The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Kafr Ain on 1/22. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Bizarya, causing damage. Israeli settlers also assault Palestinian shepherds in Umm al-Khair, causing injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers raid Huwwara, vandalizing homes and vehicles. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man and injure another at the Dayr Sharaf checkpoint; Israel claims the dead man opened fire at Israeli soldiers. Israeli forces also punitively demolish the family home in Hebron of a Palestinian man killed by Israeli forces in Beit Jala on 11/16/2023; the demolition is carried out with explosives, damaging other apartments in the building. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolish an agricultural structure in Yatma. Israeli forces also arrest 5 Palestinians during a raid in Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 10 Palestinians, including 4 children, at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Rafah, Maghazi, Dayr al-Balah, and Khan Yunis, killing at least 130 people. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a Palestinian doctor while his is operating on a patient in the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. In Lebanon, Hezbollah attacks 2 Israeli bases, injuring 3 soldiers in Kiryat Shmona. 30 rockets are also fired at Ein Zeitim and Dalton. Israeli forces kill a Hezbollah member in an airstrike on Nabatieh, others are reportedly injured. Israel also attacks Khiam and Kafrhamam. In Yemen, the U.S. military says it has conducted 7 airstrikes. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/8; AJ, AP, HA, REU 2/9)

More than 27,840 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 67,317 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 383 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 96 children. More than 4,426 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, 225 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,314 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. UNOCHA says 650,000 Palestinians in Gaza have no homes to return to and that there are an estimated 12 million tons of debris from Israeli bombings that needs to be cleared. (HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/8; AJ 2/9)

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says Muhammad Ahmad al-Sabar, a Palestinian held in administrative detention since May 2022, has died in the Ofer Prison. Al-Sabar is the eighth prisoner to die in Israeli custody since 10/7/2023. (AJ, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/8)

Israeli forces release 71 Palestinians from Gaza at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing. The New York Times reports that U.S. intelligence officers told Congress that they believe Israeli forces have killed a third of Hamas militants. (AJ, HA, NYT, WAFA 2/8; AJ, HA, NYT 2/9)

A Hamas delegation led by political bureau deputy leader Khalil al-Hayya arrives in Cairo for meetings with Qatari and Egyptian officials on a ceasefire deal. The Israeli war cabinet discusses the Hamas response to the ceasefire proposal. (AJ, HA 2/8)

UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk says Israel’s destruction of homes to create a buffer zone in Gaza “amounts to a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and [is] a war crime.” (AJ, NYT 2/8)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with Israeli war cabinet members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot and opposition leader Yair Lapid on the second day of his visit to Israel. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says Israel moving its troops to Rafah “without due consideration for their [Palestinians sheltering there] safety would be a disaster and we would not support it.” President Joe Biden issues a memorandum saying countries receiving U.S. military aid must assure the U.S. that they are adhering to international law and requiring the state and defense departments to send a report to Congress within 90 days on the use of U.S.-supplied weapons. Biden also says in a speech that Israel’s response in Gaza has been “over the top,” and that innocent people in Gaza are “starving, in trouble and dying. It’s got to stop.” In the speech, Biden mistakenly calls Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi the president of Mexico. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT 2/8; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU 2/9)

The U.S. Senate advances a supplemental foreign aid only bill, including $14 billion to Israel in a procedural 67-32 vote. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) is the only Democrat to vote against it. (HA, REU 2/8)

The ICJ says Nicaragua has requested to join South Africa in the genocide case against Israel. (AJ, WAFA 2/8)

In the West Bank, Palestinians protest outside the UNRWA headquarters in Ramallah against the countries that have suspended funding to the agency. Israeli settlers assault Palestinians in Khillet al-Farra in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces raid Nur Shams refugee camp, killing 3 Palestinians and injuring 1, uprooting streets, and destroying property. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian during a raid in Wadi al-Fara’a. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolish a home under construction in Bayt Jala. Israeli forces also arrest 25 Palestinians during raids in Jenin, Hebron, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Khan Yunis, and Gaza City, killing at least 123 people, including 13 people collecting water from a truck distributing aid in Gaza City. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a paramedic and injure 2 others while they are evacuating injured people in Gaza City and open fire at al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis, injuring 2. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and kill a woman trying to collect water for the Nasser Hospital. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinian fishermen northwest of Rafah. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Khiam, killing 1 civilian and wounding 2 others. Israeli forces also bomb Marwahin and Bani Haiyyan. In Iraq, U.S. forces kill at least 3 people, including a senior member of Kataib Hezbollah, in an airstrike on Baghdad. (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/7; AJ, UNOCHA 2/8)

More than 27,708 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 67,147 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 379 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 96 children. More than 4,426 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, 225 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,304 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. 169 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The Gaza Ministry of Health says 11,000 sick and wounded Palestinians need evacuation for treatment. The Gaza Media Office says Israeli has burned 3,000 housing units in Gaza during its ground invasion. The UN says Israel has prevented 51 out of 61 planned aid missions to northern Gaza. Israelis continue to block the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing for the second day in a row. (AJ, AP, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/7; AJ, UNOCHA 2/8)

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says that there are 3,484 Palestinians held in administrative detention, including 40 children and 11 women. (WAFA 2/7)

An Israeli soldier dies of a fungal infection after being exposed 7 weeks ago in Gaza. (HA 2/7)

Details of Hamas’s counterproposal to the Israeli, U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian ceasefire proposal are unveiled. The Hamas proposal includes 3 stages of 45 days. In the first stage, Israel and Hamas would exchange the remaining female, child, and elderly Israeli captives for 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, see 500 trucks of aid enter Gaza daily, allow Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza, allow the entry of 60,000 temporary homes and 200,000 tents, and stop Israeli settlers from entering the Haram al-Sharif compound. In the second stage, male captives would be exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners. In the third phase, the bodies of those killed would be exchanged. The proposal also calls for securing the reconstruction of Gaza and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. Hamas political bureau member Mohammad Nazzal says the Hamas proposal has clear deadlines which the original proposal lacked, that Qatar, Egypt, Russia, Turkey, and the UN will be guarantors for maintaining the ceasefire, and that the proposal is final. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the counterproposal “delusional,” saying Israel will not end its war on Gaza and will continue until “total victory.” (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU 2/7; NYT, NYT 2/8)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with PA president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, discussing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel’s withholding of PA tax funds, and settler violence. Abbas also expresses the importance of the U.S. recognizing the state of Palestine. Blinken also meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu, military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and President Issac Herzog. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reports that Netanyahu promises Blinken that Israel will not invade Egypt at the Philadelphi Corridor without coordination with Egypt. Blinken says at a press conference that Hamas will not play a role in the future governance of Gaza, that the death toll in Gaza remains too high, and that Israel should open the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing to allow more aid to enter Gaza. Blinken also says that the Hamas response to the ceasefire deal has “clear non-starters,” but that he thinks there is space for an agreement to be reached. Lastly, Blinken says that Israel cannot use the events of 10/7/2023 as a “license to dehumanize others.” Netanyahu says he complained to Blinken about the U.S. executive order allowing the U.S. sanction Israeli settlers, calling the order “inappropriate” and “highly problematic.”  (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, AX, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/7; HA, HA, NYT, REU 2/8)

