The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler shot and killed 1 Palestinian and injured 1 other when the 2 confronted a group of settlers attempting to set fire to their crops near al-Rihiya, south of Hebron; +972 reported that the settlers mutilated the body of the Palestinian man they had shot dead. 10 Palestinians were killed and 209 wounded by Israeli forces throughout the West Bank. The casualties included: 1, and 39 injured during a protest in Shwaika near Tulkarm; several others were reported injured; 1 protester, and 2 injured in Salem; 1 protester in Asira; 1 protester, and 4 injured in Beita; 1 protester, and 18 others injured by live ammunition in Ya‘bad; 1 protester in Marda; 1 protester in Iskaka; 1 protester, and 4 injured in ‘Urif; 1 protester in Jericho; 1 Palestinian at a checkpoint, who allegedly tried to ram Israeli soldiers near Silwad; 148 protesters injured by live ammunition and rubber-coated bullets during protests in and around Dayr Nidham, Bayt Dajan, Bayt Furik, al-Fawar refugee camp, al-Khadir, Salfit, Tayassir, Huwwara, Aqraba, Ni‘lin, Jenin, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, and Qusra. 13 Palestinians were arrested, including 6 during late-night raids in and around Qalandia refugee camp, Bayt Umar, and Sa‘ir; 7 were arrested during protests at the al-Jalama checkpoint near Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shot and injured 19 Palestinians using live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets, and sound bomb canisters during protests in and around Shaykh Jarrah, Bayt Hanina, Silwan, and the Old City. 7 Palestinians were arrested during raids in al-Tur, Silwan, and Sur Bahir. In Gaza, 22 Palestinians were killed, including 6 children, and dozens injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 114 to 136, including 33 children and 2 pregnant women. The casualties included: 9, including 3 children, and 73 injured, including 20 children, in air strikes on buildings in Bayt Lahiya and Bayt Hanun; 4 in an air strike on Gaza City, including 1 child; 3, including 1 child, in air strikes on Jabaliya; 1, and 16 injured, including 2 children, in air strikes on al-Bureij refugee camp; 1, and 1 wounded in an air strike on Abasan; 1 in an air strike while riding a motorbike in Rafah; 1 Palestinian was found dead in rubble from an air strike in Dayr al-Balah on 5/13; 1 Palestinian child succumbed to wounds sustained in an air strike on Gaza City on 5/12; 1 Palestinian succumbed to wounds sustained in an air strike on 5/12 in Bayt Lahiya. Israel also said it had assassinated 3 Hamas operatives, Shadi Abed Al-Hadi, Osama Shehadeh, and Zakaria Zarendah. Israeli air strikes also destroyed an interior ministry building west of Gaza City and 3 poultry farms near Rafah, killing more than 10,000 chickens. Israeli forces also struck the fishing ports in Gaza city and Khan Yunis. Damage to power lines in Gaza was reported, significantly reducing the amount of available electricity. In Israel, Israeli forces killed 2 people after several people crossed from Lebanon into Israel by Metula. Israel also said that 3 rockets were fired at Israel from Syria, with 2 landing in open land in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and 1 in Syria. 2 rockets from Gaza hit 2 houses in Sderot, causing damage and 1 injury. 1 rocket from Gaza lightly injured 1 Israeli driving near Beersheba. Israel barred people from outside of Lydda from entering the city from 4 p.m. and barred all its residents from leaving their homes after 9 p.m. 1 Palestinian-Israeli minor was seriously injured, and another minor lightly injured, after a firebomb was thrown at their house in Jaffa; Israeli police claimed without evidence that it was 2 Palestinian-Israeli men that had thrown the firebomb. Israeli forces were filmed kicking Palestinian-Israeli vehicles traveling in Umm al-Fahm and firing stun grenades at them for no apparent reason. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian-Israeli minor in Lydda, claiming he tried to throw a firebomb at them. 5 Palestinian-Israelis were arrested in Umm al-Fahm after a fire was ignited at the town’s city hall. 9 Palestinian-Israelis were arrested in ‘Akka. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian-Israeli protesters in Kafr Kana, injuring 28. Israel also told international news outlets that it would conduct a ground invasion of Gaza shortly and then later apologized to the news outlets for providing false information; analysts suspected that Israel used the media outlets to lure Hamas militants into tunnels before heavily bombarding said tunnels; Israel said that dozens were killed in the attack on the tunnels. Israel also shot down 1 drone sent from Gaza. 1 Israeli woman succumbed to injuries sustained after falling while running to a shelter in Neta’im on 5/11, raising the Israeli death toll to 9. In Jordan, some 500 protesters tried to enter the West Bank through the Allenby bridge, but were dispersed by Jordanian forces 3 miles from the border. In Amman, thousands of protesters called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and ending the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty. (AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, PCHR, PCHR, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/14; AJ, AP, AP, GDN, HA, HA, HA, PCHR, PCHR 5/15; TOI 5/16; HA 5/19; PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; NYT 5/26; +972 6/8; INT 7/15)

