The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 3/4 in Burin. An Israeli settler is stabbed and injured at a bus stop near the Neve Yaakov settlement; a Palestinian child is later arrested and accused of stabbing the settler. Israeli settlers with a military escort raid Jenin to visit Joseph’s Tomb. Israeli forces shoot and injure 7 Palestinians during a raid in Dheisheh refugee camp. Israeli forces also arrest 25 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, al-Bireh, Bethlehem, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a retaining wall and raze a tract of land in Silwan. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, Khan Yunis, Rafah, and Dayr al-Balah, killing at least 86 people, including al-Aqsa TV presenter Muhammad Salama and his family in Dayr al-Balah. Israeli forces also open fire at Palestinians waiting to receive aid in Gaza City, injuring 8 people. A child and an elderly man die of starvation at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, bringing the death toll from starvation to at least 20 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attack Yaroun, Kafra, Yatar, and Fardis. Hezbollah forces attack Metula. In Syria, Israeli forces fire artillery, saying 2 rockets were launched at the Golan Heights. In Yemen, Houthi militants fire a missile at the True Confidence cargo ship, killing 3 people. It is the first time that a Houthi attack enforcing the Red Sea blockade has caused casualties. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/6; AP, AP, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/7)

More than 30,717 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 72,156 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, 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. 195 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/6; UNOCHA 3/7)

Israel’s National Planning and Building Council approves the advancement of 3,476 new settlement units in the Ma’ale Adumim, Kedar, and Efrat settlements. 694 units in Efrat receive final approval, while 2,452 in Ma’ale Adumm and 330 in Kedar are moved to the planning process. The PA calls for sanctions to deter Israel from its settlement enterprise. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Turkey, and Qatar condemn the settlement expansion. German asks Israel to withdraw the approval, ‘strongly condemning’ the decision. (AJ, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/6; AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/7)

HaMoked says the number of Palestinian prisoners has risen to 9,077, including more than 3,500 held in administrative detention. (AJ 3/6)

South Africa asks the ICJ to order additional emergency measures against Israel, citing imminent widespread famine, and tells the ICJ that Israel is breaching the measures the court already ruled it has to follow. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA 3/6; NYT, REU 3/7)

Israeli UN ambassador Gilad Erdan says Israel may close the UN’s headquarters in Jerusalem, deport UN officials from Israel, and evacuate UNRWA compounds in Jerusalem if UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres does not invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter to force the Security Council to discuss captives held in Gaza and allegations of sexual crimes committed on 10/7/2023. Israel approves aid funded by the UAE entering Gaza via the sea. The aid will be shipped from Cyprus to a dock controlled by Israel where it will be distributed using hovercrafts. (AJ, HA 3/6)

Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani meets with UK foreign secretary David Cameron, discussing the situation in Gaza and ceasefire negotiations. Cameron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meet Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz in London, telling him more aid needs to enter Gaza. (AJ, AP, HA, NYT, WAFA 3/6; NYT 3/7)

Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi speaks with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken, calling for an immediate ceasefire. (AJ 3/6)

The Washington Post reports that the U.S. has secretly approved and delivered more than 100 separate arms shipments to Israel since 10/7/2023. The Post says the U.S. has circumvented congressional oversight in the majority of instances by processing arms sales that are below the threshold to notify Congress. The transfers include thousands of 155mm shells, tens of thousands of bomb guidance systems, Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, drones, Iron Dome munitions and more. (AJ, HA 3/6; HA 3/7)

Iraq and Qatar pledges $25 million to UNRWA. (AJ 3/6)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shot and injured 2 Palestinian children, aged 12 and 14, in Deir Qadis. Israeli settlers with a military escort also raided Wadi Qelt, storming 5 homes and intimidating residents. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers destroyed water pipes leading to 3 villages in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian during a raid in Qalqilya. Israeli forces also assaulted Palestinians in Hizma. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians in al-Arroub refugee camp, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces seized a vehicle in Halawa. At least 60 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, Jericho, Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished an apartment on the third floor of an apartment building in Sur Baher. Israeli forces raided the home of al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Ikrimah Sabri in Silwan, issuing a demolition notice for the 5-story building he lives in. Israeli authorities forced a Palestinian family to demolish their own home in Sur Baher. In Gaza, Israeli forces killed around 316 Palestinians and wounded more than 664 others during airstrikes on Rafah, al-Bureij, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, Jabalia refugee camp, Khan Yunis and Faluja, including Islamic University of Gaza president Sufyan Tayeh and his family in Faluja. Israeli forces also targeted the Kamal Adwan Hospital, killing 4 people. Israel said it had started to move its ground invasion to southern Gaza and told Palestinians in 20% of Khan Yunis to evacuate to al-Mawasi and Rafah. Israel also said its forces assassinated the commander of Hamas’ al-Shati Brigades. 3 Israeli soldiers were killed. Rockets were fired at Israel, hitting 2 buildings in Sderot; no injuries were reported. In Lebanon, militants fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli forces, injuring 11 soldiers and a civilian. Israel said it attacked several targets in Lebanon. In Syria, Israeli forces fired artillery at southern Syria, saying a rocket was fired at Israel. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/3; AJ, AJ, HA 12/4; HA 12/5; AJ, NYT 12/6)

