocean that are circumventing the blockade of the Red Sea by going south of the African continent. Al-Houthi also says that 34 members of the Houthi movement have been killed since the U.S.-led anti-Houthi coalition began attacking its forces. (AJ, REU 3/14; AJ, HA 3/15)
The Toronto Star and Reuters report that Canada has stopped shipments of non-lethal military equipment, such as night vision goggles, to Israel due to concerns over human rights violations. (AJ 3/14)
The European Parliament pass a resolution denouncing the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the risk of imminent starvation.” EU commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic says that neither the EU, nor to his knowledge any other UNRWA donor, has been presented with any evidence against UNRWA employees by Israel. (AJ, REU 3/14)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Burin, setting fire to a vehicle and vandalizing 2 others. Israeli forces shoot and kill 2 Palestinians, including a child, and injure 3 others in al-Jib. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shoot and kill a 12-year-old boy in Shu’fat refugee camp, seizing his body to withhold it from his family in order to dictate the size and location of the funeral as conditions for the return of the body. A video of the incident shows that the boy and his friends are playing with fireworks when he is killed by a sniper. Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praises the soldier who shot the child, saying he deserves an award. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Jabalia refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, Maghazi, Rafah, and Khan Yunis, killing at least 72 people. Israeli forces also shoot and kill at least 9 people and injure 20 others waiting for aid at the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces shoot and kill 2 Palestinian fishermen west of Dayr al-Balah. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Bint Jbeil and the Beqaa Valley, killing 2 people near Baalbek. Hezbollah forces attack Israeli forces in Zar’it, Barakat Risha, Hadab Yarin, and Jal al-Alam. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/12; HA, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/13; AJ, HA, UNOCHA 3/14)
More than 31,184 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 72,889 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 422 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 110 children. More than 4,665 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, 247 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,475 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. 134 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The U.S. and Jordan airdrop aid into Gaza. The World Food Programme delivers meals for 25,000 people in Gaza City. (AJ, REU, UNOCHA 3/12; NYT, NYT, UNOCHA 3/13)
The Gaza Media Office says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while waiting for aid since the Flour Massacre on 2/29. (AJ 3/12)
Haaretz reports that, based on testimonies from Israeli officials who have visited a medical facility for Palestinian captives from Gaza held at the Sde Teiman military base, the wounded Palestinians are shackled to their hospital beds and blindfolded 24 hours a day. There are no nurses at the facility and the Israeli soldiers refuse to feed the prisoners, so they are forced to drink liquid formula. (HA 3/12)
PA Supreme Judicial Council president Issa Abu Sharar resigns. PA president Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki meet with Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly in Ramallah. Abbas also speaks with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/12)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says via video-link to the AIPAC conference in Washington D.C. that Israel “will finish the job in Rafah while enabling the civilian population to get out of harm’s way.” (AJ, HA, REU 3/12)
EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell tells the UN Security Council that Israel is using starvation as a “weapon of war.” (AJ 3/13)
U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan urges Hamas to accept a 6-week ceasefire and release women, wounded people, and elderly captives in order to build a more enduring ceasefire. Sullivan also says that Biden does not have any “red lines” for Israel’s conduct in Gaza. (HA, NYT, REU 3/12; NYT 3/13)
Hebrew University in Jerusalem suspends Palestinian law professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian because she called for a ceasefire and said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. (HA 3/12; HA 3/13)
The New York branch of the American Civil Liberties Union and Palestine Legal sue Columbia University for unlawful suspension of its chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. (AJ, AP, HA 3/12)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers block a road leading to Nablus after Israeli forces reopened the road for the first time since 10/7/2023. Israeli settlers also bring livestock to graze on Palestinian farmland in al-Juwaya, damaging crops. Israeli forces assault 5 Palestinians during a raid in Tubas. Israeli forces also issue a military order seizing 29 dunams (7 acres) of land in Sinjil and Turmus ‘Ayya. Elsewhere, Israeli forces arrest 37 Palestinians during raids in and around Jalazone refugee camp, Bethlehem, Tubas, Jenin, Hebron, Tulkarm, and Nablus. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Jabalia refugee camp, Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Gaza City, and Khan Yunis, killing at least 83 people. An Israeli soldier dies in combat. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires a missile at a radar site in Shebaa Farms, causing damage. Israeli forces bomb Ayta ash Shab, Naqoura, and Aitaroun. In Yemen, U.S. forces attack 4 missile launch sites. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/7; AJ, HA, REU 3/8)
More than 30,800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 72,298 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 416 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 108 children. More than 4,648 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, 245 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,469 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. The U.S. and Jordan airdrop meals in northern Gaza. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/7)
Haaretz reports that according to Israeli figures 27 Palestinians from Gaza held in Israel have died during their detention since 10/7/23, including at the Sde Teiman and Anatot detention camps and during interrogations elsewhere. (HA, WAFA 3/7)
Israel hands over the bodies of 47 Palestinians that had been exhumed and taken to Israel from Khan Yunis. (WAFA 3/7)
A Hamas delegation leaves ceasefire negotiations in Cairo, saying Israel is thwarting all attempts to reach a ceasefire. CIA director Bill Burns reportedly arrived in Egypt on the night of 3/6 to take part in the negotiations. (AJ, AJ, AX, HA, NYT, REU 3/7)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas appoints Hussein Jadallah Hamayel as the governor of Jericho. (WAFA 3/7)
The EU launches a probe into whether Israel is complying with human rights obligations stipulated in the EU-Israel trade agreement. EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell says the Israeli actions in Gaza “give the impression that its objectives go beyond destroying Hamas.” (AJ 3/7)
In his State of the Union address, U.S. president Joe Biden says the U.S. military will set up a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver aid but that no U.S. soldiers will enter Gaza as it will be built offshore. Biden also says, “to the leadership of Israel I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.” Biden is filmed telling Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) that he has told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “you and I are going to have a come to Jesus meeting.” The PA presidency thanks Biden for supporting a 2-state solution and a ceasefire during his speech. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA 3/7; AJ, AJ, AJ, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 3/8)
Axios reports that the White House has asked the State Department and the Defense Department to compile a list of all pending arm transfers to Israel. (AJ, AX, HA 3/7)
Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide warns Norwegian companies about doing business in and with Israeli settlements, saying that they should be aware that there is a risk they contribute to violations of international humanitarian law. (HA 3/7)
Chinese foreign minister Want Yi says China fully supports full Palestinian membership of the UN and that the world can no longer ignore the “historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people.” (HA, WAFA 3/7)
The European Broadcasting Union approves changes to the Israeli song at the Eurovision Song Contest, allowing the Israeli singer Eden Golan to participate. (AJ, HA 3/7)
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to wounds sustained from Israeli forces during a raid in Jenin on 2/29. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian child in Huwwara. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Balata refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces uproot around 400 olive tree saplings in Wadi Fukin. Israeli forces also punitively demolish a home in Kafr Dan. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolish an agricultural structure in Shuqba. Israeli forces also assault 2 Palestinians during a raid near Tubas. Separately, Israeli forces shoot and kill a cow during a raid in al-Halawa in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces also arrest 22 Palestinians during raids in and around Kober, Ramallah, al-Bireh, Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Jericho, including a woman who was exchanged for Israeli captives during the prisoner exchange deal in November 2023. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, and Khan Yunis, killing at least 97 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Hula, Jabal al-Batam, Majdal Zoun, and Kafra, killing 3 people, including a child, in Hula. Hezbollah attacks Kiryat Shmona, causing damage. In Yemen, U.S. forces attack 3 missile launch sites. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/5; AJ, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/6)
More than 30,631 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 72,043 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 415 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 108 children. More than 4,606 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, 244 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,453 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. 182 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The U.S., Jordan, Egypt, and France airdrop 36,800 meals in northern Gaza. (AJ, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/5; UNOCHA 3/6)
Hamas says the “ball is in the Israeli court” after concluding 3 days of ceasefire negotiations in Cairo. (AJ, HA 3/5; NYT 3/6)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. Erdogan says during a news conference that “Netanyahu and his accomplices in murder will surely be held accountable for every drop spilled before the law and public conscience,” calling the Israeli actions in Gaza “blatant genocide.” PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh meets with Dutch foreign minister Hanke Bruins Slot in Ramallah. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/5; WAFA 3/6)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issues a statement saying the number of worshippers allowed to enter the Haram al-Sharif compound during the first week of Ramadan will be similar to 2023. (AJ, HA, REU 3/5; NYT 3/6)
Foreign ministers of OIC countries convene in Jeddah for an extraordinary meeting on the situation in Gaza. The organization calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. (WAFA, WAFA 3/5; WAFA 3/6)
U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz in Washington D.C. Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan meet with Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, discussing ceasefire negotiations. Blinken calls the situation in Gaza “simply unacceptable.” (AJ, HA, REU 3/5; HA 3/6)
The U.S. Department of Treasury sanctions former Israeli official Tal Dilian for his involvement in selling spyware that is used on Americans. Dilian is the co-owner of Intellexa, which produces the Predator spyware. (AJ, HA 3/5)
AP and Canadian media report that Canada will resume UNRWA funding after seeing the interim report into the Israeli allegations that UNRWA staff took part in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has not made a final decision. (AJ, AP, HA 3/6; AJ, HA, REU 3/7)
Chile bans Israeli companies from taking part in the International Air and Space Fair in Santiago in April. (AJ 3/6)
Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says when asked if he approves of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, “[y]ou have got to finish the problem.” A poll commissioned by the Center for Economic and Policy Research show that 52% of Americans think the U.S. should halt arms shipments to Israel, including 62% of Democrats. (AJ, AJ 3/6)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Arab al-Milehat, stealing nearly 30 sheep. Israeli forces uproot 50 trees in Sarta while preparing to build a settler road. Israeli forces also raid Jenin, assaulting 2 Palestinians. Israeli forces arrest 15 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Nablus, Jericho, Jenin, and Ramallah. In Jerusalem, Israelis raid and vandalize a Muslim shrine, declaring it a Jewish holy site. Israeli forces install a watchtower fitted with surveillance camaras at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, and Beit Lahiya, killing at least 86 people. Israeli forces also kill 10 Palestinians waiting to receive aid in Gaza City. The Red Crescent evacuates 24 people from al-Amal Hospital and delivers water and food to the hospital. In Lebanon, Hezbollah attacks Israeli forces in Manara and Malkia. Israeli forces kill 2 Hezbollah members near the Syrian border. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/25; AJ, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26)
More than 29,692 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 69,879 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 399 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 102 children. More than 4,545 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, 237 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,396 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. 94 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (WAFA 2/25; UNOCHA, UNOCHA 2/26)
The Israeli military says it has withdrawn from the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. (AJ 2/25)