Hamas says a delegation led by political bureau deputy leader Khalil al-Hayya will travel to Egypt for continued ceasefire talks with officials from Egypt and Qatar. (AJ 2/7)

PA health minister Mai al-Kaila sends a letter to UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, calling on him to ensure that medical personnel in Gaza are protected as 340 doctors and health workers have been killed by Israeli forces. Al-Mezan says in a letter to Guterres that the UN Office on Genocide Prevention has failed in its mandate, calling it “double standards.” (AJ, WAFA 2/7)

The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry issues a statement saying “in light of what has been attributed to the U.S. National Security Spokesperson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been steadfast on the Palestinian issue . . . The Kingdom has communicated its formal position to the U.S. administration that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and all Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip.” In the statement, Saudi Arabia also calls on UN Security Council members to recognize the state of Palestine. The PLO and PA welcome the Saudi statement. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/7)

Argentinian president Javier Milei meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem, saying Argentina will designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. On 2/6, Milei said he would move the Argentinian embassy to East Jerusalem. The Arab League and OIC condemn Milei’s promise to move the embassy. (AJ, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA 2/7)

The U.S. Senate rejects a $118 billion bill that would fund Israel’s war on Gaza, send military aid to Ukraine, and fund the U.S.-Mexico border. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VA) says he voted against the bill because the military aid to Israel is “unconscionable” given the Israel’s “horrific war against the Palestinian people,” and because of the provisions in the bill that would prevent UNRWA funding. (AJ, AJ, HA 2/7)

The American Civil Liberties Union writes a letter to U.S. secretary of education Miguel Cardona, calling on him to reject the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s working definition of anti-Semitism, saying it conflates anti-Semitism with political speech. (AJ 2/7)

Canadian immigration minister Marc Miller says Egyptian and Israeli authorities have not allowed 1,000 Palestinians who have been granted permission to come to Canada to be evacuated. (AJ 2/7)

Norway transfers $26 million to UNRWA, saying millions of people should not be collectively punished for the alleged wrongdoing of 12 staff members. (AJ 2/7)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly rammed an Israeli at a checkpoint near Fawwar refugee camp. Israeli forces were also filmed abusing and assaulting a gas station worker in the refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians with baton rounds and arrested 4 others during a raid in Bayt Awa. Israeli forces also issued demolition notices for the family homes of 3 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces on 11/16 near Bayt Jala. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Nablus, Qalqilya, the Masafer Yatta area, Hebron, and Ramallah. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed Khan Yunis, Rafah, Jabalia refugee camp, Nuseirat refugee camp, Maghazi, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Dayr al-Balah, killing at least 165 people, including Al-Quds journalist Jabr Abu Hadros and 6 members of his family in Nuseirat refugee camp and former Palestinian minister of awqaf and religious affairs and al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Yousef Salameh in Maghazi. Israel also bombed near the Rafah crossing and hit the European Hospital, killing at least 5 people. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed and 13 were injured in combat. In Lebanon, Israel said it attacked several Hezbollah positions. In Syria, Israeli airstrikes killed 23 people, including 5 Syrians and 6 Iraqis, and wounded 18, near the Iraqi border. Israeli forces also bombed near Aleppo. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/30; AJ, HA, WAFA 12/31; AJ 1/2)

More than 21,672 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 56,165 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 312 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 79 children. More than 3,812 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7. 168 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 955 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. As of 12/23, at least 65,000 housing units had been destroyed and 290,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. UNOCHA said more than 100,000 people have fled to Rafah in the past few days. UNICEF delivered 600,000 doses of vaccines to Gaza, saying that more than 16,800 infants have missed routine vaccines. UNRWA said 40% of Palestinians in Gaza were at risk of famine. 103 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 12/30)

The Gaza Ministry of Health held a press conference saying Palestinians captured by Israeli forces in Gaza were being tortured and held in poor condition. The ministry also said it had been able to reopen the medical facilities al-Arabi Hospital, Patient Friend’s Benevolent Society, Assahaba Medical Complex, al-Helou International Hospital, and several first aid centers. Lastly, it said that 5,300 people in critical condition needed to be evacuated to hospitals outside of Gaza to save their lives. 13 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functioning, 9 of which are located in the south, the rest are out of service. (AJ, UNOCHA 12/30)

The armed wing of the PFLP, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, released a picture it said showed the body of 1 of the Israeli soldiers held captive in Gaza, saying he was killed by Israeli forces when they tried to rescue him. It was unclear if the soldier was taken captive on 10/7 or during the ongoing ground invasion. (AJ, HA, REU 12/30)

The PA foreign ministry said Israel was targeting UNRWA to expel the agency from Gaza. (AJ 12/30)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference that the border zone between Egypt and Gaza, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, must be under Israeli control. Netanyahu also said Israel will attack Iran if Hezbollah expands its attacks on Israel. Ynet reported that Israel wants an underground wall along the Gaza border with Egypt. Netanyahu reportedly invited Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet member Benny Gantz to participate in the press conference, which they declined. PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh said Netanyahu’s plans were “a blatant violation of agreements with Egypt and a termination of all agreements with the PLO,” calling on a unified Palestinian and Arab stance against it. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 12/30; AJ, AJ, WAFA, WAFA 12/31)

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israeli leaders will discuss resettling Palestinians in Gaza after the war. (AJ 12/30)

Israeli forces hacked the broadcast of the radio channel Voice of Palestine, issuing threats to people in Gaza. (WAFA 12/30)

The Wall Street Journal said that by mid-December Israel had dropped 29,000 bombs on Gaza, destroying 70% of homes, making Israel’s attacks “comparable in scale to the most devastating warfare in the modern record.” (AJ, HA 12/30; AJ, WAFA 12/31)

The New York Times reported that the Israeli military was so ill-prepared for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 10/7 that soldiers used WhatsApp groups and social media posts to decide where to target. (AJ, NYT 12/30)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolished 1 house in Harmala, 1 house in Bayt Ta‘mar, and 3 agricultural structures in Duma. 4 Palestinian children were arrested during late-night raids in Bethlehem. 11 others were arrested, including 9 during raids in and around Bayt Rima, Kobar, Jenin, Jaba‘, Bethlehem, Bayt Jala, Halhul, and Dura, and 2 were arrested at checkpoints in Bethlehem and Ya‘bad. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raided the Muslim Girls Secondary School in Wadi al-Juz and arrested 2 employees, including the principal of the school. In Gaza, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters east of Rafah, injuring 1 with a rubber-coated bullet and others with tear gas. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/1; MEE, MEMO, PCHR, WAFA 9/2)