More than 15,523 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. 246 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 65 children. More than 3,300 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. 80 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. 100 trucks carrying aid, including around 13,000 gallons of fuel, entered Gaza. The Red Crescent said increased Israeli attacks on southern Gaza have made it much more difficult to deliver aid. As a result, aid was only distributed in Rafah. 13 injured Palestinians, 11 companions, and 566 foreign nationals were evacuated. (AJ, AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 12/3)

The PA foreign ministry said Israel was seeking to “solidify the separation” between the West Bank and Gaza. (AJ 12/3)

Shin Bet director Ronen Bar said the Israeli cabinet had discussed assassinating leaders of Hamas “in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, in Lebanon, in Turkey, and in Qatar,” calling it “our Munich.” A Turkish intelligence official said there would be “serious consequences” if Israel kills Palestinians in Turkey. Military chief of staff Herzl Halevy said Israeli forces would fight in southern Gaza “as we did strongly and thoroughly in the northern part.” Israel also claimed to have found 800 tunnel shafts in Gaza. (AJ, HA 12/3; HA 12/4)

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said his office will “further intensity its efforts to advance its investigations” in the occupied Palestinian territories. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, WAFA 12/3)

Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Qatar calls for an “immediate, comprehensive, and impartial international investigation” into Israel’s attacks in Gaza and that his country continues to work toward another ceasefire. (AJ 12/3)

The U.S. said that an American warship and several commercial ships were attacked in the Red Sea. Yemen’s Houthi government said it had attacked an Israeli ship with a missile and attacked another with a drone. The U.S. also said that its Rumalyn Landing Zone base in Syria was attacked by 15 rockets. (AJ, HA, HA, NYT 12/3; AJ 12/4)

Following the Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on 1/11, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket into southern Israel. It lands in an open area, causing no damage or injuries. Israeli forces retaliate late at night, with air strikes and artillery shelling of at least 4 Hamas sites in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Bayt Lahiya; extensive damage is reported at multiple sites. In the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids in Ramallah, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinians; 4 Palestinians are injured, including 1 paramedic. They arrest 6 Palestinians during further raids near Hebron and Bethlehem; and patrol in and around Tulkarm. Israeli settlers sic a dog on a Palestinian human rights worker observing a planting near Hebron; the worker is moderately injured. Settlers also throw stones at Palestinian homes in Burqa village near Nablus, causing minor damage. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian shepherds working near Dayr al-Balah and Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 1/12; HA, MNA 1/13; PCHR 1/17)

In the context of the ongoing Operation Northern Shield, the IDF discovers a 6th tunnel alleged to be built by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. An IDF spokesperson will announce the discovery on 1/13. (HA, JP 1/13)

The IDF significantly increases attacks on Gaza for the 2d straight day, as international mediation efforts led by Egypt to secure a cease-fire also intensify.

Combat notes: The IDF tightens the cordon around Gaza City (focusing attacks on the outlying neighborhoods of Shaykh Ajlin, Tal al-Hawa, and al-Zaytun and open areas n. of the city), with troops reportedly taking fire from Palestinian rocket-propelled grenade antitank missiles and mortars. The IDF also launches a major incursion into Jabaliya under heavy shelling, engaging in heavy exchanges of fire with Palestinian gunmen, killing at least 13. In s. Gaza, the IDF continues heavy attacks on Khuza, including air strikes, intense shelling, and widespread bulldozing of some 50 houses and farms; Israeli fire is so heavy and constant that residents report being unable to reach the injured or flee their homes to seek shelter outside the village; IDF troops pull back fr. Khuza after nightfall.