The Gaza Media Office accuses Israel of 19 different war crimes, including deliberate killings, torture, forced displacement, hostage-taking, using hunger as a weapon of war, bombing homes, schools, and places of worship, targeting heritage sites, and targeting medical centers. (AJ 2/25)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets Jordanian king Abdullah II in Amman. (WAFA 2/25)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells CBS News that the Israeli invasion of Rafah will happen regardless of a ceasefire deal, saying a deal would only delay the invasion. The war cabinet discusses the plans for the ground invasion of Rafah and ceasefire negotiations. An Israeli delegation is said to be traveling to Doha for continued talks next week. Israel’s Channel 12 News reports that Netanyahu added a new demand to the recently concluded U.S., Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari ceasefire talks, stipulating that high-profile prisoners released in the exchange are deported to Qatar. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel will continue attacking Lebanon even if a ceasefire deal is reached in Gaza. (AP, NYT 2/24; AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU 2/25; AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA 2/26)
Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty soldier from the U.S. Air Force wearing his uniform self-immolates outside of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. In a livestream, Bushnell says that he “no longer will be complicit in genocide” and that he is doing an extreme act of protest which he says is not extreme in comparison to what people are experiencing in Palestine “at the hands of the colonizers.” As he burns, he chants “free Palestine.” Bushnell later dies in hospital. Bushnell is the second person to self-immolate outside of an Israeli diplomatic post in the U.S. An unidentified woman holding a Palestinian flag self-immolated outside of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta in December 2023. (AJ, HA, NYT 2/25; AJ, AJ, AP, WAFA 2/26; AP 2/27)
UN General Assembly president Dennis Francis calls on UN members to provide “sustainable and predictable financial and political support” to UNRWA. UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini says food aid has not been delivered to northern Gaza since 1/23. (AJ, WAFA 2/25; AJ 2/26
The information ministers of the OIC hold an extraordinary session in Turkey, condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza and calling for an unconditional ceasefire. (WAFA 2/24; AJ, WAFA 2/25)
Haaretz reports that the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority is refusing to grant visas to employees of international NGOs operating in the West Bank and Gaza. (HA 2/25)
The New York Times says it is reviewing Israeli freelance journalist Anat Schwartz, who has contributed to the Times’ coverage of Hamas, for liking a tweet on X calling for turning Gaza “into a slaughterhouse.” (AJ 2/25)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers block a road between Ramallah and Nablus with burning tires. Israeli forces dressed as Palestinians raid Balata refugee camp, injuring 3 Palestinians, including a 4-year-old who is bitten by a dog and the 2 others with live ammunition. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Sarra. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raid Shu’fat refugee camp, injuring a Palestinian with a baton round. Israeli forces also raid Ramin, demolishing a monument erected to commemorate Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 14 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Nablus, Tulkarm, Ramallah, and Jenin. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Gaza City, Dayr al-Balah, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 127 people, including at least 30 in strikes on homes in Dayr al-Balah. In Lebanon, Hezbollah says it has attacked 6 sites in Israel, including 2 buildings in Manara. In Yemen, U.S. and UK forces bomb Hodeidah and Saada. (AJ, HA, NYT, NYT, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/4; UNOCHA, WAFA 2/5)
More than 27,365 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 66,630 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 4,408 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 1,296 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. 207 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. The Jordanian and Dutch air forces drop aid near the Jordanian Field Hospital. (AJ, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/4; UNOCHA 2/5)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Tor Wennesland in Ramallah. (WAFA 2/4)
The Israeli military’s psychological warfare unit acknowledges that it runs the Telegram channel 72 Virgins – Uncensored, on which graphic and incendiary content is posted about killings of Palestinians and the destruction of homes in Gaza. (HA 2/4)
The Israeli housing ministry publishes a tender for the construction of 62 housing units in the Efrat settlement south of Bethlehem. The Israeli government also approves the continued funding of settlement farming outposts. (AJ, PCN, PCN 2/5)
The Israeli government extends the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law for a year, barring Palestinians married to Israelis from obtaining Israeli citizenship. The government also says it plans to hire 65,000 construction workers from India, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan to replace the 72,000 Palestinians employed at construction sites before 10/7/2023. Foreign Minister Israel Katz says UNRWA “perpetuates the false narrative of Palestinian ‘refugees’ needing to return to Israel. We are actively working to disengage UNRWA from Gaza.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir tells the Wall Street Journal that the Biden administration “is busy giving humanitarian aid and fuel” to Gaza instead “of giving us his full backing.” Ben-Gvir also says he encourages Palestinians in Gaza to “emigrate to places around the world.” The High Court of Justice rejects a petition to recuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, REU, WSJ 2/4; HA 2/5)
U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan says “[a]t this point, it is up to Hamas to come forward and respond to a serious [ceasefire] proposal, and we will continue to press Qatar and Egypt to try and generate a positive response.” (HA, HA 2/4; HA 2/5)
The U.S. Senate publishes a new proposal for a bill to provide aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, earmarking $14.1 billion to Israel and $10 billion in humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, stipulating that no funds can go to UNRWA. The House has proposed a standalone bill for Israel to avoid funding Ukraine and Taiwan. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel says bill would prevent the U.S. from funding UNRWA and the U.S. would instead divert funds to “other partners.” (AJ, HA, HA, NYT, NYT 2/5)
UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini tells the Financial Times that Israel has not provided evidence to back its claim that 12 UNRWA staffers were involved in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. EU high commissioner of foreign affairs Josep Borell calls the suspension of funding for UNRWA “disproportionate and dangerous.” Haaretz reports that Israel’s Bank Luemi has notified UNRWA that it will block the agency’s bank account due to “tangible suspicions it is transferring funds to terror groups in Gaza.” The bank also suspends the account of 1 of the settlers sanctioned by the U.S. on 2/1. (AJ, HA, HA, HA, REU, WAFA 2/4; REU 2/5)
Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly says Canada will sanction some Israeli settlers and place new sanctions on Hamas leaders. (AJ, REU, WAFA 2/4)
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 razed 5 dunams (1.2 acres) of land and threw stones at Palestinians and Israeli activists in Khirbet al-Farisiyya. Israeli settlers also vandalized 15 vehicles in Umm Safa. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers wearing military uniforms raided Khirbet Zanuta, demolishing a residential structure, 2 agricultural structures, and part of an EU-funded school. Israeli forces shot and killed 5 Palestinians during raids in Qalqilya, Sa’ir, and Qalandia. Israeli forces also shot and injured 35 Palestinians, including 5 children, during raids in Bani Naim, Qalqilya, and Qalandia. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 6 agricultural structures in al-Ubeidiya. 60 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Dheisheh refugee camp, Jericho, Ramallah, Silwad, Jalazone refugee camp, and Abu Dis. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raided Kafr ‘Aqab, injuring 10 with live ammunition, 1 with a baton round, 3 with beatings, and others with tear gas. In Gaza, Paltel said telecommunications were cut off in all of Gaza. At least 349 people were killed and 750 injured in Israeli attacks, including 108 in Beit Lahiya and 40 in Khan Yunis and others in Gaza City and Khan Yunis. Israeli forces ordered Palestinians in the Dayr al-Balah district to evacuate south as Israel continued to heavily bomb the Rafah and Khan Yunis districts. Israeli forces also demolished Gaza’s main courthouse with explosives. 5 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat. Hamas’ military spokesperson Abu Obeida said Hamas had destroyed 28 Israeli military vehicles in the past 24 hours. Rockets were fired at Israel; no injuries were reported. In Lebanon, Israel conducted airstrikes, saying mortar shells were fired at Israel, injuring 3 soldiers. (AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/4; AJ, AX, HA, HA, UNOCHA 12/5)
More than 15,899 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 6,387 children and 4,257 women, and around 41,316 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 251 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 65 children. More than 3,313 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. 85 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. 100 trucks carrying aid, including around 13,000 gallons of fuel, entered Gaza. Aid was only distributed in Rafah for the second day in a row. 25 wounded Palestinians and 583 foreign nationals were evacuated to Egypt. The WHO said Israel had ordered the organization to remove its supplies from its medical warehouse in southern Gaza within 24 hours. (AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA 12/4; AJ, AJ 12/5)
Israel announced that it had approved the Lower Aqueduct plan in East Jerusalem, the first major new settlement plan to be fully approved in East Jerusalem since 2012, according to Ir Amim. The final approval greenlit the construction of 1,792 housing units on 186 dunams (46 acres) of land, including on privately owned land belonging to Palestinians in Umm Tuba. Jordan condemned the approval. The PA Foreign Ministry called on the international community to stop the implementation of the plan. (AJ 12/4; AJ, TOI, WAFA 12/5; PCN 12/6)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with U.S. vice president Kamala Harris in a phone call, discussing the situation in Palestine and need for aid to enter Gaza. PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with a delegation from the EU parliament in Ramallah. Harris also spoke with Israeli president Isaac Herzog about plans for Gaza after Israel is done with its assault. (HA 12/3; NYT WAFA, WAFA 12/4)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Argentinian president-elect Javier Milei, thanking him for saying he will move the Argentinian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and inviting him to Israel. (HA 12/3; AJ, REU 12/4)
The corruption trial against Prime Minister Netanyahu resumed. Netanyahu did not attend the hearing. The judge presiding over the trial agreed to hold 2 hearings a week instead of 3 as happened before 10/7. (NYT 12/4; AJ, HA 12/5)
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Prime Minister Netanyahu will be tried as a war criminal for Israel’s attacks on Gaza. (HA, REU 12/4)
U.S. senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) called the proposed U.S. military aid package to Israel “absolutely irresponsible,” labelling Israel’s attacks on Gaza immoral and in violation of international law during a speech at the Senate. (AJ, HA 12/5)
Haaretz said that several stories about Hamas militants’ actions during Operation Al-Aqsa flood were unfounded, including that 40 babies were killed, some of which were said to be beheaded, a story recounted by U.S. president Biden. Other stories recounted by Prime Minister Netanyahu, such as children being bound together and burned, also appeared to be false. Netanyahu’s wife Sara also relayed a false story in a letter to Biden’s wife Jill, saying one of the captives held by Hamas was pregnant and had given birth in captivity. The woman, who has since been released, was not pregnant. (HA 12/4)
The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel is considering flooding the tunnels in Gaza with seawater. (HA, WSJ 12/4; HA, HA, REU 12/5)
3 human rights organizations in the Netherlands sued the Dutch state over its export of F-35 parts to Israel. (AJ, HA, HA 12/4)
Former State Department office of public and congressional affairs director Josh Paul, who resigned on 10/18 in protest over the Biden administration’s policy toward Israel’s attacks on Gaza, told CNN that Israel had raided the offices of Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI – Palestine) in 2021 after the State Department had shared credible evidence of a Palestinian child being raped at al-Mascobiyya Interrogation Center in Jerusalem with Israel. DCI – Palestine’s office was raided on 7/29/2021 and the organization declared a terrorist organization on 10/22/2021 along with 5 other groups. Paul suggested a link between the sharing of the DCI – Palestine investigation and the Israeli terrorist designation. (X 12/4)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 10 olive trees in Kafr ad-Dik. Israeli settlers with a military escort also raided al-Twana, assaulting Palestinians. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers blocked the entrance to Deir Balut. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man, claiming he had injured 2 Israeli soldiers in a car ramming near Atuf. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian outside of the Ofer Prison, injuring 4 others with live ammunition. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided Tulkarm, damaging infrastructure and Palestinian property. Israeli forces also assaulted and detained 3 Palestinian farmers in Khirbet Yanun. Meanwhile, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians during raids in Idhna and Arrabah. Israeli forces also demolished 5 homes and 6 water tanks in Farasin. Separately, Israeli forces seized a home in Karma, turning it into a military outpost. In the western part of Jerusalem, 2 Palestinian gunmen were killed after they opened fire at a bus station, killing 3 people and wounding 16 others. An Israeli civilian was killed by the soldier who killed the 2 Palestinians after the soldier mistook him for a Palestinian. The soldier was later arrested for the killing of the Israeli after a video circulated showing he had his hands raised in the air. Hamas said the 2 gunmen were members of its armed wing. Israeli forces subsequently arrested members of the families of the 2 Palestinians in Sur Baher. In Gaza, a Palestinian man succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 11/29 in Beit Hanun. Israeli forces shot and injured an Israeli journalist in southern Gaza. In Lebanon, Israel said it shot down an “aerial target” crossing from Lebanon. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/30; AP, HA 12/3; HA 12/4)