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said that 42% of the 119 people who have been killed in the Israeli attack on Gaza, at the time of reporting, were women and children. It also said 830 people had been injured. The UN estimated that 10,000 Palestinians have been internally displaced during the current escalation so far. (AJ, HA 5/14)

Spokesperson for PA president Mahmoud Abbas Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the silence of the U.S. administration was encouraging Israeli war crimes in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. (WAFA 5/14)

Morocco sent 40 tons of emergency aid to Palestine and denounced Israel’s aggression toward Palestinians. (HA 5/15)

The U.S. deputy assistant secretary for Israel and Palestinian affairs Hady Amr landed in Tel Aviv in an attempt by the U.S. administration to deescalate the situation. (AX, HA 5/14; HA 5/15)

A letter co-signed by 11 Jewish Democrats in the house of representatives, led by Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), urged the Biden administration to be more active in ending the escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas and to do more to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The 11 members of Congress also expressed concern about the violence in East Jerusalem and urged Israel to halt the “unjust eviction” of Palestinians from their homes in Shaykh Jarrah, and said that the U.S. must address the deepening occupation. (HA 5/15)

Democrats in the House also debated the attack on Gaza on the floor, with 1 group of 11 speaking in defense of Palestinians and 1 group of 10 defending Israel’s actions. (AJ, HA 5/14)

ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that she will continue with her inquiry into potential war crimes committed by Israelis and Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories despite Israel’s refusal to cooperate. Chief Prosecutor Bensouda also said that the investigation will include the current escalation of the conflict. (HA, REU 5/14)

The Italian trade union of port workers said that its members in Livorno had refused to load a shipment of weapons and explosives to be shipped to Israel, citing Israel’s attack on Gaza. (AA 5/15; WAFA 5/16; IN 5/17)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces injured several Palestinian prisoners during raids in Ofer prison. Elsewhere, Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians during a raid in al-‘Arub refugee camp, leading to tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also prevented Palestinian construction workers from working on a road in ‘Araqa connecting it to Ya‘bad. 5 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Tulkarm, and Dura. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a house raid in the Old City. Off the coast of Gaza, Israel naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen; no injuries were reported. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on agricultural lands east of Khan Yunis and Abasan; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA 9/13; PCHR 9/17)

The Israeli government approved plans for 980 new settlement units in the Efrat settlement near Bethlehem. (WAFA 9/13)

The Israeli government said it would impose a 3-week lockdown from 9/18 to curb the spread of COVID-19 as cases continue to rise. People in Israel will be restricted to stay within 0.3 miles of their homes. (REU 9/13; AJ, CNN, HA 9/14)

According to Times of Israel, the U.S. administration promised the UAE, as part of the normalization deal with Israel, that the U.S. would not approve of Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank until 2024. (TOI 9/13)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 2 Palestinians in Hebron with pepper spray. Israeli settlers also uprooted some 400 olive tree saplings in al-Khadir during 2 separate raids. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian trying to enter Israel near Qalqilya; he was hit with 3 rubber-coated bullets. 6 Palestinians were arrested, including 3 during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya and Bayt Umar, and 3 were arrested during raids in and around ‘Azun and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces and Palestinians clashed during a raid in Issawiyya, leading to tear-gas related injuries. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian agricultural lands east of Khuza‘a, Bayt Hanun, al-Maghazi, and Abasan; no injuries were reported. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen on 2 separate occasions 3 nautical miles from Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA 4/12; WAFA 4/13; PCHR 4/16)

IDF troops make 2 brief incursion into Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border fence nr. Bayt Lahiya in the north and Khan Yunis in the south. IDF soldiers on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers who stray too near the border fence, forcing them to leave. IDF soldiers on the s. Gaza border open fire on Palestinian agricultural areas e. of Abasan, causing no reported damage or injuries. Israeli naval vessels fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 each nr. Qalqilya and Tulkarm in the morning; in 2 villages nr. Jenin and 1 each nr. Qalqilya and Tulkarm in the evening; and in 2 villages nr. Jericho and 1 each nr. Ramallah and Tulkarm late at night. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, including rearresting a PA General Intelligence officer released in the 2011 prisoner swap that freed captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. (PCHR 5/23; OCHA 5/25)

News hits the media that the new U.S. amb. to Israel Dan Shapiro recently told a meeting of the Israeli Bar Association that the U.S. is ready and willing to use military force against Iran if diplomacy and sanctions fail, stating that the military option is ‘‘not just available, but it’s ready. The necessary planning has been done.’’ A tape of Shapiro’s address was leaked to the AP, with an anonymous Israeli official stating: ‘‘Quite clearly he didn’t mean this to be public. ... For the Iranians to understand that he really means it, they have to hear it publicly and clearly.’’ (AP, ITV 5/17; NYT, WT 5/18; see Quarterly Update [QU] in JPS 165 for details on Iran.)