The IDF reports carrying out more than 160 air strikes across Gaza. Air strike target areas include Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Gaza City (al-Sabra, Shaykh Ridwan, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya r.c., Khan Yunis, Khuza, Nussayrat r.c., Rafah, al-Shuka, Tal al-Za‘atar, and the Twam area. Israeli gunboats shell Nussayrat r.c. Heavy tank and artillery fire are reported nr. Bayt Lahiya (white phosphorous suspected) and in Dayr al-Balah, Jabaliya town, Khan Yunis (white phosphorous suspected), Khuza, Nussayrat r.c. (confirmed use of flechette shells). For a 2d day, nearly half of the air strikes take place after nightfall, targeting Gaza City. Palestinians report 12 hrs. of constant Israeli bombardment of the Rafah border, with the IDF claiming to destroy 90 smuggling tunnels. (The IDF also demolishes 1 tunnel on the Gaza–Israel border nr. the Nahal Oz crossing.) Specific targets include a Hamas police headquarters in Gaza City, 31 groups of armed men, 25 rocket-launching sites, and 13 suspected weapons manufacturing and storage facilities.

On the ground, the IDF reports a total of 6 soldiers wounded (2 moderately, 4 lightly) in 2 exchanges of gunfire with Palestinians. In a 3d incident, IDF reservists open fire on an IDF paratrooper unit, seriously wounding 1 and moderately wounding 3. Palestinians report around 70 Gazans killed today, putting the estimated Palestinian toll at 971 dead and 4,400 wounded. The Israeli toll stands at 13–14 dead, more than 125 injured. (Israeli military intelligence confirms that 1 soldier killed on 1/6 or 1/8 was targeted by a suicide bomber, stating that several Palestinian suicide bombers, including some women and some dressed as IDF soldiers, have approached combat units.)

Palestinians fire about 11 rockets and 6 mortars into Israel, causing no reported damage or injuries.

Humanitarian notes: The IDF observes another 3-hr. lull, allowing 102 truckloads of aid into Gaza. (The IDF states that 1,028 truckloads of humanitarian goods have been allowed into Gaza since 12/27.) During the lull the ICRC rescues 100 Palestinians trapped in Jabaliya. Heavy IDF attacks in Rafah force UNRWA to close a medical center just n. of the border to ensure the safety of patients and to open more shelters for displaced residents. Human Rights Watch calls Israel’s 3-hr./day breaks to facilitate humanitarian aid “woefully insufficient.” Other aid groups (including Doctors Without Borders, the ICRC, the UN) complain that they are still able to import and distribute only a fraction of the emergency supplies available for Gaza because of Israeli delays and restrictions. (BBC, HA, IDF, IFM, MA, MM, REU, YA 1/13; AYM, IDF, IFM, MM, NYT, WP, WT, YA 1/14; NYT, PCHR, WP, XIN 1/15; ITIC 1/19)

In the West Bank, IDF troops at the Tarqumiyya crossing nr. Hebron fatally shoot a Palestinian who allegedly attempts to grab the gun of a border patrol officer after being denied permission to cross the checkpoint. Late in the evening, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Awa, Dura, and Kafr Khalil (all nr. Hebron). A Jewish settler driving nr. Azun village e. of Qalqilya opens fire on Palestinian youths who stone his car, killing 1 Palestinian teenager, wounding 2. (HA 1/13; PCHR 1/15)

A Jordanian soldier fires on an Israeli border patrol unit operating along the Negev border with Jordan n. of Elat. The border police return fire. No injuries are reported. (MM 1/13; WT 1/14; JPI 1/23)

Olmert’s security cabinet revives discussion of opening phase 3 of OCL (see 1/9), agreeing to make a final decision whether to expand or wind down operations within 2–3 days, by which time the IDF believes ground forces will have done all they can from the open and suburban areas they currently hold to weaken Hamas’s ability and desire to fire rockets.

Combat notes: The IDF significantly increases attacks, particularly around Gaza City, and continues to send troops into Gaza. Palestinians report (AYM 1/12) heavy clashes with the IDF n. of Bayt Lahiya, in Daraj and al-Shuja‘iyya neighborhoods on the eastern boundary of Gaza City, and in Dahadih and al-Zaytun to the south of the city. Overnight, the IDF also sends troops back into Khuza (see 1/11) under heavy artillery fire (possibly including white phosphorous), occupying a number of homes as staging posts and prompting 1,000s of residents to flee their homes.