Israel said it would expand the Gaza fishing zone to 15 nautical miles at its largest, increase the number of merchant permits for Palestinians in Gaza from 5,000 to 7,000, and provide 175 million cubic feet of fresh water. (HA 8/31; ALM, ALM, AP, MEE, MEMO 9/1)

1 Palestinian prisoner in administrative detention ended his 33-day hunger strike after the Israeli prison service promised not to extend his detention beyond 2/14/2022. (WAFA 9/1)

Israel’s foreign minister Yair Lapid said that reopening the U.S. consulate to Palestinians in Jerusalem is a “bad idea,” saying it would weaken the Israeli government coalition and send the “wrong message.” Israeli and U.S. government sources have told Haaretz that the U.S. is moving slowly on reopening the consulate because of the potential ramifications it could have on Israel’s government coalition. Foreign Minister Lapid also criticized the way the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan. The spokesperson of Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett also denied reports that Bennett and PA president Mahmoud Abbas would meet. (AJ, ALM, GDN, HA, HA, MEE, REU 9/1; MEMO 9/2; ALM 9/7)

Haaretz reported that Israel’s public security minister Omer Bar-Lev had ordered the Israeli police to stop its policy of confiscating Palestinian flags during protests except in exceptional circumstances. (HA 9/1)

The U.S. Central Command announced that it had taken over the responsibilities of Israel from the U.S. European Command. The move, welcomed by Israel, was seen as an effort to strengthen the normalization deals between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain as it allows for easier coordination of military exercises arranged by the U.S. (JINSA 9/2; Defense News, Defense News 9/7)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian minor, shot by Israeli forces on 5/12, succumbed to his wounds. Israeli settlers shot and injured 1 Palestinian while raiding Bani Na‘im. Israeli settlers with military escort also raided Silat al-Harithiyya, leading to confrontations; no injuries were reported. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers also blocked a main road to al-Bireh and threw stones at Palestinian vehicles, causing damage. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles near Bayt Jala and al-Walaja. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian using live ammunition during a Nakba Day protest in Zeita, near Tulkarm. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Aida refugee camp, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Tura, injuring 1 with live ammunition. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters at a checkpoint near Huwwara, injuring 1 with a rubber-coated bullet; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Hebron, injuring 1 with live ammunition and 1 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Umar, leading to tear-gas related injuries. 7 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 during house raids in al-Khadir and Dura, and 5 during protests near Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers with military escort raided Bayt Hanina and Shu‘fat refugee camp, leading to confrontations; 2 Palestinians were injured by the Israeli forces in Bayt Hanina. Israeli settlers later raided Shu‘fat refugee camp again, injuring 2 Palestinians with live ammunition. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian, saying he had intentionally rammed 7 officers, who were lightly injured, in Shaykh Jarrah; 1 journalist was physically assaulted at the scene and others had stun grenades thrown at them. 25 Palestinians were arrested. In Gaza, 50 Palestinians were killed, including 19 children, and dozens were injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 153 to 203, including 60 children and 2 pregnant women. The casualties included: 43, including 19 children, and dozens wounded in air strikes hitting residential buildings in Gaza City; 1, and 2 wounded in a drone strike in Jabaliya; 1, and 11 injured in air strikes on a residential buildings in Nuseirat; 3 in air strikes on Bayt Hanun; 2 in a drone strike on a house in Rafah. Israel also attacked and demolished the homes of Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar and his brother in Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported in the air strikes. In Israel, rockets from Gaza hit 1 house in Ashdod and damaged 5 vehicles in Ashkelon; no injuries were reported. Israel’s defense minister Benny Gantz extended the state of emergency in Lydda for 48 hours. Israel arrested 1 Palestinian-Israeli imam Shaykh Kamal Khatib, the deputy leader of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement in Israel, saying he had made incendiary remarks about Israel’s attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque. 28 people were wounded in a subsequent protest in Kafr Kana where he was arrested, including many by Israeli live ammunition. 8 Palestinian-Israelis were arrested in Taiba and Qalansawe. 2 Jordanian citizens were arrested in Gilboa after having crossed from Jordan into Israel. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, CNN, HA, HA, NPR, NYT, PCHR, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/16; PCHR 5/17; ALM 5/19; HA, PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; HA 5/25; NYT 5/26; AP 6/2; NYT 6/24)

Egypt opened the Rafah crossing 1 day earlier than planned to allow the passage of students and medical patients. 95 Palestinians were reported to have been evacuated to Egypt for treatment of injuries before the border officially reopened. (HA, REU 5/16)

2 Israeli settlers were killed and 150 were injured when a structurally unsound seating area collapsed in a synagogue in Givat Ze’ev. (AJ, AP, CNN, HA, REU 5/16)

The High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel announced a general strike on 5/18 to protest attacks on members of its community. (HA 5/16)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke to Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte about the Israeli escalation of violence in the Palestinian territories. (WAFA 5/16)

Haaretz reported that Israeli senior officials did not consider a ceasefire option at its latest security cabinet meeting. (HA 5/16)

Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz met with U.S. deputy assistant secretary for Israel and Palestinian affairs Hady Amr. U.S. president Joe Biden said in an Eid holiday speech that his “administration is going to continue to engage Palestinians and Israelis and other regional partners to work toward sustained calm.” Later, secretary of state Antony Blinken said that “the violence must end immediately.” Earlier in the day, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reiterated that his government has no plans for a ceasefire, saying the attacks on Gaza “will take time.” (AJ, HA 5/16; HA 5/17)

Jordanian king Abdullah II said that Jordan has been involved in intense diplomacy with its allies in Europe and the U.S. to put pressure on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza. (HA, REU 5/16)

28 U.S. Democratic senators, led by Jon Ossoff (D-GA), called for an immediate ceasefire “[t]o prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories.” (HA, NYT 5/17)

At a UN security council (UNSC) meeting on Israel-Palestine, UN secretary-general António Guterres said that the situation was “utterly appalling,” calling for an immediate ceasefire. He said the UN is actively involved in facilitating a ceasefire. This was the 3d time in a week that the UNSC met about the situation and the 3d time the U.S. stalled any joint statement. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki said that “[e]ach time Israel hears a foreign leader speak of its right to defend itself it is further emboldened to continue murdering entire families in their sleep.” (AJ, AP, HA, WAFA, WAFA 5/16; TOI 5/17)