The Gaza Media Office did not update the casualty numbers, leaving the death toll from Israeli attacks at 15,000 as of 11/27, 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. 242 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 63 children. More than 3,200 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 1.8 million Palestinians, nearly 80% 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. Israel said that at least 2,005 soldiers have been wounded since 10/7. Dozens of trucks carrying aid entered Gaza, including 7 trucks carrying fuel. 14 ambulances provided by Saudi Arabia also arrived in Gaza. Gaza’s Ministry of Health said hundreds of Palestinians needed to be evacuated to hospitals outside of Gaza for treatment. 30 people were evacuated to Egypt, including 9 wounded. 91 Palestinians returned to Gaza from Egypt and 31 medical staffers from the UAE and 2 UN staffers entered Gaza. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/30; UNOCHA 12/1)
The temporary ceasefire that was set to expire at 7 a.m. was extended for an additional day into 12/1. 30 Palestinian prisoners, 8 women and 22 children, were released from Israeli prisons on the seventh day of the prisoner exchange. 8 Israeli captives were released from Gaza. 2 Russian Israelis released on 10/29 were counted as released today to uphold the 1 to 3 prisoner release ratio that the parties had agreed to. Israel reportedly rejected a proposal from Hamas to exchange 7 captives and the bodies of 3 captives who had been killed in Israeli airstrikes. Egypt and Qatar said they continued efforts to extend the ceasefire by 2 days. Parents of Palestinians released in the prisoner exchanges called on the Red Cross to investigate the treatment of Palestinians after freed Palestinians said they were beaten and mistreated in prison. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/30; AJ, AP, NYT 12/1)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attended a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet. Blinken urged Israel to account “for humanitarian and civilian needs in southern Gaza before any military operation there,” and to curb settler violence in the West Bank. Blinken also reportedly expressed support for Israel’s continued war but warned that the longer it takes the more pressure there would be on Israel and the U.S. Blinken also met PA president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, saying the 2 discussed the need for reforms in the PA to combat corruption, aid to Gaza, and settler violence. Abbas presented Blinken with a file documenting Israeli crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and urged Blinken to support a lasting ceasefire. (AJ, AJ, AX, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 11/30; AP 12/1; HA 12/4)
Israeli energy minister Israel Katz called on Israel to punish the families of the 2 Palestinian gunmen that killed 3 Israelis in Jerusalem, saying they should lose their East Jerusalem residency cards. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to the shooting by saying Israel will distribute more weapons to Israeli civilians. (AJ 11/30)
Higher Arab Monitoring Committee chairperson Mohammed Barakeh petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice to end the Israel’s ban on protests in Palestinian communities in Israel. (HA 11/30; WAFA 12/2)
Qatari minister of state for international cooperation Lolwah al-Khater visited Gaza, meeting with Thomas White, the director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza. (AJ 11/30)
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan visited Israel, touring areas attacked by Hamas on 10/7. Khan was invited to visit Israel by Israeli families that have relatives held captive in Gaza. In an interview with Haaretz, Khan said he had “reason to believe” that Hamas had committed crimes under international law on 10/7. Khan also said he was looking into settler attacks in the West Bank and the large casualty numbers in Gaza. Palestinian rights organizations urged Khan to visit Gaza. (AJ 11/30; HA 12/2)
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said he doubted that Israel respected international humanitarian law and called Israel’s resumption of attacks in Gaza unacceptable. Israel subsequently summoned the Spanish ambassador for a reprimand and recalled its ambassador to Spain for consultations. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 11/30)
Jordan hosted an aid conference for Gaza. King Abdullah II condemned Israel for not allowing sufficient aid into Gaza. (REU 11/29; AJ, REU 11/30)
A +972 Magazine and Local Call investigation based on interviews with 7 current and former members of the Israeli intelligence community, Palestinian testimonies, data, and documentation from Gaza revealed that Israel had increased its attacks on what it calls “power targets,” which include private buildings, infrastructure, and high-rise blocks, to create a shock effect among civilians. According to the sources, the goal of bombing these civilian targets is to “lead civilians to put pressure on Hamas.” Several sources also said Israel has files that show its assessment of how many civilians will be killed in the bombing of these civilian targets. A source told the 2 publications that Israel had increased its permitted “collateral damage” from dozens when targeting a Hamas commander to hundreds and that Israel is fully aware how many civilians will be killed in its attacks. The sources also revealed that Israel use AI-based systems, such as Habsora, to identify targets, including the suspected homes of junior members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The investigation also said that Israel had broken from previous protocol by allowing the targeting of residential buildings without warning the residents, with Israeli Air Force chief of staff Omer Tishler saying that the “roof knocking” policy does not apply to war. Israel estimated that it had killed 1,000-3,000 Palestinian militants in Gaza out of at least 15,000 casualties. (+972, AJ 11/30)
The Washington Post reported that in late October Pope Francis told Israeli president Isaac Herzog in a phone call not “to respond to terror with terror”. (AJ, HA 11/30)
German and Belgian police searched homes of people who allegedly made social media posts in support of Hamas in Munster, Nordhorn, and Eupen. (AJ, HA 11/30)
Al Jazeera said its analysis of hundreds of speeches at the UN found that 55% of nations that have spoken on the issue of the situation in Gaza have called for a ceasefire, while 23% have called for a “pause,” and 22% did not call for either a pause or a ceasefire. (AJ 11/30)
The New York Times reported that Israeli military and intelligence officers knew of Hamas’ plans for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood but dismissed the attack as aspirational. The Israeli military obtained a 40-page document it called “Jericho Wall” outlining the plans for the operation, which the Times said was followed “with shocking precision.” The document showed that Hamas had intricate knowledge of Israeli military bases, prompting questions of whether it had informants in the Israeli military. (NYT 11/30; AP 12/1; NYT 12/2)
MSNBC cancelled The Mehdi Hasan Show, hosted by Mehdi Hasan, from 1/1/2024, saying it was making changes in preparation for the 2024 U.S. presidential elections. MSNBC was criticized for silencing voices critical of Israel with its cancelation of the show. Hasan was pulled off air for a period after the Israeli attacks started on 10/7. (AJ 11/30)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces attacked Palestinian farmers in Kisan and set fire to crops in Qaryut. Israeli settlers stole an olive harvest in Khirbet Yanun. Israeli forces continued their large-scale raid of Jenin, fatally shooting 4 people, including 2 children aged 8 and 15, and Mohammad Zubeidi, the son of prominent Islamic Jihad member Zakaria Zubeidi. Israeli airstrikes in the city destroyed a home and a vehicle while Israeli bulldozers tore up pavements, electric poles, and water and sewage pipes. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians near the Ofer Prison, injuring 1 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinians trying to retrieve their belongings in Tal al-Hawa and at a fishing boat off the coast of Dayr al-Balah. Doctors returning to al-Nasr Hospital in Gaza City said they found 5 partially decomposed bodies of premature babies after Israeli forces had retreated from the hospital. In the Red Sea, the U.S. said it shot down a drone that was launched from Yemen. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/29)
The Gaza Media Office did not update the casualty numbers, leaving the death toll from Israeli attacks at 15,000 as of 11/27, 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. 238 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 63 children. More than 3,200 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 1.8 million Palestinians, nearly 80% 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. Al-Shifa Hospital said it would be able to reopen its emergency department on 11/30. Al-Ahli Arab Hospital and As Sahaba Hospital in Gaza City received 2,600 gallons of fuel, enabling them to run their generators for 7 days. The Red Crescent said it had delivered 21 truckloads of aid to northern Gaza. 10 wounded Palestinians were evacuated to Egypt while 74 Palestinians were able to return to Gaza. (AJ 11/28; AJ, HA, UNOCHA 11/29)
30 Palestinian prisoners, 15 children and 15 women, including prominent activist Ahed Tamimi who was arrested on 11/6, were released from Israeli prisons on the sixth day of the temporary ceasefire. 16 captives were released from Gaza to Israel, including 4 Thai nationals, 1 American Israeli, and 2 Russian Israelis. Hamas said it was working very hard to extend the ceasefire, which ends on 11/30. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken, who is scheduled to visit the Middle East this week, said the U.S. would like to see the ceasefire extended and that the topic of the future government of Gaza should be discussed. Hamas released a statement saying an Israeli airstrike had killed 3 members of the same Israeli family, including 2 children. They did not say when the airstrike occurred. Israel said it believed that 159 captives were still being held in Gaza. Russian ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said the release of the 2 Israelis with Russian citizenship was done in direct coordination with Hamas. (REU 11/28; AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/29; AP, NYT, REU, WAFA 11/30)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas called for an international conference to end the Israeli occupation. (HA 11/29)
Israeli Foreign Ministry deputy director general for strategic affairs Joshua Zarka said Israel “will settle accounts with Qatar” after the captives are returned to Gaza, saying “Qatar played a bad role in everything related to hosting and legitimizing Hamas’ activities.” (AJ, HA 11/29)
A delegation of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, including the PA, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar Indonesia, and Nigeria met with the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York, discussing the situation in Gaza. (WAFA, WAFA 11/29)
The UN Security Council met to discuss the situation in Gaza. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki told the council that the temporary ceasefire must become permanent to end the slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, saying “this is not a war.” U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. was deeply troubled by the sharp rise in Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank and said the U.S. supports a longer ceasefire. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/29)
U.S. officials told Reuters that the Biden administration had asked Israel to narrow the zone of combat and tell Palestinians where to seek shelter from their attacks. (REU 11/29)
U.S. senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said he spoke to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who told him that the White House will not seek to place conditions on U.S. aid to Israel, despite earlier comments to the contrary. Sullivan met with dozens of senators on 11/28, discussing a $14.3 billion military aid package to Israel. Van Hollen and senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) issued a statement expressing concern that the White House told them that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to start invading the southern Gaza after the ceasefire. (HA, NYT 11/29; AP 11/30)
UN office in Geneva director-general Tatiana Valovaya said “it is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-state solution, on the basis of the United Nation resolutions and international law,” during a speech on the occasion of the UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. (AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 11/29)
The French foreign ministry said the country was open to EU talks on sanctioning Israeli settlers who commit acts of violence against Palestinians. (REU 11/29)
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 forces raided Tulkarm refugee camp, killing 6 Palestinians and injuring 3 in a drone strike, uprooted streets, and put 2 hospitals under siege. Israeli forces also shot and killed 2 Palestinians, including a child, during raids in ‘Azzun and Burin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian in Beitunia. Israeli forces also notified a Palestinian landowner that it will seize 2.5 dunams (.62 acres) of his land in Beit Dajan to construct a settler road. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolished 6 residential structures and 1 agricultural structure in Shaab al-Butum in the Masafer Yatta area, displacing 20 people. 38 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Qalqilya, and Tubas. In Gaza, Israeli forces attacked Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, and the Indonesian and Kamal Adwan hospitals, killing at least 80 people. The number of fatalities was likely much higher given the lack of communication with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. 3 premature babies died at the Kamal Adwan Hospital due to the incubators failing as a result of a lack of fuel. The administration at the Indonesian Hospital said it had been ordered by Israel to evacuate the hospital. 14 ambulances arrived at al-Shifa Hospital to start evacuating the 250 remaining patients. The Red Crescent said 3 paramedics and a companion of a wounded Palestinian were detained by Israeli forces, with 1 of the paramedics being arrested, and that Israel obstructed the evacuation efforts. 190 patients were evacuated from the hospital over a 20-hour period. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed. Rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel; no injuries were reported. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed 5 people in Beit Yahoun, including the son of Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad. In Syria, Israeli forces fired 2 missiles at Damascus, causing damage. In the Red Sea, Israel said it intercepted a cruise missile fired from Yemen. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/22; AJ, HA, UNOCHA 11/23; HA 11/24)