The IDF reports carrying out more than 120 air strikes (half of them after nightfall, targeting Gaza City), uncovering 1 boobytrapped home and 2 booby-trapped tunnels. Targets include the PA Interior Min. offices in n. Gaza, more than 35 tunnels on the Rafah border, homes of Hamas leaders, at least 22 mortar and rocket launching sites, at least 26 groups of armed men, at least 10 “Hamas outposts,” 2 suspected weapons depots and manufacturing facilities, 2 mosques, 2 hotels. Air strike target areas include Bayt Lahiya, Gaza City (city center and Shaykh Ridwan, al-Sudaniyya, Tal al-Hawa, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya town, al-Maghazi r.c., Nussayrat, Rafah, al-Shabura r.c., al-Shuka, Tal al-Za‘atar, the Twam area (northern outskirts of Gaza City), Yibna r.c. IDF gunboats shell Nussayrat, Rafah, a fishing port w. of Rafah. Heavy tank and artillery fire are reported in Bayt Hanun, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (al-Shuja‘iyya, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya town, al-Mughraqa, Twam.

Israeli attacks are so intense that reliable updates on Palestinian casualty estimates are not possible. The IDF estimates killing at least 30 Palestinians in air strikes. UNRWA reports at least 19 Palestinian children killed and 52 children injured in nighttime operations (possibly overlapping with air strikes), 1 paramedic killed by tank fire in Jabaliya during the day. The IDF reports 8 soldiers wounded (1 severely, 1 moderately, 6 lightly) in various incidents, all after nightfall; 3 of the soldiers are injured when they trigger a setup in a booby-trapped house.

Palestinians fire 17 rockets and 7 mortars into Israel, with 1 rocket in Ashqelon and 1 in Sederot causing damage but no reported injuries.

Humanitarian notes: The IDF observes the daily 3-hr. humanitarian lull, allowing 120 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. UNRWA estimates that internally displaced Gazans number now 90,000: 30,000 seeking shelter in UNRWA schools; 60,000 in the homes of friends and relatives. (AP, AYM, BBC, HA, IDF, IFM, JP, MA, MM, al-Ra’i, REU, RFM, WP, YA 1/12; HA, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT, YA 1/13; AYM, HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 1/14; PCHR 1/15; BBC, WJW 1/16; ITIC 1/19)

In the West Bank, unidentified armed Palestinians fire on an IDF patrol nr. Kiryat Arba settlement, wounding 3. In response, the IDF raids, searches Palestinian homes nr. Kiryat Arba, making no arrests. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (HA 1/13; PCHR 1/15)

As OCL enters day 10, IDF ground forces tighten the circle around Gaza City and continue to operate against Palestinian rocketlaunching units across n. Gaza, still avoiding entering densely populated areas. Troops deploy to segment the Strip into 3 main operational zones: a northern zone running fr. the n. Gaza border south to Netzarim Junction (the Qarni Crossing–Netzarim settlement line drawn on 1/4); a central zone fr. Netzarim Junction to Khan Yunis; and a southern zone fr. Khan Yunis to the Rafah border. While IDF troops are still entering Gaza, IDF reservists have not yet been sent in.

Meanwhile, French pres. Nicholas Sarkozy begins a regional tour to press for a 48-hr. humanitarian cease-fire, meeting with Mubarak in Cairo and Olmert in Israel).

Combat notes: In Gaza City, residents and medical workers report that IDF troops are concentrated in the al-Shuja‘iyya, al-Tuffah, and al-Zaytun neighborhoods (al-Zaytun is a strategic high point, providing a view over the breadth of the Strip) and that fighting is so intense (involving heavy Israeli tank and helicopter fire) that bodies of the dead have been left lying in the street and ambulances are unable to reach the area. IDF troops occupy at least 3 high-rise buildings in eastern areas of Gaza City as observation posts, expelling the residents and exchanging heavy gunfire with Palestinian gunmen. Israeli aircraft drop leaflets over Gaza City warning residents to evacuate their neighborhood; 1,000s of Gazans report receiving automated phone messages form the IDF saying “We are getting rid of Hamas.”

In addition to carrying out air strikes in support of advancing ground troops, the IDF reports making 40 air strikes targeting tunnels on the Rafah border, weapons caches, homes of senior Hamas and PFLP mbrs. (most of whom are in hiding), the Gaza airport site. Target areas include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bani Suhayla, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (the center city, al-Tuffah, al-Shuja‘iyya, Tal al-Hawa, alZaytun), Jabaliya, Khan Yunis, Khuza, the al-Mawasi area (w. of Khan Yunis), Nussayrat, Rafah, al-Shabura r.c. (nr. Rafah), Shati’ r.c., al-Shuka, Yibna r.c. (nr. Rafah).