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation called for an immediate halt of Israeli attacks on Gaza and “systematic crimes” against Palestinians. Saudi Arabia also condemned Israel’s “fragrant violations” of Palestinian rights. PA foreign minister al-Maliki criticized the countries that had normalized relations with Israel, saying, “running towards this colonial Israeli system without achieving peace and ending the Israeli occupation of Arab and Palestinian lands represents support for the apartheid regime and participation in its crimes.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 5/16)

Pope Francis, for the 2d Sunday in a row, denounced the escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine, saying that the death of children was a “sign that they don’t want to build the future but want to destroy it.” (HA 5/16; WAFA 5/17)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinians near Salfit; no injuries were reported. Israeli settlers also planted crops on Palestinian-owned land in Taqqua. Israel approved the seizure of 147 dunams (36 acres) of land in Nahalin and Husan. Israeli forces handed temporary eviction orders for Palestinian residents of Khirbet Ibziq, saying they had to leave their homes for 4 days due to a military exercise. 4 Palestinians were arrested, including 3 during raids in and around Ramallah and Hebron; 1 was arrested at a checkpoint in Bayt Jala. In East Jerusalem, a mob of several hundred Israeli settlers and right-wing Israelis attacked Palestinians in several parts of East Jerusalem, injuring at least 105 Palestinians, 22 of whom were hospitalized; Israeli police said that 50 people were arrested, including Palestinians and Israelis; 1 Israeli settler was reported injured by Palestinians. The mob was summoned by the Israeli organization Lehava and was chanting “death to Arabs” as they were ravaging the city. 1 Israeli settler was arrested at the Haram al-Sharif compound for planning to stab Palestinians. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions and leveled land east of Rafah. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Bayt Lahiya. In Israel, 1 Palestinian from the West Bank was arrested at his workplace. (AP, HA, MEE, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/22; AP, BBC, HA, TOI, WAFA 4/23; PCHR 4/24; HUFF 4/25; HA 4/26; PCHR 4/29)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh urged UK cabinet office minister Michael Gove to pressure Israel in allowing Palestinians in East Jerusalem to partake in the upcoming Palestinian elections, during a meeting in Ramallah. (WAFA 4/22)

Syria fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli fighter jets, which missed and landed near Dimona in the southern part of Israel. Israel subsequently attacked a location near Damascus, wounding at least 4 and causing damage. (AJ, AP, HA, JP, REU 4/22)

21 senate Republicans called on U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken to condition aid to the UNRWA on reforming the organization. The leader of the group, Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), claimed that the UNRWA textbooks include anti-Semitic content and that the UNRWA employs people affiliated with Hamas. The group also criticized that descendants of Palestinians displaced in 1948 are categorized as refugees, a talking point also used by Israel and the Trump administration. 331 members of the House of Representatives also signed a letter to the chairwoman of the appropriations committee, saying they oppose any conditions on U.S. aid to Israel. (JP 4/22; ALM, TOI 4/23; FOX 4/25)

Estonia, France, Ireland, Belgium, and Germany issued a statement after a UN security council meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying that Israel must “facilitate the holding of elections across all of the Palestinian territories, including in East Jerusalem, in line with commitments made in the Oslo Accords as well as to facilitate the participation of international observers across all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.” During the meeting, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland also said that Palestinians in East Jerusalem must be allowed to partake in the Palestinian elections and called on Israel to stop arresting candidates and disbanding election-related meetings. The UK, Irish, and French ambassadors to the UN expressed similar sentiments. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/22; JP 4/23)

The Danish government said it had expressed concern about settler vandalism on Danish-funded agricultural projects to the Israeli government. Danish development minister Flemming Møller Mortensen said that “[a]ny form of violent acts committed by settlers in the West Bank is unacceptable,” and that the Danish government frequently reminds Israel of that. (HA 4/22)

In the West Bank, a group of Israeli settlers attacked Jibiya village north of Ramallah overnight by throwing stones, leading to 2 Palestinian injuries. Settlers also attacked Palestinian shepherds in the northern Jordan Valley. Also in the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 19 during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, al-Bireh, Nabi Salih, Silwad, Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Hebron. The raid near Jenin triggered confrontations with locals trying to block the soldiers’ entrance to their village. Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli forces handed out demolition orders for 9 residential structures in Yatta and for animal barns in Bayt Jala near Bethlehem. In Hebron, students and teachers suffered from tear gas inhalation after Israeli soldiers fired the gas into the yard of their school. Some students were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. A Palestinian man arrested in July 2018 was convicted by an Israeli military court for killing an Israeli soldier in May 2018. According to Israeli forces, the Palestinian man had confessed to throwing a marble slab on the soldier, leading to his death. In East Jerusalem, the Islamic Waqf Council Chairman Sheikh Abdel-Azim Salhab returned to Haram al-Sharif after a 40-day ban issued by Israeli authorities. In Gaza, 4 Palestinian fishermen detained last week by Egyptian authorities were released. Israeli forces also opened fire on Palestinian farmers east of Khan Yunis and on Palestinian fishermen on the northwestern coast of Gaza. There were no reports of injuries. Also in Gaza, some 40 animals were evacuated from Rafah Zoo to sanctuaries in Jordan and South Africa. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, 4/7; MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA 4/8)

The Chairman of the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission Qadri Abu Baker said that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails had shelved their planned hunger strike protesting the deterioration of their conditions to facilitate the progress in dialogue with the Israeli Prison Service (IPS). Abu Baker said that the IPS had agreed to install pay phones in the jails and to release some prisoners from solitary confinement. (WAFA 4/7)

Thousands of Palestinians gather along Gaza’s border to continue the Great March of Return. IDF troops violently disperse them near Gaza City, al-Bureij refugee camp, Jabaliya refugee camp, Rafah, and Khan Yunis; more than 120 Palestinians are injured. Amid the protests, Hamas snipers shoot and kill an Israeli soldier on the other side of the border fence. After the killing, Israeli forces carry out extensive air strikes and artillery shelling across Gaza; 3 Hamas fighters are killed in strikes near Khan Yunis and 1 more Palestinian is killed in Rafah. An IDF spokesperson says that 68 Hamas targets were hit and the attacks “eliminated about 60 buildings and infrastructures and revoked significant military and command and control capabilities.” Amid the attack, unidentified Palestinians launch 3 rockets into Israel; 2 are intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, and 1 lands in an open area, causing no damage or injuries. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no damage. In the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians at Friday protests against the Israeli occupation in Kafr Qaddum near Qalqilya; 3 Palestinians are injured. They also arrest 1 Palestinian during raids near Bethlehem, and patrol near Hebron. In East Jerusalem, unidentified persons attach an incendiary device to a balloon and fly it from Bayt Jala into the Har Gilo settlement, marking the first use of such devices in the city, but causing no damage or injuries. (MNA, WAFA 7/20; HA 7/21; PCHR 7/26)