The Gaza Media Office reported that 14,532 Palestinian have been killed, including 6,000 children and 4,000 women, and around 35,000 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 217 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 53 children. More than 2,885 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.7 million Palestinians, more than 70% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 11/18, at least 45,000 housing units had been destroyed and 233,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 60% of all housing units. 111 Palestinians were buried in a mass grave in Khan Yunis. The bodies were initially seized by Israel at al-Shifa Hospital and in Beit Hanun and handed over to Palestinian authorities prior to arriving in Khan Yunis in a shipping container. About 250 people fled northern Gaza to the south. Around 18,000 gallons of fuel and 80 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. 433 foreign nationals and 17 wounded people were evacuated to Egypt. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/22; NYT 11/23)
UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths called the humanitarian crisis in Gaza the “worst ever,” adding “I do not say that lightly. I started off in my twenties dealing with the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields.” (HA 11/22)
Israel and Hamas agreed to the terms of a 4-day ceasefire that would see 50 women and children held in Gaza released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children being released from Israeli prisons. The start of the ceasefire would be announced within 24 hours, awaiting the Israeli High Court of Justice’s consideration of Israeli public appeals against the deal. The ceasefire could be extended for one additional day for every 10 additional captives released from Gaza. There are about 240 captives held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Israel agreed to stop military movement and allow people to travel from the north of Gaza to the south on Salah al-Din road, but said it would not allow movement to the north. 300 trucks carrying aid, including fuel, would be allowed into Gaza every day. Furthermore, Hamas said Israel had agreed to stop drone flights over southern Gaza during the period of the ceasefire and not fly over northern Gaza for 6 hours a day and that Israel could not attack or arrest anyone during the 4-day period. Israel published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners, including 123 children, that it deemed eligible for release. Most of the prisoners on the list were arrested in the past 2 years for minor offenses. Islamic Jihad said the Israeli soldiers it is holding captive will not be released until all its members are released from Israeli prisons. PA president Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the agreement and thanked Qatar and Egypt for their mediation efforts. The Israeli cabinet approved deal in the early hours of the day after a 6-hour meeting. 3 ministers from the Otzma Yehudit party voted against it while 35 ministers voted in favor. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would resume its attacks on Gaza after the ceasefire. (HA, NYT, NYT 11/21; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/22)
Hamas deputy political leader Khalil al-Hayya and Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan met with Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, discussing the ceasefire. It was reported that Hezbollah would enter the ceasefire if Israel did not attack Lebanon during the 4-day period. (HA 11/22)
The PA cabinet held an emergency session on the situation in Gaza and the PA’s financial situation given the Israeli decision to withhold more funds from the PA tax revenue and the PA’s refusal to accept the reduced sums. The cabinet decided to allow each ministry to find ways to reduce their expenses and indicated that civil servants will not be paid their salaries or will receive reduced salaries due to the financial crisis. President Abbas discussed the situation in Gaza and the West Bank with Finnish president Sauli Niinistö. (WAFA, WAFA 11/22)
A delegation of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, including the PA, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, and Nigeria met with UK foreign secretary David Cameron in London, discussing the situation in Gaza. (WAFA 11/22)
Mossad director David Barnea arrived in Doha to discuss the final details of the prisoner exchange with Qatari officials. (AX, HA 11/22)
Israel claimed to have found a 525-foot-long tunnels underneath al-Shifa Hospital, saying it was used by Hamas. Videos of the tunnels released by Israel showed the tunnels were completely empty, aside from an air-conditioning unit. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak said earlier this week that Israel constructed tunnels under al-Shifa in the 1980s. Prime Minister Netanyahu said he had instructed the Mossad to attack Hamas leaders outside of the occupied territories. (AJ, NYT 11/22; HA 11/23)
U.S. president Joe Biden released a statement welcoming the temporary ceasefire, thanking the leaders of Qatar and Egypt. Biden told President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that the U.S. opposes forced deportation of Palestinians in Gaza to Egypt and the redrawing of the Gaza borders. Biden also spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, emphasizing the “importance of maintaining calm along the Lebanese border as well as in the West Bank,” according to the U.S. readout of their conversation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. It was reported that the U.S. was using the ceasefire to push Israel to set up safe areas in Gaza and allow more aid and fuel into Gaza. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 11/22)
Politico reported that the Biden administration was worried that an unintended consequence of the ceasefire would be journalists being able to “illuminate the devastation” in Gaza since they would have more access. (AJ 11/22)
Palestinians who met Pope Francis at the Vatican said he described the situation in Gaza as genocide. A Vatican spokesperson later said that he was not aware that the pope used the word. Pope Francis also met with Israeli relatives of people held captive in Gaza by Hamas. (AJ, HA, WAFA 11/22)
The Yemeni naval commander spoke to the crew members of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader the navy had captured on 11/19, assuring them that they would be treated as guests. (HA 11/22)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Burin, stealing crops. Israeli settlers posing as soldiers also attacked 2 Palestinians in Qawawis in the Masafer Yatta area, stealing their property. Israeli forces killed 5 Palestinians in a drone strike on Fatah’s headquarters in Balata refugee camp, injuring 2 others. Israeli forces later raided the camp, demolishing a home and uprooting streets. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian and injured 3 others during a raid in Tubas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian during a raid in Idhna. Israeli forces also assaulted Palestinians harvesting olives in al-Zawiya, Kisan, and Nahalin. 38 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Jaba’, Tubas, Jericho, Fasayil, and Birzeit. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed students and staff at a school in Isawiya, physically assaulting them and causing tear-gas related injuries. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes in Khan Yunis and on an UNRWA school in Jabalia refugee camp killed 116 people. Israeli attacks on Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun, and Gaza City also killed dozens, including at Tal al-Zaatar, an UNRWA-run school, and the Kamal Adwan Hospital. 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. Israeli forces ordered the evacuation of al-Shifa Hospital, forcing at least 2,500 people to flee. 25 medical workers and 291 patients remained at the end of the day. The WHO said it would help evacuate those remaining at the hospital in the next 2-3 days. A Doctors Without Borders convoy evacuating patients from al-Shifa was attacked, killing 1 and injuring another. 3 Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting with militants. In Lebanon, Israel said it attacked sites linked to Hezbollah, including an aluminum plant near Nabatieh. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/18; AJ, HA, NYT, WAFA 11/19)
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. However, it stated that at least 11,800 Palestinians have been killed, 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. 204 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. 56 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. Around 10,000 people fled northern Gaza to the south. Around 26,000 gallons of fuel and 30 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. 15 injured Palestinians arrived in the UAE for treatment. (AJ, AP, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/18; HA 11/19)
Thaer Samih Abu Assab died in the Ktzi'ot Prison, the sixth Palestinian to die in an Israeli prison since 10/7. (HA, WAFA 11/18; AJ 11/19)
Jordan set up a field hospital in Nablus to provide services to the city, which has been under Israeli siege since 10/7. (AJ 11/18)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas called on U.S. president Joe Biden to intervene to end Israeli attacks on Gaza during a televised speech, calling the attacks genocide. (WAFA 11/18; AJ 11/19)
The Israeli police said it did not believe that Hamas had prior knowledge of the Nova music festival held near Kibbutz Re’im but spontaneously targeted it after entering Israel on 10/7. Israeli police said 364 people were killed at the music festival. Police sources said that Israeli combat helicopters may have hit festivalgoers while attacking militants. The festival was originally scheduled to end on 10/6 but on 10/3 was extended to 10/7. (AJ, AJ, HA 11/18; AJ 11/19)
Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen “there will be Israeli security control from the Jordan [river] to the [Mediterranean] sea at all times,” saying the PA should not govern Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the PA “in its current form is not capable of accepting the responsibility for Gaza.” (AJ, HA 11/18)
U.S. president Joe Biden published an op-ed in the Washington Post, saying that the U.S. may start issuing visa bans to extremist settlers to discourage settler violence. Biden also called for Gaza and the West Bank to be reunited under PA rule when Israel ends its attack on Gaza. At the IISS Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk linked humanitarian aid to Gaza with the release of captives, saying “the surge in humanitarian relief, the surge in fuel, the pause in fighting will come when hostages are released.” Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi sharply criticized the U.S., saying it would have imposed sanctions on any other country that “did a fragment of what Israel” does in Gaza and that international calls for Israel to abide by international law do not change its behavior. (AJ, AP, AP, HA, REU, REU, WP 11/18; AX, HA, HA 11/19)
U.S. senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) called on the U.S. to condition aid to Israel, saying Israel “does not have the right to wage almost total warfare against the Palestinian people. This is morally unacceptable and in violation of international law.” Sanders said to receive U.S. aid, Israel must end indiscriminate bombings and start pauses, allow displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes, not re-occupy or blockade Gaza, end settler violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank, and commit itself to peace talks for a two-state solution. (HA 11/18)
The German foreign ministry said its review of aid to Palestinians did not show any indication of misuse. (REU 11/18)
The social media companies TikTok and Meta removed 8,000 posts related to Israel and Gaza at Israel’s request. (AJ 11/18)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked and injured 4 Palestinians harvesting olives in Jamma’in with dogs, stones, and pepper spray. Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians during raids in Arrabah and Jenin. Israeli forces shot and injured 6 Palestinians during raids in Yatta, Tana, Jenin, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya. Elsewhere, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from harvesting olives near Madama, seizing their tools. 25 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Idhna, Ramallah, Tulkarm, and Bethlehem. In Gaza, it was unclear how many Palestinians were killed and injured by Israeli airstrikes due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in the north. At least 13 were killed and 15 wounded in an airstrike on Rafah. Doctors Without Borders said people fleeing al-Shifa Hospital were being shot at as the hospital was surrounded by Israeli forces. Israeli attacks on al-Shifa Hospital killed 3 nurses and caused damage to several facilities including water tanks, a well, and the oxygen station. 5 Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian militants. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/11; UNOCHA 11/12)
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. As of 11/10, at least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,506 children and 3,027 women, and 27,490 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 2,450 people were buried in rubble, including 1,350 children. 176 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 47 children. More than 2,552 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals had been killed and 5,431 have injured since 10/7. 47 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. Thousands of Palestinians fled from northern Gaza to the south. No one was evacuated from Gaza to Egypt. 53 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. PA health minister Mai al-Kaila said 20 out of 30 hospitals in Gaza had shut down and that 37 premature babies were at risk of death due to the lack of oxygen at al-Shifa Hospital, noting that 2 babies died early today. Al-Shifa Hospital director Muhammad Abu Salmiya said the hospital was without power, internet, water, and medical supplies, saying it completely ran out of fuel. Abu Salmiya also said Israel had attacked the hospital, preventing people from leaving. Jordan air-dropped medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza for the second time. (AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/11; AJ, HA, WAFA 11/12)
PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh criticized Germany for supplying Israel with weapons during its war on Gaza. (AJ 11/11)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he did not support resettling Gaza, saying it is not a “realistic goal,” and said the PA should not govern Gaza. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told soldiers near the Blue Line that “[w]hat we do in Gaza, we know how to do in Beirut.” (AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA 11/11; AJ, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/12; HA 11/13)
Arab League and OIC leaders met for a joint session of the 2 organizations in Riyadh. In a joint statement, the members said Israel must end its “aggression against Gaza,” rejected the notion that Israel was acting in self-defense, and called for a halt to arms exports to Israel. PA president Mahmoud Abbas called on the UN Security Council and the U.S. to quickly intervene to end the Israeli attacks and to end Israel’s expulsion of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi told the joint session that the U.S. bears full responsibility for the Israeli actions in Gaza and called on the groups to designate the Israeli government and military a terrorist organization. It was the first time Raisi visited Saudi Arabia and the first visit by an Iranian president since 2012. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on the IAEA to investigate Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons and for an international peace conference to solve the overall conflict. Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said Israel was using humanitarian aid as political blackmail and said the international community had failed in stopping Israeli war crimes. Hamas representative Osama Hamdan criticized the summit for failing to outline concrete steps to stop the Israeli attacks. Abbas met with leaders of Iraq, Bahrain, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia after the summit. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/11; AJ 11/12)
Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah was launching drones at Israel every day, calling it part of a “war of attrition for the Israeli air defense.” Nasrallah also said Hezbollah will introduce heavier weapons to its fight against Israel. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU 11/11; HA 11/12)
Reuters reported that the UAE does not plan to sever ties with Israel over its attacks on Gaza. (REU 11/11)
Organizers said 1 million pro-Palestinian protestors marched in London, while London police estimated 300,000 took part. Major protests were also held in New York, Brussels, Paris, Baghdad, Karachi, Berlin, Edinburgh, and elsewhere. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 11/11)
In the West Bank, a Palestinian child succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Zawata on 10/30. Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinian farmers in Beit Umar, causing damage to a vehicle and forcing the Palestinians to flee. Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians during raids in Tubas and Beit Umar, including a child and a 70-year-old man. Israeli forces also shot and injured 8 Palestinians during raids in Qabatiya, Tubas, and Dheisheh refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished the family home of senior Hamas member Saleh al-Arouri in Aroura; Israeli forces placed a flag in the rubble of the house saying Hamas equals ISIS. Israeli forces also uprooted 12 olive trees and razed farmland in Farkha. 52 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed more than 200 Palestinians. Israel said it had attacked 300 targets in Gaza and assassinated Hamas commanders Nasim Abu Ajina and Ibrahim Biari in airstrikes. The airstrike that Israel claimed killed Biari killed at least 50 people injured 150 in Jabaliya refugee camp and leveled 30 residential buildings; Hamas denied that Israel had killed Biari. Hamas said it killed an Israeli soldier and damaged 2 vehicles near Gaza City. Israel said 15 soldiers had been killed during the ground invasion today. Rockets were fired at Israel causing damage and injuries. Israel said it shot down a drone near Eliat; the Houthi-led government in Yemen claimed responsibility. In Lebanon, Israel said it intercepted a surface-to-air missile fired at an Israeli drone and killed a member of Hezbollah. (HA 10/30; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/31; AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT 11/1)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 8,525 Palestinians have been killed, including around 5,700 women and children, and 21,543 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. 1,800 Palestinians, including 940 children, have been reported missing. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 125 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 35 children. More than 2,209 have been injured. Israel said 15 soldiers were killed in Gaza, 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. 59 truckloads of aid entered Gaza. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called the pace of aid entering Gaza “completely inadequate.” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described Gaza as “a graveyard for thousands of children” and “a living hell for everyone else.” (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 10/31; HA, NYT 11/1)
Amnesty International said Israel had used white phosphorus smoke artillery shells in South Lebanon between 10/10 and 10/16 “indiscriminately, and therefore unlawfully.” Amnesty said Israel injured 9 civilians with white phosphorus in Dhayra on 10/16. The Lebanese civil defense said it was fighting wildfires in South Lebanon that it claimed erupted due to Israel firing white phosphorous shells. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 10/31)
Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obaida said Hamas will release a number of captives who hold non-Israeli passports in the coming days, saying “we do not want to hold them in the Gaza Strip.” Abu Obeida also said the Israeli soldier Israel claimed to have freed on 10/30 was not held by Hamas. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh met with Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Qatar. Gaza Interior minister, Iyad al-Bazom, said Israel is seeking to separate northern Gaza from the south with its ground invasion. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU 10/31)
Fatah called for a general strike on 11/1 in response to the attack on Jabaliya refugee camp. PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, discussing the situation in Gaza and the need for a political solution to the Israeli occupation. (HA, WAFA, WAFA 10/31)
The Shin Bet warned the Israeli government of an “explosion” in violence in the West Bank due to the increase in Israeli settler attacks. (AJ 10/31)
The Israeli military issued an temporary order of 2 year minimum sentences for Palestinians in the West Bank who are convicted of having an association with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Lions’ Den, and ISIS and 1 year for incitement, attempting to enter a restricted location, and obtaining information about the restricted location in the context of terror organizations. (HA 10/31)
The Wall Street Journal reported that Egyptian prime minister Mustafa Madbouly said Egypt is ready to sacrifice the lives of millions to ensure Palestinians do not flee or are forcefully displaced to Egypt. (HA 10/31)
Bolivia announced that it has severed ties with Israel due to “the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip.” Israel condemned Bolivia for supporting “terrorism.” Bolivian Israeli ties were restored in 2020 by the right-wing interim President Jaenine Anez after they were first cut by President Evo Morales in 2009. Columbia and Chile recalled their ambassadors from Israel for consultations. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and Jordan condemned Israel’s massive airstrike on the Jabaliya refugee camp. Qatar called the attack “a new massacre against the defenseless Palestinian people.” Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf said “I am sorry to those innocent men, women and children in Jabalia Refugee Camp that the world could not protect you. This blatant disregard for human life must be condemned unequivocally,” calling for a ceasefire. The Arab League reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire. (AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/31; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU 11/1)
The Financial Times reported that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked his Austrian and Czech counterparts to lobby EU members to pressure Egypt into taking refugees from Gaza. Germany and France reportedly dismissed the idea. (AJ 10/31)
U.S. president Joe Biden spoke to King Abudullah II of Jordan, discussing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli president Isaac Herzog discussed aid and the need to protect civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. has told Israel that the need for fuel in Gaza was urgent. Responding to a question about Prime Minister Netanyahu comparing Palestinians to the biblical people Amalek, Kirby said, “I am not qualified to speak much on biblical history, but we have been crystal clear on our concern about genocidal behavior about any leader. That is not what we are seeing Israel desire to do,” further claiming that Israel is trying to prevent civilian casualties. U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda-Thomas Greenfield said the U.S. “is deeply concerned by the significant uptick in violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.” The U.S. deployed a F-15E fighter jet squadron and special forces to Jordan. 25 U.S. heavy transport planes also landed in Jordan. The Pentagon said the U.S. has soldiers in Israel helping with identifying captives held by Hamas. The U.S. criticized Lebanon for not filling its presidency, leaving it vacant for 365 days. At the U.S. Senate, a member of Code Pink was removed while castigating Secretary Blinken for U.S. complicity in the Israeli attacks on Gaza, while several others held their hands, covered in red dye, raised. Blinking told the Senate that the U.S. and other countries had discussed the future of Gaza, including having the PA govern there. The U.S. Senate confirmed, in a 53-43 vote, former Treasury secretary Jack Lew as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. All Democrats and Republican senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rand Paul (R-KY) voted to confirm Lew. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU 10/31; AJ, NYT, REU 11/1)
EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borell discussed the need to restore a “political horizon and relaunch the peace process” with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and representatives from the OIC. (AJ, HA, WAFA 10/31)
A poll commissioned by the Arab American Institute found that Arab American support for U.S. president Joe Biden has decreased 42% since 2020. 40% of the people polled said they would vote for Donald Trump, 17.4% for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and 3.8% for Cornel West, while 25.1 said they were undecided. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 10/31)
Virginia attorney general Jason Miyares said he will open an investigation into American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), alleging that the organization was providing support to terrorist organizations and was not fundraising with a proper registration. AMP denied the allegations and said Miyares was “attempting to score political points with hateful extremists.” (AJ, HA 10/31)
4 Belgian transport workers’ unions issued a joint statement calling on their members to refuse to handle military equipment bound for Israel, labelling Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide. (REU 10/31)
Director of the New York office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Craig Mokhiber, resigned in a letter to UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk, saying the UN was failing in its mission to stop genocide in reference to the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Mokhiber accused the U.S., the UK, and parts of Europe of being complicit in the Israeli genocide in Gaza. (GDN, NYT 10/31)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers injured 5 Palestinians in Yasuf, including 3 with live ammunition and 2 with stones. Israeli settlers also assaulted Palestinians harvesting olives in Deir Istiya and al-Khader. A Palestinian family of 16 fled their home in Khirbet ar-Ratheem, south of Hebron, after Israeli settlers raided the area, causing destruction to their property and threatening them with guns. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian minor during a raid in Jericho. Israeli forces also shot and injured 10 Palestinians with live ammunition during raids in Askar refugee camp, Beita, and Deir as-Sudan. Elsewhere, Israeli forces punitively demolished the home of a Palestinian man in Aqabat Jaber refugee camp using explosives. Israeli forces also seized Hamas political bureau deputy leader Salah al-Arouri’s home in Bani Zeid al-Sharqiya, turning it in to a Shin Bet facility. Meanwhile, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from harvesting olives in Duma, Burin, Zabbuba, and Sebastia. More than 120 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Aroura, Rantis, Bethlehem, Hebron, Deir Sammit, and Nablus. The Palestinian Prisoners Club said at least 1,070 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank since 10/7. In Gaza, around 250 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Rockets were fired at Israel; no new fatalities were reported. In Lebanon, anti-tank missiles fired at Israel wounded an Israeli soldier and Israel attacked Hezbollah-linked sites. Hezbollah said 19 of its members have been killed by Israel since 10/7, including 6 today. In Cyprus, a small homemade bomb exploded near the Israeli embassy in Nicosia with no damage or injuries reported; 4 Syrians were arrested. (AJ, HA 10/20; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21; UNOCHA 10/22)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of 5 p.m. at least 4,385 Palestinians had been killed, including at least 1,524 children, and 13,561 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. 84 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 26 children. More than 1,653 have been injured, including at least 360 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 4,629 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 26,756 housing units have been destroyed and 139,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. At least 42% of all housing units have been either destroyed or damaged in Israeli airstrikes. 43 unidentified Palestinians were buried in a mass grave in Gaza City. It was the second time Palestinians in Gaza were buried in mass graves this week. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 37 medical personnel have been killed since 10/7 and 7 hospitals no longer are operational. The first trucks carrying aid to Gaza arrived through the Rafah crossing. About 35 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said fuel will not enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing. UNRWA said 17 of its staff members have been killed and 35 of its buildings damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ, HA 10/20; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21; HA 10/22; HA 10/23)