Of particular note: A home in Gaza City’s al-Zaytun neighborhood, where the IDF placed 110 Palestinians it had rounded up on 1/4, is hit by an air strike and repeatedly shelled, killing at least 30 mbrs. of an extended family (including 5 children age 4 and younger) and wounding scores; the IDF bars relief workers fr. reaching the scene until 1/7. A shell fired from an Israeli naval vessel hits a Palestinian home in Shati’ r.c., killing a family of 7 asleep in their beds. A late-night air strike hits an UNRWA school in Shati’ r.c. being used as a shelter, killing 3 members of a single family. The IDF also makes air strikes hitting the offices of the Hamas-affiliated al-Risala for a 2d time (see 1/3). Photographs and live footage of the ongoing operations clearly show IDF artillery firing white phosphorus shells on densely populated areas, though Israel denies using the munitions. The IDF fires flechette shells on residential areas nr. Bayt Hanun, killing at least 1 Palestinian, wounding at least 3.

Palestinians fire 28 rockets, 5 mortars into Israel, hitting Ashdod, Ashqelon, Beersheba, Sederot, and Shaar Hanegev, damaging an empty kindergarten in Ashdod, injuring 2 Israelis in Shaar Hanegev.

More than 40 Palestinians are killed today (almost half of them children), bringing the estimated Palestinian toll to 550 dead, 2,500 injured. The Israeli toll reaches 9–10 dead, more than 70 wounded: 3 IDF soldiers are killed, 24 wounded (4 seriously) by friendly fire when their unit is hit by an Israeli tank shell outside Gaza City; an IDF officer is killed during an exchange of fire in n. Gaza, possibly by an IDF tank shell; 6 IDF soldiers are wounded in clashes with Palestinians nr. the e. Gaza border.

Humanitarian notes: Israel allows 80 truckloads of food, medicine, and medical equipment into Gaza, but the UN says much more is needed. Relief agencies (including the ICRC, UNRWA, and UNSCO) warn that two-thirds of the Strip is still without power, suffering freezing winter temperatures; 250,000 Gazans are without any running water; and water supplies for another 500,000 Gazans are expected to run out within days because of lack of fuel for pumps and backup generators. Shifa hospital, which has been running fully on generators for 3 days, warns that it has only a 2-day supply of generator fuel. (BBC, CNN, IDF, IDF Radio, MM, NYT, REU, RFM, UNIS, UNOSAT, WT 1/5; AFP, BBC, Guardian, HA, IDF, IFM, Israel Radio News, MA, MM, NYT, WP, WT, YA 1/6; IFM, PCHR, WJW, WT 1/8; Committee to Protect Journalists, MM, YA 1/9; NYT, WP 1/10; NYT 1/17; WP 1/27; BBC 2/23)

The IDF arrests 2 12-yr.-old Palestinians at an OCL protest nr. Hebron; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and in al-Bireh, Ramallah. Clubwielding PASF officers violently disperse a protest against OCL by students attempting to march fr. Ramallah’s Birzeit University to a main IDF checkpoint at Atarot. (PCHR 1/8)

IDF ground forces backed by naval and air support continue to enter Gaza overnight, with troops taking up positions across n. Gaza (from which most Palestinian rockets have been fired), surrounding Gaza City, retaking the former Netzarim settlement site nr. the Gaza coast south of Gaza City, and bifurcating the Strip into e. and w. (cutting a swath roughly from the Qarni and Nahal Oz crossings to Netzarim on the coast, driving 1,000s of residents from Juhur al-Dik, al-Mughraqa, and al-Zahra’ with heavy artillery and tank fire), but not entering dense urban areas.

Combat notes: IDF-Palestinian ground fighting is described as “fierce,” characterized by heavy IDF artillery fire and heavy Palestinian sniping and mortar fire. Because the IDF stays out of built-up areas, there are few reports of close-quarter combat or heavy exchanges of gunfire. While ground troops concentrate in the north, Israeli air strikes and naval bombardment focus equally on the north and south, hitting more tunnels on the Rafah border and targeting Hamas leaders for assassination. (The IDF claims to assassinate Hamas rocket cmdr. Hussam Hamdan and IQB and long-range rocket cmdr. Muhammad Hilu in Khan Yunis, senior IQB mbr. Muhammad Shalbush in Jabaliya, but there is no independent confirmation.)

The IDF reports hitting 45 sites and carrying out 40 air strikes during the day, striking a produce market in Gaza City, several mosques, a medical building and 3 mobile clinics in Shati’ r.c. run by a Danish charity, homes of at least 4 Hamas mbrs. (most of whom have gone into hiding), and suspected weapons depots across Gaza. Target areas include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (al-Daraj, Tal al-Hawa, al-Tuffah, al-Yarmuk, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya, Juhur al-Dik, Khan Yunis, al-Mughraqa, al-Nasser (n. of Rafah), Rafah, Shati’ r.c., al-Shuka, al-Zahra’. After dark, IDF troops conduct door-to-door searches on the outskirts of Gaza City.