Following the extensive Israeli strikes in Gaza, Hamas and Israel agree to a cease-fire mediated by Egyptian and UN officials. A senior Hamas official says that the agreement provides for the “cessation of all forms of military escalation,” including air strikes, mortars, and rockets. However, he says that incendiary balloons and kites are not part of the agreement (a senior Israeli official will dispute this on 7/21). The Egyptians reportedly threatened to impose their own restrictions on Gaza should Hamas not end the incendiary kite and balloon attacks on Israel. (HA, MNA, TOI, YA 7/21)

In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and kill a Palestinian man after he allegedly tries to stab an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint nr. Nablus, marking the 1st of such incidents this quarter. They also conduct late-night house searches and raids nr. Jenin, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Hebron, arresting 8 Palestinians and issuing arrest summons to 3, and patrol throughout the West Bank. Israeli forces raze Palestinian agricultural land in Bayt Jala nr. Bethlehem and begin expanding the separation wall in the area, cutting residents off from their land and laying the groundwork for annexation. Around Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish 22 bedouin huts and animal pens in the E1 area and 4 residential structures in bedouin villages nr. East Jerusalem. Nearby, Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian from Bayt Hanina who responded to an arrest summons. Israeli forces conduct 3 limited incursions into Gaza, leveling land nr. Rafah, al-Bureij refugee camp (r.c.), and Khan Yunis. Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for passage in both directions (they will keep it open through 8/20). (HA, MNA, WAFA, YA 8/17; HA 8/18; PCHR 8/20)

As the quarter opens, Israel’s siege of Gaza continues, with Israel barring all exports, most imports except limited humanitarian and consumer goods and small amounts of construction materials for UN-supervised projects, and most crossborder transit by individuals (with very limited exceptions for extreme medical cases, VIPs, and international NGO workers). The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) enforces a 300-meter-deep no-go zone inside the full length of the Gaza border and limits the Palestinian fishing zone off Gaza to 500–1,000 m off the immediate Bayt Lahiya and Rafah coasts, and 3 nautical miles elsewhere. In the West Bank, the IDF raids Palestinian municipal inspector offices in al-Gazzazin in Hebron’s old city, sealing the office and evicting the staff (unarmed police who maintain public order); fires tear gas to disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists conducting a nonviolent march to the separation wall outside Bayt Jala nr. Bethlehem, arresting 8 demonstrators. In Gaza, batonwielding, Hamas-affiliated police beat and evict Palestinians fr. at least 25 homes in s. Rafah before bulldozing the houses, saying they were built illegally on government land; 31 families (190 individuals) are rendered homeless. (WT 5/17; NYT 5/19; OCHA, PCHR 5/20)

In retaliation for Palestinian rocket fire on 8/24, the IDF carries out an early morning air strike on smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border, collapsing a tunnel, killing 2 Palestinians and injuring at least 6 others; 1 person is reported missing. (OCHA 8/25; NYT 8/26; PCHR 8/27; OCHA Humanitarian Report 8/09; JPI 9/4)

In the West Bank, the IDF storms the Bayt Jala offices of Bethlehem 2000 Radio, confiscating $150,000 worth of equipment; conducts raids, house searches nr. Ramallah, and Jericho, in Hebron and al- ‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, arresting 5 Palestinians (including 2 teenagers); patrols and opens fire in Qabatya village nr. Jenin, causing no reported injuries. (PCHR 8/27)

Palestinian Authority (PA) PM Salam Fayyad publicizes a 65-page plan to unilaterally build a de facto Palestinian state comprising both the West Bank and Gaza by 2011. (NYT, WP, WT 8/26; WJW 8/27; JPI 9/4)(See Doc. B4 in JPS 153)

To mark captured IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit’s upcoming 23d birthday on 8/28, 100s of Israeli activists demonstrate outside Israeli security prisons where Palestinians are detained to prevent prisoners’ families fr. visiting them; Israeli police arrest 4 demonstrators. Israel consequently suspends family visits for West Bank prisoners in the Hadarim and Shikma prisons allegedly to reduce the likelihood of clashes. (OCHA 8/25; JPI 9/4)

For a 2d day, the IDF relays automated phone messages to Rafah residents ordering them to evacuate houses nr. the border. No violence is reported in Gaza, however. Israel allows 27 tons of medicine and medical equipment into Gaza. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night house searches in and around Bethlehem, Bayt Jala, and surrounding villages, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (PCHR 2/5)

The IDF fires a surface-to-surface missile at central Bayt Lahiya in an attempt to assassinate 3 Hamas mbrs., missing them but injuring 3 bystanders, damaging 2 homes and a car. The Israeli navy fires on 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in a boat off the Gaza coast, killing them. The IDF also withdraws troops from a strip of land northeast of Bayt Lahiya occupied on 10/19. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah; raids and searches homes, checks IDs of residents in Bayt Jala nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Shavei Shomron nr. Nablus, escorted by IDF troops, attack Palestinians harvesting olives nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Beitar Ilit nr. Bethlehem beat a Palestinian passing by the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron steal a harvest of olives fr. a Palestinian farmer nr. Qalqilya. In Gaza City, mbrs. of a Fatah-affiliated clan fire on a car of Hamas mbrs., sparking clashes that leave 3 Palestinians dead (1 clan member, 2 bystanders), 35 wounded. In Rafah, ESF officers attempt to confiscate a vehicle fr. armed Islamic Jihad mbrs., sparking an exchange of fire that leaves 1 Palestinian bystander dead and 16 Palestinians (including bystanders) injured. (WP, WT 10/21; OCHA 10/24; PCHR 10/25)

In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Jenin r.c., where they assassinate Islamic Jihad mbr. Mahmud Abu Obeid, an alleged bomb maker; also sends undercover units into Bayt Jala to arrest a wanted Palestinian; conducts arrest raids in and around Bethlehem and Tulkarm, nr. Hebron, and in Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, Jenin town and r.c.; demolishes a Palestinian home northwest of Jerusalem. In Gaza, a Palestinian farmer is killed when he accidentally detonates unexploded IDF ordnance. Palestinians fire at least 1 rocket fr. Gaza toward Israel that lands inside Gaza nr. Bayt Lahiya, wounding 6 Palestinians. Egyptian security forces conduct raids in Egyptian Rafah, detaining 2 Palestinians connected to the Palestinian arrested on 2/20, charging them with plotting suicide bombings; Egyptian authorities say they have arrested 23 Palestinians and Egyptians in the n. Sinai in recent days. In Gaza City, unidentified assailants detonate an explosive device outside the home of a PA police officer, causing damage but no injuries. (IFM 2/21; PCHR, WP 2/22; OCHA 2/28; PCHR 3/1)