Israel said it attacked several high-rise buildings in northern Gaza in recent days in preparation for a ground invasion. Israel also dropped leaflets over Gaza City, warning that Israel considers people who remain there collaborators with terrorists. (AJ 10/21; HA, HA 10/21; REU 10/22)
Hamas said it sought to release 2 additional captives for “humanitarian reasons,” but that Israel declined to receive them. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AJ, HA 10/21)
A PA official told Haaretz that Israel only allowed the aid that arrived in Gaza today to enter because of the release of 2 captives on 10/20 and that future aid will depend on the release of more captives. The official said that the U.S. and European countries have been trying to link aid to the release of civilian captives. (HA 10/21)
5 UN agencies released a joint statement calling the situation in Gaza “catastrophic.” (HA 10/21; WAFA 10/22)
Leaders from the PA, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, the UAE, UN, and EU, and senior government officials from Kuwait, Germany, France, Japan, Norway, Russia, and China met at the Cairo Peace Summit on Israel’s war on Gaza. Jordanian king Abdullah II said “[t]oday Israel is literally starving civilians in Gaza but for decades Palestinians have been starved of hope, of freedom and of future,” complaining that Israel is never held accountable and calling its actions in Gaza a war crime. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said Hamas’ attack does not justify “collective punishment of the Palestinian people.” PA president Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas and Israel to release all captives and prisoners. The summit ended without agreement on a joint statement. Abbas met with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez, EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borell, European Council president Charles Michel, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa, and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the summit. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21)
Prime Minister Meloni arrived in Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. HA 10/21)
U.S. forces shot down 2 drones flying near Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. The U.S. deployed a THAAD missile defense system battery and multiple Patriot missile batteries in the Middle East to “increase force protection for U.S. forces in the region, and assist in the defense of Israel,” according to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III. (AJ 10/21; HA, NYT 10/22)
The U.S. introduced a draft UN Security Council resolution, saying Israel has a right to defend itself, Iran needs to stop exporting arms to “militias and terrorist groups,” and calling for unhindered aid and protection of civilians. (HA 10/21)
AP said, based on videos, its experts have determined that it was likely an errant rocket that caused the explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital on 10/17. French and Canadian intelligence also suggested that an errant rocket fired by Palestinian militants caused the explosion. Investigations by UK Channel 4, Al Jazeera, and Forensic Architecture have concluded that it was likely an Israeli airstrike or artillery fire that caused the explosion. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AP 10/21; AJ, HA, HA 10/22)
Thousands of demonstrators attended pro-Palestinian rallies in many major cities throughout the world, including more than 100,000 in London. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shot and killed 2 Palestinians during a funeral procession for 4 Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers in Qusra on 10/11. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians and Palestinian property in Nabi Salih, Huwwara, Abu Kabash, Khirbet Zanuta, Jaba’, and al-Twana, injuring at least 2. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian minor in Jayyus. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly shot and injured an Israeli soldier near Ibziq. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian woman traveling in a car with her son, who was injured, in Ein Yabrud. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters, injuring 7 with live ammunition in Nabi Ilyas, Sinjil, Bethlehem, and Beit Umar. Meanwhile, Israeli forces assaulted 2 Palestinians, including a 9-year-old, demolished a gate to a school, and seized a Palestinian flag in Khirbet Zanuta. Israeli forces also demolished 2 Palestinian homes in al-Janiya. Separately, Israeli forces sealed a pizzeria in Huwwara that had used a picture of one of the Israeli captives for an online ad; Israeli settlers had earlier tried to attack the pizzeria. 60 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Jenin, Jericho, Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus, Qalandia, Qalqilya, and Tulkarm. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said Israel has arrested more than 200 people in the West Bank since 10/7. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian after he allegedly shot and injured 2 Israeli police officers in near Bab al-Zahra. The PFLP said that the man was of a member of its organization. In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 45 people in Jabalia refugee camp. Further airstrikes killed hundreds of Palestinians and destroyed at least 8 high-rise residential towers, with the most severely hit areas being Gaza City, Rafah Nuseirat, and Dayr al-Balah. The UN said that while rockets were still fired from Gaza they had dissipated in intensity. Rockets from Gaza killed 2 Israelis and wounded several others. In the Naqab, Israeli police shot and injured 2 Palestinian citizens of Israel in Rahat, claiming they were from Gaza. In Lebanon, militants killed an Israeli soldier using an anti-tank missile. A drone from Lebanon was shot down over Israel. In Syria, Israeli forces attacked the international airports in Damascus and Aleppo, damaging the runways. (AP 10/7; AJ 10/11; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/12; AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA 10/13; HA 10/14)
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor confirmed earlier reports that Israel had used white phosphorus munitions to attack Gaza and Lebanon. The Israeli military said that it was “currently not aware of the use” of white phosphorous munitions in Gaza. The Gaza Ministry of Health said at as of 2 p.m. least 1,417 Palestinians had been killed and 6,268 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 34 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 6 children. More than 500 Palestinians had been injured, including at least 175 with live ammunition. Israeli media reported that around 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 3,391 injured in Israel since 10/7. The UN reported that 423,000 Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 2 p.m. on 10/11 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 4,626 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said hospitals in Gaza were turning to graveyards as medical equipment has stopped working due to the lack of power and that 3 out of 5 water plants in Gaza, serving 1.1 million people, were out of service due to the Israeli bombing and blockade. The ICRC also said it was in contact with Hamas and Israel about the captives held in Gaza. The Israeli Air Force bragged on X that Israel had dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza since 10/7. (AJ 10/11; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HRW, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/12; AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 10/13)
Israeli energy minister Yisrael Katz said Israel would continue preventing energy, water, and fuel from entering Gaza until the Israeli captives are released. (AJ 10/11; AJ, REU 10/12)
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said that Israel must allow fuel, food, and water into Gaza. (AJ 10/11)
Jordan said it will send a military plane with humanitarian aid for Gaza to Egypt. (AJ 10/11; HA 10/12)
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Palestinians must “stay steadfast and remain on their land” as Egypt feared that allowing Palestinians to flee to Egypt would mean their permanent displacement from Gaza. Egypt also said planes carrying international aid to Gaza should use the al-Arish Airport 28 miles from the Gaza border. (AJ 10/11; REU 10/12; REU 10/14)
The UK said it had deployed 2 naval ships and a surveillance aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel. (AJ 10/11; HA 10/12)
The Commission for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs said that, starting on 10/11, Israel cut off water and electricity to Palestinian prisoners in the Naqab Prison. (WAFA 10/12)
Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obeida said Hamas began preparing for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in 2022 and managed to recruit 4,500 fighters for the operation. He added that Hamas is prepared for an Israeli ground invasion. Hamas deputy political leader Salah al-Arouri called the operation a “preemptive strike” based on intelligence that Israel was planning to attack after the Sukkot holidays. Al-Aruri also said it initially only took soldiers as captives but that the entry of armed civilians resulted in chaos and that many of the Israeli deaths were the result of Israeli actions, citing the Hannibal Directive that allows Israeli forces to kill Israelis rather than allow enemies to hold them captive. Hamas also released a video produced last month of its training exercise “Strong Pillar” preparing militants for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. (AJ 10/11; AP, HA 10/12)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Jordanian king Abdullah II in Amman, saying that he rejects the killing of civilians by Israel and Hamas. (AJ 10/11; HA, REU, REU, WAFA 10/12)
The Knesset approved the new war cabinet and swore-in National Unity Party members Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, Gideon Sa’ar, Chili Tropper, and Yifat Shasha-Biton as ministers without portfolio. (HA 10/12)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken landed in Israel for meetings with Israeli leaders. In a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken invoked the Holocaust and said he was in Israel to support the country “as the United States Secretary of State, but also as a Jew.” Blinken and Netanyahu compared Hamas to ISIS, with Blinken saying the Israeli government had showed him pictures and videos of infants shot, soldiers beheaded, and people burned alive. Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed that a guide by ISIS and al-Qaeda on producing IEDs was left behind by militants near Gaza. Blinken is expected to meet with PA president Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman on 10/13 and later travel to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Qatar. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. is in contact with Egyptian and Israeli officials to help evacuate around 500-600 U.S. citizens living in Gaza via the Rafah crossing. 17 members of Congress, led by Sara Jacobs (D-CA), signed a letter to the State Department urging it to evacuate Palestinian Americans from Gaza and the West Bank. (AJ 10/11; AJ, HA, HA, HA, REU, REU, REU 10/12; REU 10/13)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant spoke to NATO defense ministers, claiming Israeli women were raped and dragged to Gaza and that the Hamas operation was the worst for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. These widely circulated rape claims have not been verified. (HA, HA 10/12)
Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati urged all Lebanese groups not to get pulled into “Israel’s plans,” and condemned the Israeli attacks. (AJ 10/11)
The OIC condemned Israel’s attacks on Gaza. (WAFA 10/12)
South Africa offered to help mediate a “conflict resolution,” calling for the immediate and unconditional opening of “humanitarian corridors.” (AJ 10/11; HA 10/12)
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called on Israeli president Isaac Herzog to establish a humanitarian corridor to Egypt and to end the total blockade of Gaza, allowing electricity, water, and medicine in hospitals. (AJ 10/13)
German chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized PA president Mahmoud Abbas for not speaking out against the Hamas operation on 10/7 and said Germany will suspend all development aid to Palestine until Germany has completed a review of its aid. Scholz also said Germany would ban the organization Samidoun because it handed out pastries at a pro-Palestinian protest on 10/7. (AP, HA 10/12; HA 10/16)
The Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee said it had received multiple calls about Palestinians being detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or receiving visits from the FBI, and that the FBI visited several mosques in the U.S. (AJ 10/11; REU 10/13)
France banned pro-Palestinian protests, claiming they would “generate disturbances to public order.” When protesters took to the street in Paris in defiance of the ban, French police assaulted them using water cannons and tear gas. More than 1,000 Tunisians also protested in Tunis. (AJ 10/11; AJ, AP, HA 10/12; REU 10/13)
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan spoke for the first time since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, saying the ICC does have jurisdiction over potential war crimes carried out by either Israel or Palestinian militants in the current war. (REU 10/12; AJ 10/18)
Former U.S. president and current Republican front-runner for the next presidential election, Donald Trump, said that he will “never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down,” and called Defense Minister Gallant “a jerk.” Trump complained that Netanyahu tried to take credit for killing Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020, saying that “did not make me feel too good.” Rolling Stone reported that Trump had told allies that he wants Netanyahu impeached. (HA, HA, HA 10/12; REU 10/13)