Palestinians fire 29 rockets (including at least 12 Grads) and 5 mortars into Israel, hitting Ashdod, Ashqelon, Netivot, Ofakim, and Sederot; 1 house in Sederot is damaged and 1 Israeli woman lightly injured. 

At least 47 Palestinians (including 4 paramedics) are killed and 400 wounded (including 3 paramedics) during the day; 1 IDF soldier is killed, 1 is seriously wounded in a heavy exchange of gunfire nr. Jabaliya; 15 IDF soldiers are wounded (3 seriously) by Palestinian mortar fire inside Gaza. The UN and Palestinian medical workers estimate the Palestinian toll to have reached at least 507 dead, 2,400 injured. The Israeli toll stands at 5–6 killed, more than 40 injured.

Humanitarian notes: The Israeli FMin. announced a new joint office of the FMin. and Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, called the Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Center (HACC), to coordinate humanitarian organizations operating on aid transfers to the Strip. The UN reports that shortages of fuel, electricity, and water are worsening. Gazan hospitals report drastic shortages of anesthesia, surgical equipment, heaters, spare parts. (AP, BBC, IDF, JAZ, National Public Radio, OCHA, REU, WT 1/4; IDF, IFM, NYT, RFM, UNOSAT, WP, WT 1/5; BBC 1/6; IFM, PCHR 1/8; WP 1/27)

In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots 1 Palestinian demonstrator who attempts to climb the separation wall nr. Qalqilya; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, nr. Jenin. Israel’s High Court rules that the IDF may seal 2 floors of the home of the East Jerusalem Palestinian who killed 8 students at the Mercaz HaRava yeshiva in Jerusalem in 3/6/08, even though the gunman was killed during the attack and sealing the home would serve only to punish his extended family; another floor of the home will not be sealed because it is being rented to an unrelated family. (PCHR 1/8)

Overnight, the IDF drops 2 quarter-ton bombs on a 3-story building in Gaza City in an attempt to assassinate chief Hamas bomb-maker Muhammad Dayif, 4 times previously the target of Israeli assassination since 2000, wounding Dayif, killing senior Hamas mbr. Nabil al-Salima,his wife and 7 children, wounding Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades n. Gaza cmdr. Ahmad al-Gander and at least 33 bystanders, seriously damaging 15 surrounding homes. At the same time, the IDF also expands Operation Summer Rains with a major incursion into central Gaza, sending 10s of tanks, APCs, armored bulldozers across the Kissufim crossing under helicopter and drone escort and moving troops north fr. positions nr. Abasan, cutting the Strip in half, ordering PA security forces to leave the area, shelling and bulldozing surrounding areas. During the day, the IDF reportedly kills at least 22 other Palestinians and wounds at least 14 in major gun battles nr. Dayr al-Balah in central Gaza and in air and artillery strikes around Dayr al-Balah and Khan Yunis; the PRC’s Salah al-Din Brigades Khan Yunis leader Hisham Abu Nusayra, a PA policeman are killed in separate air strikes in Khan Yunis and a police station in alQarara is hit. The IDF also bulldozes 65 d. of agricultural land, partially demolishes 8 Palestinian homes and a car, and occupies 10 Palestinian homes as military posts in Dayr al-Balah; withdraws fr. the Qarni industrial estate (held since 7/8), allowing humanitarian and commercial imports to resume, and from Dahaniyya airport (held since 6/28), allowing PA security forces to enter the airport and the Rafah crossing and around 1,000 displaced Palestinians (see 7/8) to return to their homes. Palestinians try to fire rockets fr. Gaza toward Kissufim, but they fall short, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Dura, Nablus to conduct arrest raids. A Palestinian militant dies of injuries received during the 7/7 IDF air strikes on Bayt Lahiya. (BBC, HA, IMEMC, NYT, OCHA, PCHR, WP, WT 7/12; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 7/13; PCHR 7/20; NYT 7/21; B’Tselem 8/3)