The IDF fires on residential areas of Rafah; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes, a building housing a kindergarten in Dahaysha r.c.; detonates explosives on the 2d floor of a 4-story apartment building in Dahaysha r.c., destroying several apartments, rendering the whole building uninhabitable; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Aida r.c., Bayt Jala, Bethlehem and nearby al-Khadir, al-Bireh, Hebron, al-Mazra’ al-Sharqiyya nr. Ramallah, Qarawat Bani Zayd, Ramallah, Tulkarm r.c. and town. Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. (VOI 11/30, VOP 12/1 in WNC 12/2; MADRE press release 12/1; PCHR 12/2)

The IDF fatally shoots 5 Palestinians in incidents across the Gaza Strip: 2 are killed attempting to cross the border fence into Israel, 2 are killed while allegedly planting a roadside bomb, 1 is fatally shot nr. a Jewish settlement. The IDF also shells residential areas of Khan Yunis, seriously injuring a 3-yr.-old and 6-yr.-old in their beds; fires on residential areas, stone-throwing Palestinians in Balata r.c., Bayt Furik; arrests 70 Palestinians harvesting olives nr. Bayt Jala; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Dura, al-Khadir, Nabi Salih nr. Ramallah, Silwad, Tulkarm. A Palestinian dies of injuries received a wk. earlier in Rafah. At midday in Gaza City, PA preventive security officers, PA military intelligence officers exchange gunfire, toss grenades at each other, leaving 1 preventive security officer seriously injured, 3 others lightly injured; later in the day, the same group exchanges fire again, leaving 2 people injured; Fatah, PA officials meet later to contain the crisis, the reasons for which are unknown. (REU 10/18; VOP 10/18 in WNC 10/20; BBC, WP 10/19; JAZ, VOI 10/19 in WNC 10/21; PR 10/20; PCHR 10/21)

In continuing operations in Bayt Hanun, the IDF fires on residential areas, fences off a 46-dunam plot of land nr. the Erez crossing that was previously bulldozed. During the day, the IDF also fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis (wounding a staff mbr. inside a local hospital, a Palestinian inside his home), Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c., Tulkarm, Yatta; demolishes several “civilian structures” in al-Walaja village northwest of Bayt Jala for construction of a separation wall segment around Bethlehem; announces plans to seize a total of 4,980 dunams of land in the Hebron area for construction of the separation wall. Late in the evening, the IDF sends troops, military vehicles, helicopters into Khan Yunis, shelling and firing on residential areas, killing a Palestinian woman inside her home, demolishing 8 Palestinian homes. (PR 8/4; PCHR 8/5)

The IDF fires on a funeral procession for ARB head Abu Sitta in Khan Yunis, killing a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding 7; fatally shoots 4 Palestinians laying a roadside bomb nr. a Israeli border fence e. of al-Bureij r.c; sends troops into Nablus, sparking stone-throwing, then firing on demonstrators, wounding 1 stone-thrower, 1 bystander; fires missiles at a 3-story building in Gaza City owned by the family of a female suicide bomber, demolishing the structure, injuring 2 Palestinians; raids a wedding party in Bayt Jala, arrests 2 guests; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayta, the central Gaza Strip. Palestinians fire 4 Qassam rockets at Sederot, bringing the total number of rockets fired at the town in the past 3 days to 14; none caused damage or injuries. Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists begin a 3-wk. Freedom March to protest the separation wall; the march begins in Zababda nr. Jenin and plans to end in Jerusalem on 8/19. (VOI, VOP 7/30 in WNC 8/3; NYT, WT 7/31; WT 8/1; PR 8/4; PCHR 8/5)

The IDF demolishes 18 Palestinian homes in Rafah; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Bayt Laqia nr. Ramallah, residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in villages around Bethlehem. IDF fires nr. Khan Yunis, sparking a fire in a wheat field that destroys 2 dunams of crops; confiscates 11.5 dunams of Palestinian land in Bayt Jala for construction of the separation wall; strings barbwire along the western part of al-Khadir outside Bethlehem, cutting off residents from their outlying farmlands; similarly cuts off the southern part of Husan nr. Bethlehem by bulldozing large areas of agricultural land. (MM 6/3; VOI, VOP 6/3 in WNC 6/5; PCHR 6/10)

In Gaza City, 10,000s of Palestinians march in the funeral procession for Hamas’s Abu Shanab. IDF snipers fire on 3 wanted AMB mbrs. in a “semi-open room” a top a Nablus hospital, assassinating 1 AMB mbr., wounding 2. The IDF retakes control of Gaza’s main north–south road, setting up checkpoints that divide the Strip into thirds; makes brief incursions into Bayt Jala, Bayt Sahur; reestablishes checkpoints it abandoned in recent wks. as part of the process of road map implementation; bulldozes 8 dunams of land in Rafah; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Nablus, 1 in Tulkarm; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis. The IDF also arrests an IDF soldier, resident of a West Bank Jewish settlement, for participation in a militant settler cell, bringing to 9 the number of Jewish settlers recently arrested on terrorism charges. Israel breaks ground on a new section of the separation wall n. of Abu Dis. (BBC, MM 8/22; HA, NYT, WP, WT 8/23; HA, MA 8/25 in WNC 8/27; WP 8/26; PCHR 8/28; HA 9/29)

The IDF opens fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Jenin, killing a 16-yr.-old Palestinian, seriously injuring 2 others; fires on residential areas of Rafah, killing 1 Palestinian in his home; demolishes 4 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina; conducts arrest raids in Bayt Jala (arresting wanted Hamas mbr. Fawaz Amru), Qalqilya. A 3d Palestinian dies of injuries received on 10/13. A PA security court sentences a Palestinian to death for collaborating with Israel. Israel formally charges 1 of 10 bedouin IDF soldiers arrested on 9/12 for allegedly spying for Hizballah, stressing that he was motivated by greed, not nationalism. (HA, MM 10/24; WP, WT 10/25; MM 10/29; LAW, PCHR 10/30)

A package bomb explodes in a crowded Hebrew University cafeteria in Jerusalem, killing 4 Americans (including 1 U.S.-French dual national), 1 U.S.-Israeli dual national, 2 Israelis, injuring around 80; Hamas claims responsibility. Residents of Nablus continue to defy the IDF curfew. The IDF temporarily lifts the curfew in Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, Tulkarm; directs heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Khan Yunis, Nablus; blows up the home of relatives of a suicide bomber in Bayt Jala; bulldozes a Palestinian home in Jenin, arrests the owner; partially demolishes 6 Palestinian homes in Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Qalqilya, Tulkarm. (AP, HA, LAW, MM, PCHR 7/31; MM, NYT, WP, WT 8/1; ATL, JT, al-Quds 8/1 in WNC 8/2; WP 8/2; PCHR 8/7; JPI 8/9)