In the West Bank, armed Israeli settlers vandalized Palestinian vehicles south of Jericho. Israeli settlers also opened fire at Palestinian homes in Jalbun; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces shot and killed 5 Palestinian protesters in Hebron, Ramallah, Jericho, and Beita. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Aqraba, al-Bireh, Ramallah, Tuqu’, Huwwara, Qalqilya, al-Ram, and al-Arroub refugee camp, injuring 9 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters at the Qalandia checkpoint, killing 4 and injuring 9. In Gaza, Israeli forces continued bombing civilian targets, in some instances without warning, killing at least 200 people. Palestinian militants fired rockets at Israel and attacked Israelis on the ground near the Gaza fence, resulting in hundreds of casualties and causing damage. Near Gaza, Israeli forces shot and killed an Israeli citizen and shot and injured 4 Israeli soldiers and an Israeli citizen, mistaking them for Palestinians. Israeli forces also killed dozens of Palestinian militants trying to enter Israel by sea. Hamas said it had fighters in the Israeli towns of Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Modechai, Kfar Aza, Kibbutz Be’eri, Yeted, and Kissufim. In Safed, Israeli forces assaulted and arrested 11 Palestinian workers from Gaza before dropping them off in the West Bank at the Jalamah checkpoint. In Lebanon, Israeli forces opened fire at what Israel described as a Hezbollah tent and fired artillery shells after mortar shells were fired at Israel. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/8; AJ, HA, WAFA 10/9)
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that as of 8 p.m. at least 413 Palestinians had been killed and 2,300 injured in Gaza while 15 Palestinians had been killed and 191 injured in the West Bank since 10/7. Israeli sources reported more than 677 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 2,000 injured. The UN reported that more than 123,538 Palestinians were displaced, including 73,538 sheltering in UNRWA facilities. 159 housing units were destroyed and 1,210 were damaged since 10/7. Israel cut off water supplies, affecting 610,000 Palestinians. An Naseer Hospital, Al Quds Hospital, and 2 Palestinian Red Crescent Society facilities were targeted by Israeli airstrikes overnight. 3 UNRWA schools sheltering displaced Palestinians were damaged in Israeli airstrikes, raising the number of UNRWA schools targeted to 4. Egypt allowed 100 truckloads of food, 30 truckloads of fuel, and 70 truckloads of construction material to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/8; UNOCHA 10/9)
In Egypt, an Egyptian police officer shot and killed 2 Israelis and an Egyptian at a tourist site in Alexandria. (AJ, AP, HA 10/8)
Israel claimed that 260 Israelis were killed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants at a music festival near Gaza on 10/7. (AJ, HA 10/8; REU 10/10)
Israel ordered the evacuation of Israeli towns near Gaza, reportedly in preparation for a ground invasion of Gaza. (AJ 10/8; HA 10/10)
A Hamas official said the group was holding more than 100 Israelis captive in Gaza. Islamic Jihad said it was holding 30 Israelis captive in Gaza and that they would not be released unless they were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had reached out to Egypt to help facilitate hostage negotiations. (HA, HA, WSJ 10/8)
PA envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour said messages from the international community asserting Israel’s “right to defend itself will be interpreted by Israel as a license to kill.” The PA requested an emergency meeting of the Arab League. (HA 10/8; WAFA 10/9)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/8)
The Israeli security cabinet decided to halt all electricity, fuel, and goods from entering Gaza and to destroy Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities. (HA 10/7; AJ 10/8)
The U.S. State Department said that at least 4 U.S. citizens were killed in the Hamas operation against Israel on 10/7. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE for the second day in a row. Blinken said he spoke with Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan about not allowing the war to disrupt Saudi-Israeli normalization efforts. The U.S. also directed the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean to provide Israel with U.S. support. U.S. president Joe Biden spoke with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time in 2 days. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA, HA, HA 10/8; AP, HA, REU 10/9; ALM, AP 10/10)
The UAE called on both sides to protect civilians and called the Hamas abduction of civilians “appalling.” (AJ, HA, REU, UAE 10/8)
Iran denied Wall Street Journal reporting, saying that it was not involved in the Hamas and Islamic Jihad operation in Israel but said “[w]e emphatically stand in unflinching support of Palestine.” (HA 10/8; AJ 10/8)
In the West Bank, the Israeli military claimed that Palestinian militants had opened fire at Israeli soldiers on 3 separate occasions at the Salem checkpoint and in Dayr Sharaf and Jalbun, damaging 1 vehicle. Israeli forces subsequently raided Jalbun, leading to tear-gas related injuries, and closed off all checkpoints to Nablus. Israeli forces also demolished 2 Palestinian homes in Furush Bayt Dajan, 1 Palestinian home under construction in al-Jiftlik, 1 car was near Haris, and issued demolition notices for 3 agricultural buildings and 1 residential tent in al-Matar. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian minor with live ammunition during a raid in ‘Azzun. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian at a checkpoint east of Bethlehem, claiming he tried to stab a soldier. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian man at a checkpoint near the Har Homa settlement, claiming he had attempted to stab soldiers. In Gaza, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters near the Gaza fence north of Jabaliyya, injuring 1 with live ammunition and causing tear-gas related injuries. (HA, QDS, QDS, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/18; PCHR 9/21; UNOCHA 9/26)
COGAT said the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing to Gaza would remain closed on 9/18. The crossing was scheduled to be reopened at midnight on 9/17 after it had been closed since 9/14 due to Israeli holidays. (HA, QDS 9/18)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. (QDS 9/18)
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and the EU sponsored a conference called The Peace Day Effort to advance the two-state solution through political, economic, cultural, and security-oriented means. The conference was held in New York on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly meeting and attended by around 30 foreign ministers. China’s ambassador to the UN and U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian affairs Andrew Miller also attended. Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said before the conference that it was convened as “[p]eople have started to losing hope in a two-state solution” and that there can be no solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict without the establishment of a Palestinian state. Palestinian and Israeli officials were not invited to partake. The PA expressed satisfaction with the initiative. (HA, MEE, TOI 9/18; AN, WAFA 9/19 HA 9/20)
Ahead of traveling to the U.S. for the annual UN General Assembly session Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israelis who protest his government’s judicial overhaul are aligning themselves with the PLO and Iran. The Prime Minister’s office later clarified, after backlash from the Israeli opposition and Jewish organizations in the U.S., that Netanyahu was criticizing that Israelis were protesting Israel at the same time as supporters of the PLO and BDS were and that they should also protest “those who deny the State of Israel’s right to exist.” Later in the day, Netanyahu met with Tesla, X, and Space X owner Elon Musk in Silicon Valley, defending Musk against charges of anti-Semitism brought by the Anti-Defamation League, among others. (ALM, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, MEE, MEE, NYT 9/18; REU 9/19)
Helicopter fighter pilot Shira Etting, a leader in the Israeli protest movement against the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul, told 60 Minutes that “[i]f you want pilots to be able to fly, and shoot bombs and missiles into houses knowing they might be killing children, they must have the strongest confidence in the people making those decisions.” (HA 9/18; HA 9/20)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinians, including a medic, with baton rounds during a late-night raid in Beita; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces issued a stop-work order for a house in Masafer Yatta. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Aida refugee camp, Azza refugee camp, Beit Umar, and Qalandia refugee camp. In Gaza, 3 Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces near the Gaza fence east of Rafah (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/14; PCHR 9/21; UNOCHA 9/26)
Israel closed crossings to the West Bank and Gaza for the Rosh Hashanah holiday. The crossings will remain closed until the night of 9/17. The PA called the closure racist and harmful to the Palestinian economy. (HA, WAFA 9/14)
Palestinian prisoners called off a hunger strike scheduled to begin today, saying that the Israeli government had suspended its plans to reduce family visits. (WAFA 9/14)
Lebanese parliament speaker Nahib Berry said a ceasefire had been reach in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp. 16 people have been killed and some 150 injured since 9/7. (MEMO 9/14)
2 Israelis were sentenced to 11 and 4.5 years in prison for an attack on a Palestinian man in Jerusalem in 2021 during the Unity Intifada. Noam Elimelech was sentenced for stabbing the man 10 times in addition to punching and kicking him and for attacking a police officer. Naftali Elmakais was sentenced for punching the man after he was on the ground. The 2 Israelis also had to pay the Palestinian man $26,000 in damages. 2 other Israelis are convicted but have yet to be sentenced. (HA 9/14)
The Israeli Ministry of Justice said it managed to reconstruct a deleted video related to the arrest and assault on a Palestinian man in Shu’fat in August who had what appeared to be a Star of David imprinted on his face. Israeli police had claimed that there was not any video of the incident and that the 16 police officers who arrested the man all had their body cameras off. (HA 9/14)
PA finance minister Shukri Bishara said that the amount of funds from the PA tax revenue that Israel has withheld since 2019 had reached $800 million. (QDS, WAFA 9/14)
Israeli authorities claimed that they had seized 16 tons of ammonium chloride bound for Gaza from Turkey. Israel said the ammonium chloride can be used for making rockets and Israel has banned the import of the substance to Gaza. (HA, REU 9/14)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Havana for the Group of 77+ China summit. Abbas met with Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel on the first day of his visit. (QDS, WAFA, WAFA 9/14)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that he and U.S. president Joe Biden will meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week. Netanyahu’s office also said that he will meet with South African tech billionaire and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk in California on 9/18. Musk has been under fire from the Anti-Defamation League for promoting anti-Semitism on X. (AX 9/12; ALM, AX, HA, HA, REU 9/14)
Times of Israel reported that Saudi Arabia will co-host an event focused on revamping efforts to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine called “Peace Day Effort for Middle East Peace” on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly annual meeting. The event is also sponsored by the Arab League, the EU, Jordan, and Egypt. Neither the PA nor Israel was invited to partake in the event. (TOI 9/14; QDS 9/15; TOI 9/18)
The U.S. decided to withhold $85 million in miliary aid to Egypt due to Egypt’s decision not to release political prisoners. The funds will be redirected to Taiwan and Lebanon, which will receive $55 million and $30 million respectively. (AJ, MEE 9/14)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in Nur Shams refugee camp. Israeli bulldozers caused extensive damage during the raid, including to the main road leading to Tulkarm. Later in the day, PA forces opened fire at Islamic Jihad members in the camp; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor near az-Zubaidat, claiming he had shot and injured 1 Israeli soldier. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian with live ammunition during a raid in Bayt Umar; the soldiers also fired tear gas near a school, causing tear-gas related injuries among students and staff. Israeli forces also confiscated 1 tractor near Yatta and 1 road roller in al-Zawiya. 17 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Halhul, al-Arroub refugee camp, Ya’bad, al-Am’ari refugee camp, Birzeit, Kafr ‘Aqab, and ‘Anata. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian school in Kafr ‘Aqab was set on fire after it was forced to teach the Israeli curriculum instead of the PA curriculum. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, MEE, QDS, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/5; MDW, PCHR 9/7; UNOCHA 9/11; UNOCHA 9/26)
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the Israeli decision on 9/4 to close the Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing would lead to an increase in tensions between Palestinians in Gaza and Israel. PA economy minister Khaled Assaili demanded that Israel reopen the crossing immediately. (HA, REU, WAFA 9/5; AJ 9/7; AP 9/8)
The High Follow-Up Committee for the Arab citizens of Israel declared a general strike in Israel over Israeli inaction in preventing and solving violent crime. (WAFA 9/3; ALM, QDS, WAFA 9/5)
Israeli military chief of central command Yehuda Fuchs said he will issue an administrative restriction order for Elisha Yered, a settler who took part in the raid on Burqa on 8/4 where 1 Palestinian man was killed. The order would prevent Yered from leaving the northern part of the Jordan Valley. (HA 9/5)
Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said the Israeli government will start deducting additional funds from the PA taxes Israel collects to pay for the PA’s debt to the Israel Electric Corp (IEC). A spokesperson for Smotrich said the amount would be $5.2 million to $7.8 million per month depending on how much energy the PA purchases from the IEC. PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called the decision systematic piracy and theft. (REU, WAFA 9/5; MEMO 9/7)
PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh, head of PA intelligence Majed Faraj, and PA president Mahmoud Abbas’ foreign policy advisor Majdi Khaldi arrived in Riyadh for meetings with Saudi and U.S. officials, including National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, to discuss the Palestinian aspect of the potential Saudi-Israeli normalization deal. Khaldi told the New York Times that the PA demand is the implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative. See 8/30 for Axios’ reporting on the PA demands for support of the normalization deal. (AX 9/3; MEE, QDS, TOI 9/4; HA, NYT 9/5; BBC, HA 9/7)