Before dawn, Hizballah launches a crossborder attack on Israel, dubbed Operation True Promise, firing rockets across the Blue Line into n. Israel as a diversion; sending fighters in to n. Israel to attack an IDF patrol btwn. Zarit and Shetula, capturing 2 IDF soldiers, killing 3 soldiers, wounding 2. The IDF sends troops into Lebanon to search for the missing soldiers, where an IDF tank hits a mine, killing 4 IDF soldiers and marking Israel’s 1st ground incursion into Lebanon since its 5/00 withdrawal. (An 8th IDF soldier is killed, 2 others are wounded in Lebanon late in the evening as they try to recover the remains of the 4 tank occupants.) The IDF also launches air strikes and directs heavy artillery, tank fire on some 40 Hizballah positions, roads, bridges, power stations in s. Lebanon, killing at least 2 Lebanese civilians, 1 Lebanese soldier, wounding at least 10. The Lebanese government requests that UNIFIL broker a cease-fire, but Israel says a cease-fire would be contingent upon return of the captured soldiers. Hizballah leader Shaykh Hasan Nasrallah says the group plans to hold the 2 soldiers for the release of 3–4 Lebanese held by Israel. During the day, IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz calls up a reserve infantry division for deployment to the n. Israel border and sends the Israeli navy into Lebanese waters, threatening a massive invasion of Lebanon; makes air strikes on a Palestinian guerrilla base s. of Beirut. (BBC, HA, IFM 7/12; HA, IFM, NYT, WP, WT 7/13; UNIS 7/14)

Before dawn, the IDF sends undercover units into Nablus to arrest 6 Palestinians, including PA General Intelligence officer Amjad Mus‘ad; in the evening, fires 27 artillery rounds at n. Gaza in response to 3 mortars fired by Palestinians towards Israel, causing no damage or injuries on either side; late in the evening, undercover units return to Nablus, surround a PA security vehicle patrolling the area, order the7 PA security officers to lie on the ground, confiscate their weapons and phones, hold them for an hr., release them. The IDF also lifts the seal on the West Bank and Gaza imposed on 12/5, opens Qalandia crossing (closed since 12/8); raids and closes 10s of shops in Anabta, withdraws, later returns to conduct arrest raids and house searches; bulldozes a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem, sparking clashes with 10s of local Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Tulkarm. IDF soldiers bar an ambulance fr. transporting a critically ill 10-yr.-old Palestinian boy to a hospital in Jerusalem, beating a female paramedic and driver, arresting the paramedic; a 2d ambulance arrives, takes the patient to a Ramallah hospital. In Dayr al-Balah, 10 AMB gunmen angry over the Fatah primaries raid a PA election office, force it to close. In Gaza City, unidentified gunmen fire on a PA police patrol, killing 1 PA policeman, wounding a 2d; the incident may be connected to the Bayt Hanun clan violence (see 12/7) as the dead policeman belongs to 1 of the families. (AP, HA, IMEMC, PCHR, PRCS, XIN, YA 12/12; AP, NYT 12/13; PCHR 12/15; PLO press release 12/21)

In another escalation, Israel sends as many as 20,000 troops, 150 tanks and APCs into Amari, Ramallah. Palestinians fight back with guns, hand grenades, rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), lightly injuring 2 IDF soldiers. The IDF orders all Palestinian men age 15+n45 to surrender, but few comply. The PA which previously instructed PSF officers to comply, orders all Palestinians to ignore the order. IDF troops direct heavy machine gun fire at City Inn hotel, where foreign journalists are based to cover the fighting, hitting an ABC camera at least 7 times, including one shot through the lens; soldiers claimed there were gunmen in the hotel despite journalists' denials. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) suspends operations in Ramallah, citing numerous attacks on medical workers by the IDF, even in cases where PRCS movements were coordinated with the IDF in advance. The IDF bulldozes Ramallah's main water line; tanks crush cars. At least 30 Palestinians are killed during the day, including at least 2 shot by IDF snipers inside their Ramallah homes for no apparent reason, a PA naval policeman killed when the IDF shells his Dayr al-Balah post, 4 killed in Khan Yunis when the IDF shells a metal workshop thought to be a mortar factory, 1 fatally shot and allowed to bleed to death in Hebron. In Ramallah, the AMB kills 1 Palestinian collaborator. Outside Shlomi in n. Israel, 2 gunmen open fire, killing 5 Israeli civilians, 1 IDF soldier before being shot dead; the IDF believes the gunmen may be Hizballah mbrs. who infiltrated fr. Lebanon. A Jewish settler is fatally shot in the West Bank. The IDF says that since 2/28, it has confiscated 10s of light weapons, some rockets and mortars; destroyed at least 12 bomb-making workshops; detained more that 2,500 Palestinians. (MM, PRCS press release, REU 3/12; HA, MM, NYT, Palestine Report, WP, WT 3/13; LAW 3/20; MEI 3/22)