Israel's inner cabinet orders the expulsion to Gaza of a relative of Palestinian involved in the 7/16 Emmanuel bus ambush, giving him 12 hrs. to appeal. Regarding whether the man was directly involved in supporting the attack (per Atty. Gen. Rubinstein's conditions; see 7/21), Internal Security M Uzi Landau says, "it's enough for a relative of a relative of a suicide bomber to set up a mourning tent or visit a mourning tent" to qualify for expulsion. The inner cabinet also formalizes a policy of demolishing the homes of Palestinian attackers. (HA 7/31; WP, WT 8/1; MA 8/4 in WNC 8/5; PCHR 8/7)

Israeli forces continue operations in the Bethlehem area, conducting house-to-house searches; lifts curfews for several hrs. in Aida r.c., Artas, Azza r.c., Bayt Jala, Bayt Sahur, Bethlehem, Dahaysha r.c.; seals al-Bireh, Ramallah; shells residential areas of Rafah. (HP, LAW 5/29; PCHR 5/30)

The IDF sends additional tanks, troops into Bayt Jala and Bethlehem, fatally shooting at least 1 Palestinian. The IDF also fatally shoots 2 Palestinians in Gaza; a 4th Palestinian dies in a mysterious explosion in Anata; a 5th Palestinian dies of injuries received on 3/15. In Kefar Saba nr. Tel Aviv, an AMB mbr. with a handgun fires on a crowd, killing 1 Israeli, injuring 12 before being shot dead by police, bystanders. In French Hill settlement in East Jerusalem, an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber detonates a device at a bus stop, lightly injuring 9 Jewish settlers. Jewish settlers ambush, stone a Palestinian car nr. Nablus, seriously injuring 1 Palestinian; attempt to raid Kafr Harith village but are blocked by IDF troops. The IDF conducts arrest raids in Bayt Awwa, Kharras, Shu`fat; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes nr. Dayr al-Balah; reopens the Rafah, Allenby Bridge crossings into Gaza, the West Bank; allows some Palestinian exports fr. Gaza through the Qarni checkpoint into Israel. (HP, JP [Internet], MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/18; LAW 3/20)

Zinni arranges low-level PA-Israeli security mtgs. (JP [Internet], MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/18; AYM 3/22 in WNC 3/25)

The IDF apparently attempts to assassinate DFLP West Bank head Qays Samurai (Abu Layla) by planting an explosive device in his home in Ramallah; tanzim mbr. Anwar Aliya in an ambush by undercover units in Tulkarm. Samurai is not home at the time; Aliya is wounded. The IDF completes its withdrawal fr. Bayt Jala, taking up positions just outside the town and warning it will reenter if shooting at Gilo resumes. Clashes in Hebron, Ramallah, Tulkarm leave a total of 1 Israeli civilian, 3 Palestinian dead, 40 Palestinians wounded. The IDF directs shells, heavy machine gun fire at Qarni crossing and residential areas of Bayt Wazan, al-Bireh, Brazil refugee camp, Yatta; demolishes 6 Palestinian homes in Rafah; blocks a marked UN convoy fr. entering Rafah to inspect the demolished Palestinian homes; sets up new roadblocks at the entrance to Tulkarm, on 3 roads to Jerusalem; reinforces troops around Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Ni'lin, confiscating papers fr. the local Fatah office, arresting 3 Palestinians; opens the main Gaza road that was sealed on 8/28. (HP, JP [Internet], MM, PMC 8/30; MENA 8/30 in WNC 8/31; HA, JT, NYT, WP, WT 8/31)

Israel-Palestinian clashes in the Bayt Jala-Gilo area continue to escalate, spread to neighboring Aida refugee camp, leaving 13 Palestinians wounded. European Union (EU) foreign policy dir. Javier Solana shuttles btwn. Arafat and Peres, discussing the idea of a limited cease-fire that would incorporate an IDF withdrawal fr. the area. (Arafat, Peres speak directly by phone; Powell phones Sharon, Arafat.) This afternoon, the PSF sets up new roadblocks around Bayt Jala to deter Palestinian gunmen fr. entering. After 5 hrs. without gunfire, the IDF begins to leave Bayt Jala. Solana urges Arafat, Peres to discuss expanding the Bayt Jala-Gilo understandings into a full cease-fire. (BDL, HP, MM 8/29; MM, NYT, WP, WT 8/30; WJW 9/6)

Meanwhile, the settler group, the Committee for Road Safety, fatally shoots a Palestinian in the West Bank. Nr. Tulkarm, tanzim mbrs. fatally shoot an Israeli civilian; the IDF fires on Palestinians, killing 1, wounding 4. The IDF also sends tanks into Rafah; bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes, agricultural land in Dayr al-Balah; reinforces tanks, bulldozers outside Khan Yunis; demolishes a PSF post, erects a new IDF checkpoint on the Rafah-Khan Yunis road. 15 Jewish settlers (mostly women and children) attack Palestinian vendors in the Hebron market; IDF soldiers watch but do not intervene. (HP 8/29; HP, NYT, WP, WT 8/30)

The IDF assassinates Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) leader Abu Ali Mustafa (Mustafa Zibri), the most prominent Palestinian leader targeted to date, firing missiles at his office in al-Bireh. (22 U.S. citizens also live in the building where Mustafa worked; 3 are lightly injured in the attack.) In response, 1,000s of Palestinians take to the streets in Bethlehem, Gaza City, Jinin, Nablus, Tulkarm to protest. The U.S. criticizes Israel for "inflaming an already volatile situation and making it much harder to restore calm"; says Israel must also take economic, security steps to alleviate pressure on the Palestinians. Also in response to the Mustafa killing, Palestinian gunmen fire on Gilo settlement; the IDF then sends tanks into neighboring Bayt Jala (area A). The IDF also sends tanks, bulldozers into Rafah in response to Palestinian gunfire; destroys 3 Palestinian houses, sparking a fierce gun battle. Palestinians ambush a settler vehicle nr. Nablus, kill 1 Jewish settler. (AP, CNN 8/27; AFP, Interfax, MENA 8/27 in WNC 8/28; BDL, LAW, MM, NYT, REU, WT 8/28; MA, XIN 8/28 in WNC 8/29; MM 8/29; AYM 8/28, ATL, IRNA, JT 8/29 in WNC 8/30; al-Ra'i 8/29, MENA, al-Quds, SA 8/30 in WNC 8/31; PMC 8/30; MEI, MM 8/31; AYM 8/31 in WNC 9/10; HA 9/1; JP 9/7; MEI 9/14)

