The Palestine Chronology

The IDF fires tank shells at 3 Palestinians firing mortars at Gaza’s Netzarim settlement in Gaza, killing them; the mortars cause no damage or injuries. The IDF also conducts arrest raids nr. Hebron, Qalqilya; demolishes a Palestinian home in Balata r.c., several structures at an UNRWA school in Dayr al-Balah. IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya’alon visits the hospitalized Israeli peace activist wounded by IDF fire on 12/26, says soldiers apparently did not know Israelis were among the demonstrators, promises a full investigation. Some 1,000 Palestinians in villages around Ramallah hold nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall. Nr. Hebron, 5 Jewish settlers severely beat a Palestinian. (NYT, PM, WP 12/29; VOI, YA 12/29 in WNC 12/31; PCHR 1/1; MM 1/5; MEI 1/9)

The IDF continues operations in Rafah, fatally shooting 8 Palestinians (including 2–3 armed Palestinians), wounding up to 41, destroying 23 Palestinian homes (leaving 765 Palestinians homeless), heavily damaging 16 homes and 2 UNRWA centers, occupying several tall buildings as observation posts, uncovering and demolishing 1 smugglers’ tunnel. The IDF also intensifies operations in Balata r.c. (ongoing for 8 days), expands crackdown to all of Nablus, imposing a 24-hr. curfew, demolishing 1 Palestinian home, dividing the city in half with roadblocks. Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets at Nisanit settlement, lightly injuring 2 settlers, damaging a building; 1 at Sederot inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. (AFP, BBC, HA, NYT, PCHR, PRCS 12/23; VOP 12/23 in WNC 12/25; NYT, PR, WP, WT 12/24; PCHR, WT 12/25; PR 1/7)

Overnight, the IDF conducts arrest raids in Hebron; raids Jenin, searching homes, firing on residential areas. During the day, the IDF delays a Palestinian woman in labor at a Nablus checkpoint for over 1 hr., causing the death of her twins; imposes a curfew on parts of Hebron; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Nablus; fires on Palestinians waiting to cross the Abu Huli checkpoint nr. Dayr al-Balah, wounding 5; fires on UNRWA workers repairing waterlines nr. Khan Yunis, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids nr. Ramallah, bringing to 22 the number of alleged Hamas mbrs. arrested in the area over the past wk. In the evening, 2 AMB gunmen ambush, fatally shoot 2 IDF soldiers nr. Dayr al-Balah before being shot dead; 5 Palestinian bystanders are wounded by the IDF return fire. Shortly afterward, the IDF demolishes 7 Palestinian homes, bulldozes 37 dunams of land in nearby Wadi al-Silqa; sends tanks, troops into Rafah to search for smugglers’ tunnels, clashing with residents, leaving 2 Palestinians dead. Palestinian gunmen also ambush 2 Jewish settler vehicles traveling fr. Kiryat Arba settlement to Cave of the Patriarchs/Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, wounding an Israel border patrol officer escorting the settlers, escape unharmed. A Palestinian dies of injuries received last wk. (PM 12/22; HA, VOI, VOP 12/22 in WNC 12/24; BBC, HA, NYT, WP, WT 12/23; VOP 12/23 in WNC 12/25; WP 12/24; PCHR 12/25; HA 1/8)

The IDF continues Operation Root Canal in Rafah, reportedly demolishing some water, sewage networks. UNRWA chief Peter Hansen estimates that the IDF has demolished 114 Palestinian homes, housing some 1,240 Palestinians, damaged another 117 since the incursion began. The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian nr. Morag settlement; fires on residential areas of Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes and 2 bird farms, kills 15 sheep, bulldozes 7 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah; bulldozes a cow pen, 2 dunams of land in Khan Yunis. Palestinians fire 3 Qassam rockets into the Negev, causing light damage but no injuries. In Gaza City, 3 unidentified gunmen ambush, shoot, wound Sa‘ad Sihaybar, aide to the PA atty. gen., outside his home. (HA, WP, NYT 10/13; al-Quds 10/13 in WNC 10/16; WP 10/14; PCHR 10/16)

The IDF conducts arrest raids in Hebron, targeting the tanzim; finds, disables a large roadside bomb nr. Khan Yunis. In retaliation, the IDF launches a raid on Khan Yunis late in the evening, killing 2 Palestinians, wounding 39, demolishing 6 Palestinian homes; 2 IDF soldiers are also wounded. The IDF also fires on an UNRWA primary school in Khan Yunis, leaving an 11-yr.-old Palestinian clinically dead. Nr. Erez crossing, a Jewish settler deliberately hits a Palestinian man with his car, leaving him in a coma, with serious head injuries. (HA, WP, WT 3/2; NYT 3/3; PCHR 3/6; MEI 3/7; PR 3/12; LAW 3/13)