The UNSC passes (14-0, with Syria abstaining) Res. 1397, for the 1st time explicitly endorsing the creation "two states, Israel and Palestine," living side by side in secure and recognized borders. (MENA 3/12, AFP, XIN 3/13 in WNC 3/14; AP, NYT, WP, WT 3/13; MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/14; AN, JT, MENA, SA 3/14 in WNC 3/15; DUS 3/14, MENA 3/15, JT 3/17 in WNC 3/18; MM 3/15; MM 3/21; MEI 3/22; al-Majallah 3/24 in WNC 3/29)

After 19 days of recounting votes, Florida certifies Texas gov. George W. Bush as winner of the 11/7 presidential elections in the state, giving him the electoral college votes to become president. Lawyers for Democratic rival, VP Al Gore, plan to challenge the Florida certification, which will drag out the process for at least a wk. (NYT, WP, WT 11/27; MEI 12/22)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue. Nr. Qalqilya, IDF snipers fatally shoot 4 Palestinians (each hit 4-11 times). A 5th Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. The IDF shells residential areas in Khan Yunis, damaging 1 home. The IDF also bulldozes 10s of dunams of Palestinian land nr. Dugit settlement, Kefar Darom settlement, Kissufim crossing (destroying 1 home, damaging another), Netzarim Junction, Rafah crossing (destroying 4 storerooms, 6 irrigation systems, 1 well serving 50 families). (LAW 11/26; LAW, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 11/27; PCHR 12/18)

In Cairo, PA, Israeli security officials hold mtgs. on halting the clashes. (YA 11/27)

Hizballah detonates a roadside bomb nr. an IDF convoy in the Shaba` Farms area of the Golan Heights, killing 1 soldier, injuring 2. Israel responds with airstrikes, artillery and machine gun fire on Hizballah targets in s. Lebanon, wounding 1 Lebanese civilian. (IDF Radio [Internet] 11/26; MM, NYT, WP, WT, YA 11/27; MM 11/28; MEI 12/8; WP 1/30)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, leaving 5 Palestinian dead, including senior DFLP mbr. Firas Qasim Saba'na, who is assasinated by IDF troops in Jinin. A 6th Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. In Gaza, clashes erupt when the IDF attempts to remove a roadblock outside Khan Yunis. When the IDF responds to stone throwers with heavy weapons, PA police and Palestinian gunmen fire back, killing 1 IDF soldier. The IDF also shells a Palestinian hotel in Bethlehem "to flush out gunmen." Palestinian gunmen fatally shoot a Jewish settler in the West Bank. The IDF bulldozes 18 dunams of Palestinian land nr. Kefar Darom settlement, 35 dunams nr. Netzarim settlement. For the 7th straight wk., Israel bars Palestinians under 45 fr. attending Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque. The IDF says that since 11/22, it has arrested 119 West Bank Palestinians suspected of throwing stones, Molotov cocktails. (AP, LAW 11/24; LAW, NYT, WP, WT 11/25; IsraelWire [Internet] 11/26; PCHR 12/18)

Arafat and Barak agree to resume security coordination during a 3-way phone conversation arranged by Russian pres. Vladimir Putin. Arafat, who is in Moscow on a 1-day visit to meet with Putin, suggests Russia convene a Madrid-style international conference on the peace process, but Barak rejects the idea. (Interfax, ITAR-TASS 11/24, ITAR-TASS 11/25, HJ, SA 11/26 in WNC 11/29; NYT, REU, WP, WT 11/25; AFP [Internet], MA [Internet] 11/26)

This evening, senior PA and Israeli security officials hold more coordination talks, agree to allow PSF officers back into DCOs. (AYM 11/24, HJ 11/26 in WNC 11/29)

IDF demolishes 4 Palestinian homes in the West Bank nr. Jerusalem. (WP 7/2) (see 6/23)

PA, Israeli security forces engage in 12-hr. standoff in Gaza over control of the Dayr al-Balah-Mouassi coastal road. (ITV 7/2 in WNC 7/6; MM, NYT 7/3; MM 7/6; YA 7/6 in WNC 7/7; MM 7/8; WJW 7/9; PR 7/10; JP 7/11; CSM, WT 7/13; MEI 7/17)

Hizballah attacks 18 Israeli, SLA positions across s. Lebanon using 122-mm. artillery, wounding 3 IDF soldiers, 1 SLA mbr. and marking the 1st time Hizballah has used towed artillery--a qualitative escalation. 1 Hizballah mbr. is killed, several are wounded. (IDF Radio 7/2 in WNC 7/6; MEI 7/17)