The IDF shells Hamas's press office in Nablus, killing 8 Palestinians, wounding 7. Among the fatalities are Hamas political leaders Jamal Mansur and Jamal Salim, the targets of assassination and prominent public figures known for running a network of welfare programs and medical clinics. Also killed are Fahim Dawabsha, another Hamas mbr. on Israel's wanted list; 2 journalists interviewing Mansur; 2 children outside the building. The attack triggers firefights, especially around Jerusalem; mortar strikes; and 2 ambushes of Jewish settler vehicles that leave 7 settlers wounded. 100s of Palestinians gather outside the Hamas office to protest. Sharon terms the attack "one of our most important successes." The State Dept. "strongly deplores" the "highly provocative" incident. Egypt's Mubarak sends an "urgent letter" to Bush pressing for U.S. to intervene with Israel. Meanwhile, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Shu`fat; sends tanks, bulldozers into Bayt Sahur to shell residential areas, demolish part of a home, a water network; directs heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Bayt Jala, Gaza City, al-Khadir, Khan Yunis, Rafah; bulldozes additional land outside Ramallah; conducts arrest sweeps in Bayt Hanina, East Jerusalem, Shu`fat, al-Tur, Wadi al-Juz; sets up a new checkpoints nr. Nablus, Ramallah, Zawata; tightens the closures on Salfit, Tulkarm. IDF soldiers also severely beat 2 journalists at a checkpoint nr. Qalandiyya; 2 Palestinians are killed in clashes elsewhere. Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinian cars in East Jerusalem. (AP, HP, LAW, PMC, REU 7/31; MENA 7/31 in WNC 8/1; MENA 7/31, ATL, JT, MA, MENA, XIN 8/1 in WNC 8/2; NYT, WP, WT 8/1; XIN 8/1, AN 8/2 in WNC 8/3; HP 8/2; MENA 8/4 in WNC 8/6; LAW 8/6; JP, MEI 8/10)

A PA security court sentences 4 Palestinians to death for collaborating with Israel in the assassination of senior Fatah official Thabet Thabet on 12/31/00. A 5th defendant is acquitted. (WT 8/1; AYM 8/4 in WNC 8/10; WT 8/7)

The UNSC votes unanimously to extends the UNIFIL mandate through the end of 1/02, implement the staged troop reduction endorsed on 5/18. (UN press release 7/31; AFP 8/1 in WNC 8/2; MEI 8/10)

Overnight, international leaders press Israel, the PA to show restraint, deescalate tensions in light of the 6/1 suicide bombing. Powell phones Arafat to warn him to declare a cease-fire and immediately arrest Hamas and Islamic Jihad mbrs., or the U.S. would sever all relations with the PLO and would not intervene with Israel to prevent a massive retaliation. German FM Joschka Fischer, in Israel on other matters, races to Ramallah to meet with Arafat, whom he warns to make a statement in is own words calling for a halt to violence or lose all EU political and economic support to the PA. During a heated session, Fischer, UN special coordinator Terje Larsen work with Arafat to draft a statement condemning the bombing and ordering an immediate and unconditional cease-fire, which Arafat reads publicly this morning. (MENA 6/2, AFP, Interfax, ITAR-TASS, MENA 6/3 in WNC 6/4; NYT, WT 6/3; MM, NYT, WP 6/4; WP 6/5; XIN 6/5 in WNC 6/6; al-Ahram [Internet] 6/9; JP, MEI 6/15)

Meanwhile, Sharon holds a 7 hr. mtg. with his security cabinet to discuss how to respond to the 6/1 bombing. According to an anonymous U.S. admin. official, they draw up plans to "carry out a massive, full-force invasion" of PA-controlled territory lasting up to a wk. After Arafat reads his cease-fire call, the security cabinet places its strike plan in reserve but declares that the IDF will resume instigating actions against Palestinians (see 5/22). (NYT, WT 6/3; JT 6/3 in WNC 6/4; MM, NYT, WP 6/4; Interfax 6/4 in WNC 6/5; MM, WP 6/5; al-Ahram [Internet] 6/9; UPI 6/12 JP, MEI 6/15)

The U.S. ambs. to Egypt, Israel, Jordan send an urgent cable to Powell, appealing to him to come to the region to firmly urge against violence, in favor negotiations. Powell says the time is not right. (NYT 7/5)

Meanwhile, 2 Israelis injured in the 6/1 bombing die, bringing the Israeli toll to 18. Nr. the site of the bombing, 100s of Israeli Jews surround a mosque, chanting "Death to Arabs!" stoning the mosque, breaking windows, trapping some 20 worshipers inside, attacking journalists, setting fire to 2 cars outside. Although the situation builds for hrs., Israeli police look on but do not intervene, saying, "We don't have enough manpower, and we won't use tear gas against Jews." Israelis also gather at the disco where the bombing occurred, carrying signs saying, "Enough passivity. We want war." In Jaffa, a mob of Israeli Jews sets fire to a restaurant owned by Israeli Arabs. The IDF tightens internal closures on PA areas, reports only a handful of incidents of sniping at Jewish settlements. Hamas says it will not abide by Arafat's cease-fire. (HA, NYT, WT 6/3; AN 6/3 in WNC 6/4; NYT, WP 6/4; WP 6/5; HA 6/7; al-Ahram [Internet] 6/9; JP, MEI 6/15)

The EU dispatches up to 24 security experts to Bayt Jala, Rafah to monitor the PA's cease-fire compliance. The experts, coordinated by Alistair Crooke, security adviser to EU special envoy Miguel Moratinos. (MA 6/6 in WNC 6/7; NYT 6/8; AFP 6/8 in WNC 6/11; MA 6/11 in WNC 6/12)

Overnight, the IDF sends tanks and bulldozers into Gaza to reoccupy a mile-wide strip of PA-controlled territory in the northeastern corner of Gaza, marking the 1st reoccupation of territory ceded to Palestinian rule under the 1993 Oslo accords. The IDF demolishes PA security sites targeted on 4/16, builds ramparts, sandbags positions around new tank outposts. IDF officials pledge to hold the land "as long as it takes--days, weeks, months"--to ensure Israeli security. Secy. of State Powell publicly rebukes Israel for taking "excessive and disproportionate" action, calls on Israel to withdraw immediately. Bush calls Sharon to urge restraint. Hrs. later, Israel announces that the IDF has completed its mission and is pulling out of area. (AP, LAW, MM, REU 4/17; JP [Internet], NYT, WP, WT 4/18; HJ 4/18, AYM, MENA, al-Quds, SA 4/19 in WNC 4/24; MM, WJW 4/19; JP, MEI, MM, NYT, WP 4/20; NYT 4/22; AYM 4/27 in WNC 4/30)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue elsewhere in Gaza and the West Bank, leaving 3 Palestinians dead. The IDF cuts a deep trench in the main north-south road in Gaza, rendering it impassible; shells residential areas of Aida and al-Aza refugee camps, Bayt Jala, Hebron, Rafah; bulldozes 30 dunams of Palestinian land nr. Qalqilya. (WT 4/18; JT 4/18 in WNC 4/19; WP 4/19; LAW 4/20)