U.S. president Joe Biden nominated former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. Lew will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be instated. Lew sits on the U.S. board of directors for the National Library of Israel, a partly Israeli state-owned institution. If confirmed, Lew will replace Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Stephanie Hallett who has led the embassy since Tom Nides resigned in July. (AJ, ALM, AX, HA, MEE, NYT, REU 9/5)
Haaretz reported that Israel continued to sell weapons to Myanmar after a U.S. and EU arms embargo was placed on the country and despite the Israeli government claiming it had ended arms sales to the country in 2018. (HA, MEE 9/5)
Papua New Guinean prime minister James Marape and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu inaugurated the Papua New Guinean embassy to Israel in Jerusalem. Marape cited his Christian beliefs in making the decision to open the embassy in Jerusalem, which Israel will fund for the first 2 years. PLO Executive Committee member Wasel Abu Yousef said that Israel was “looking for any country – even if that country can only be seen under a microscope – so it can claim there are countries opening embassies in Jerusalem.” A picture circulating on social media showed the embassy completely empty, except for the embassy plague, the day after the inauguration. The PA, Jordan, and the OIC condemned the opening of the embassy. (AJ, REU, TOI 9/5; WAFA 9/6; WAFA, WAFA 9/7)
In Gaza, Israeli forces assassinated 3 Islamic Jihad commanders, Khalil Bahtini, commander of the northern region, Tareq Izzeldeen in Gaza City, and Jihad Ghanam, secretary of the military council, in Rafah in simultaneous airstrikes. The strikes also killed 10 others, including 4 women, 4 children, and 1 Russian-Palestinian, and injured 20. In the assassination of Izzeldeen, Israeli forces fired 2 missiles at the fifth and sixth floor of an apartment building in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, killing Izzeldeen and his 2 children on the fifth floor and a family of 3 on the sixth floor; 6 were injured. In the assassination of Bahtini, Israeli forces fired 2 missiles at his home in al-Sha’af neighborhood of Gaza City, killing him, his wife and child, and 2 others in a neighboring building, including 1 child; 6 others were injured, including 3 children and 2 women. In the assassination of Ghanam, Israeli forces dropped 3 GBU-19 bombs on his home in Rafah, killing him and his wife and injuring 6 others, including 1 child. Later, and without receiving a response from Islamic Jihad, Israeli forces assassinated 2 members of Islamic Jihad, Wael al-Agha and Saed Farwana, in an airstrike on their car in Khan Yunis; 2 others were injured. Israel called the attacks “Operation Shield and Arrow.” In the West Bank, after the attack on Gaza, Israeli forces raided Nablus, injuring 12 Palestinians with live ammunition, including 1 minor, and injured 90 others with tear gas. Israeli settlers set up tents on Palestinian-owned land in Jaba’. Israeli forces assaulted members of the Hebron Municipality Council who were attempting to reopen an office at risk of being taken over by settlers. Israeli forces also issued a demolition notice for a house and a stop-work order for a school in Maeen. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Yatta, Hebron, al-Mughayyir, Nablus, and Ramallah. (NYT 5/8; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, ALM, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, MEE, QDS, PCHR, REU, REU, TOI, TOI, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/9; AJ, ALM, AX, BBC, HA, MDW, MEE, MEE, MEE, NYT, REU, UNOCHA 5/10; HA, MEE, PCHR 5/11; HA 5/12; HA 5/13; QDS 5/15; UNOCHA 5/19; HA 5/30)
In response to Israel’s attack on Gaza (see above), Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said, “[w]e do not accept that this is an attack specifically directed at the Islamic Jihad. From Hamas' point of view, this is an attack against the Palestinian people, and therefore there will be a proportionate response whose details will be determined by the joint operations room of all factions.” The PA called the Israeli attacks “organized state terrorism.” Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan’s foreign ministries issued statements condemning Israel’s attack on Gaza and Nablus. The UN envoy for the Middle East peace process Tor Wennesland condemned “the death of civilians.” (ALM, ALM, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/9; WAFA 5/10; MEE 5/11; MDW 5/12)
Following Israel’s attack on Gaza (see above), National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that his Jewish Power party would return to the Knesset. Ben-Gvir and his party started boycotting the Knesset on 5/3 after what he called a “lenient” response by the Israeli government to the protest that occurred after the Adnan Khader died in an Israeli prison on 5/2. Ben-Gvir called the attack “a nice start” and said it was time for “policy change in Gaza.” The assassinations and larger operation were approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on 5/5 but were not presented to the security cabinet. (HA, HA, HA, HA 5/9; HA, HA 5/10; HA 5/13)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with the Russian envoy for the Middle East peace process Vladimir Safrenkov, discussing recent developments related to the occupation. (WAFA 5/9)
The Committee to Project Journalists issued a report saying that Israel has not held anybody accountable for the killing of 20 Palestinian and foreign journalists since 2001, creating a “chilling effect” on press freedoms. The report said that 15 of the journalists killed since 2001 were killed by Israeli forces while 2 were killed by gunmen in Palestinian presidential guard uniforms. (AJ, AP, HA, MDW, MEE 5/9)
Axios reported that U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides will resign this summer to spend time with his family. (AX, HA, HA, MEE 5/9)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor and injured 2 others with live ammunition during a raid in Jenin. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Abu Dis, injuring 4 with baton rounds and 71 with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces issued stop work orders for agricultural projects and seized 3 trucks near Jericho and issued stop-work orders for 2 agricultural structures in Jayyus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces sealed the family home in al-Tur of 1 Palestinian man who rammed a car into 3 Israeli settlers on 2/10. (ABC, ALM, AP, HA, HA, MDW, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/12; PCHR 2/13; PCHR 2/16; UNOCHA 2/21)
The Israeli security cabinet approved the legalization of the 9 settlement outposts Avigail, Asael, Shacharit, Givat Arnon, Givat Harel, Givat Haro’eh, Malachei Hashalom, Mitzpe Yehuda, Beit Hogla, and Sde Boaz. The security cabinet also approved the connection of other settlement outposts to Israeli infrastructure. In addition, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the cabinet approved building permits for nearly 10,000 new Israeli settlement units, with the final number to be decided by the civil administration planning and zoning committee. The PA condemned the decisions and called on the international community to intervene. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken called the decisions “deeply troubling.” (AX, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/12; AJ, AN, AP, BBC, GDN, HA, HA, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 2/13; WAFA 2/14; AX, HA, REU, WAFA 2/15; WAFA, WAFA 2/16; WAFA 2/17)
Israel’s ministerial committee for legislative affairs voted to repeal parts of the 2005 Disengagement Law, allowing Israeli settlers to enter settlement outposts evacuated in 2005, including the Homesh settlement outpost. The bill to repeal parts of the law will have to pass 3 readings in the Knesset. (HA, WAFA 2/12)
The Israeli Civil Administration issued a new directive prohibiting Palestinians from the West Bank under the age of 22 from participating in organized peace-building activities in Israel. Married Palestinians over the age of 22 will be allowed to participate as will single Palestinians over the age of 27. The civil administration also limited the number of permits for peace-building activities to 500. (HA 2/12)
Arab leaders met at the Arab League Conference in Support of Jerusalem in Cairo. The conference was attended by Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, PA president Mahmoud Abbas, Jordanian king Abdullah II, and foreign ministers from other Arab League members. The final communique condemned Israeli actions at the Haram al-Sharif compound and urged the ICC to investigate Israeli war crimes. (AJ, AJ, AP, F24, HA, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 2/12)
Israeli president Isaac Herzog gave a televised address urging the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government not to continue with its plans to change the balance of powers by overhauling the judicial system and proposed a compromise instead. Justice minister Yariv Levin said that he and the government coalition will not delay its plans. (AP, AX, HA, HA, REU 2/12; HA 2/13)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers planted trees near al-Farisya and ‘Ain al-Hilweh. Israeli forces delivered a stop-work order to 1 Palestinian for his agricultural fields and seized 1 bulldozer. 9 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Beit Fajjar, al-Bireh, Dura, Bayt Liqya, Bayt Rima, and Jaba‘. In East Jerusalem, around 100 Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound for the 2d day in a row. 2 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Isawiya and Shu‘fat. (WAFA, WAFA 7/19; PCHR 7/29)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz spoke on the phone. According to Gantz’s office, the 2 discussed trust-building steps between Israel and the PA and Gantz gave Abbas best wishes on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. Their conversation was the 1st between Abbas and an Israeli minister since 2017, when Abbas spoke to then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli president Isaac Herzog also called President Abbas to wish him a happy Eid al-Adha. (JP, REU, TOI, TOI, WAFA 7/19; ALM 7/22)
In Syria, Israeli forces conducted air strikes in as-Safira, south of Aleppo, killing 5 people. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA 7/20)
A freedom of information request revealed that the director general of the Israeli interior ministry lives in a house in the illegal settlement outpost Keida, which has had a demolition order against it since 2008. The interior ministry said in a statement that its minister Ayelet Shaked “is pleased that the director-general of her ministry lives in Keida.” (HA 7/20)
King Abdullah II of Jordan met with U.S. president Joe Biden in the White House. King Abdullah II was the 1st Middle Eastern leader to visit President Biden in Washington, as the U.S.-Jordanian relationship was tarnished during the Donald Trump administration due to the 1-sided peace proposal made by the administration. A read-out of the meeting said that the 2 discussed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Jordan’s relationship to Israel. (AJ, HA, JP, JP, MEE, NBC, NYT, REU, TOI, TOI 7/19; MEMO, WAFA 7/20)
The ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s issued a statement declaring it will end sales of its ice cream in Israeli settlements, saying that selling its ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territory “is inconsistent with our values.” Ben & Jerry’s also announced it would not renew its licensing agreement with manufacturers of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel but that the ice cream will still be available in Israel. Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett said that Ben & Jerry’s had decided to brand itself as an “antisemitic ice cream.” Foreign minister Yair Lapid, who weeks ago said his government would not call all criticism of Israel anti-Semitic, said the company was surrendering to BDS and anti-Semitism and that he would ask 35 U.S. states with anti-BDS laws to enforce them against the U.S. company. On 7/20, Prime Minister Bennett called the CEO of Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, to criticize the decision and Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan urged states with anti-BDS laws to take legal action against Ben & Jerry’s. The Israeli president Isaac Herzog likened the Ben & Jerry’s decision to terrorism. Ben & Jerry’s is known to engage publicly on progressive issues. Both founders of the company are Jewish-Americans. (AJ, ALM, AX, BenJerry, FOX, GDN, HA, HA, MEE, MEMO, NBC, REU, TOI, TOI, TOI, TOI, Twitter 7/19; AJ, AP, BBC, CNN, HA, HA, JP, JP, JP, MEE, MEE, REU, TOI, WAFA 7/20; HA, MEMO 7/21; AJ, AP, MEMO 7/22; GDN 7/23; HA 7/26; AX 7/27)
In the West Bank, 9 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Bayt Umar, Ya‘bad, Hebron, Jalazun, Qalandia, Salfit, Abu Dis, and Hizma; during a raid in Bayt Umar, Israeli forces assaulted 4 members of the same family. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family cleared their house in preparation of its demolition by Israel in Silwan. 2 Palestinians were arrested during house raids in al-Tur. In Israel, Palestinians from the Naqab desert protested in West Jerusalem against Israeli demolition of their property. (WAFA, WAFA 3/18; PCHR 3/25)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas fired Nasser al-Kidwa as the chairperson of the Yasir Arafat Foundation and assigned Ali Muhanna as acting chairperson. President Abbas fired al-Kidwa from the Fatah Central Committee on 3/11 because al-Kidwa is running in the upcoming elections on a separate list from Fatah. Al-Kidwa is the nephew of Yasir Arafat. (WAFA 3/18)
The ICC said it had sent formal notices to Israel and the PA, giving them 1 month to seek deferral by providing evidence that they are carrying out their own investigations. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki also met with the ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in the Hague to discuss PA cooperation with the investigation. (AP, WAFA 3/18; HA 3/20)
According to Axios reporting, the UAE leadership is “furious” at Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for seeking to use the country and its crown price Mohammed bin Zayed as a prop in his election campaign. Prime Minister Netanyahu planned to travel to the UAE on 3/11 but had to cancel when Jordan closed its airspace to him. Adding to the UAE, the leadership’s dismay at Netanyahu is in his proclamation that the UAE would invest $10 billion in Israel and an interview from 3/15 where Netanyahu claimed that bin Zayed had praised is economic leadership. The UAE retaliated by saying that the UAE investment is in its preliminary phase, that the country would “not be a part in any internal electioneering in Israel,” and by suspending a planned summit. Netanyahu has been pressuring the UAE to host a summit for Israel, the U.S., and other countries that have normalized relations with Israel in the last year, but this summit is now postponed. (HA, NAT 8/17; AJ, ALM, AP, AX, CNN, HA, TOI 3/18; ALM 3/19)
Ireland said it would contribute $7.14 million a year to UNRWA over the next 3 years. (WAFA 3/18)