At a private fundraising event in Florida that is secretly taped and leaked to the media on 9/18/12, Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney states that ‘‘the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace’’ and are ‘‘committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel.’’ He also opposes creation of an independent Palestinian state, assuming that it would become a client state of Iran. In terms of a U.S. mediating role in the peace process, he states: ‘‘The idea of pushing on the Israelis—to give something up, to get the Palestinians to act, is the worst idea in the world.’’ In response to the leak, which was seen (e.g., NYT 9/19)

as likely to damage Romney’s ability to act as a peace broker if elected, Romney publicly states on 9/18 that he stands by his longtime support for the U.S. official position advocating a negotiated 2-state solution. (Mother Jones 9/18; NYT 9/19)

Israeli DM Ehud Barak meets with U.S. secy. of defense Leon Panetta in Washington to request an additional $680 m./yr. in aid over 3 yrs. to help purchase 3–4 new Iron Dome antimissile batteries and another $168 m. for 3 other missile programs jointly developed with the U.S. (This is on top of an increase of $99.9 m. in funding for FY 2013 already requested by the Obama admin.) With the appeal coinciding with Israel cutting its defense budget by 5% per year for 2013 and 2014, critics complain (e.g., WP 5/17) that the U.S. is effectively helping balance Israel’s budget before balancing its own. (WP 5/17)

In Amman, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meet with Quartet reps. (including special envoy Blair) and then with Jordanian FM Nasser Judeh. Judeh says that the Palestinian team, as requested, turned over its position papers on security and borders and that the Israeli team formally received them. The sides have agreed to hold talks “on a continual basis” in Jordan to explore reviving formal negotiations and to observe a media blackout, with only Judeh issuing public statements after the sessions. Israel does not submit its own comprehensive position papers, but pledges “that through this continuing dialogue there will be an Israeli counterproposal or an Israeli response.” (WJW 1/3; NYT, WP 1/4; WT 1/5)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the demolished Erez industrial zone, forcing them to flee. IDF troops make a brief incursion into s. Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border fence e. of Abasan and Khuza, firing toward nearby residential areas to keep Palestinians indoors (causing no reported injuries). Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning patrols in Jenin and (synchronized) in 3 villages nr. Ramallah; conducts evening patrols in Tulkarm and 1 village nr. Jenin; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. OCHA reports that since 12/21, the IDF has demolished 25 water-related structures (wells, cisterns, water pools, and water storage tanks) used for domestic and agricultural purposes; 21 were in Hebron governorate, 4 in Salfit governorate. OCHA also reports that in the past 2 wks., the IDF has demolished the remaining structures on the Palestinian side of the Qarni crossing, which Israel closed on 3/2/11 when the Kerem Shalom crossing became fully operational. (OCHA, PCHR 1/5)

The Israeli High Court accepts an agmt. reached between the state and settlers under which the state agrees to suspend plans to demolish immediately 9 structures in the Ramat Gilad unauthorized settlement outpost, giving the settlers until 3/2012 to remove the structures themselves. The settlers claim that the state has agreed in exchange to expand the zoning boundaries for nearby Karnei Shomron settlement to include Ramat Gilad (retroactively legalizing the outpost), but the official documents submitted to the court do not say this. (JPI 1/3)

In the morning, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire 3 artillery shells into Abasan village, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin, and 1 nr. Tulkarm (chasing stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, arresting 1). Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Ni’lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire live ammunition (Nabi Salih only) rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 1 Palestinian in Nabi Salih is lightly wounded by live ammunition. (PCHR 12/29; OCHA 1/5)

In New York, Secy. of State Clinton and Netanyahu meet for 7 hrs. (including at least 2 hrs. one-on-one) to finalize an incentives package and discuss other steps toward reviving peace talks. (NYT, WP 11/12)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border shell an open area and vacant home e. of Abasan village where a group of armed Palestinians were assembling, causing no reported casualties. In the West Bank, the IDF enters Jit village nr. Qalqilya to evacuate and close a secondary school where children were holding an assembly commemorating the 6th anniversary of Yasir Arafat’s death; sends undercover units into Jab‘a village nr. Jenin in the afternoon, raiding a home and detaining 1 Palestinian; patrols in Zabbuba village nr. Jenin in the afternoon, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no injuries; conducts late-night house searches in and around Hebron and in Bil‘in, making no arrests; conducts late night patrols without incident in Tulkarm town and r.c. Jewish settlers stone Palestinian vehicles on the Nablus–Ramallah road. (OCHA 11/24; PCHR 11/25)

IDF troops briefly enter s. Gaza to bulldoze land along the border fence e. of Abasan, firing on nearby residential areas, wounding 1 Palestinian. Israeli naval vessels detain a Palestinian fishing boat off the Bayt Lahiya coast, interrogating and releasing the fishermen. The UN reports that 2 Palestinians were killed and 6 were injured in tunnel collapses on the Rafah border in the previous wk.; in addition, the body of a Palestinian missing since 7/1 has been found in a collapsed smuggling tunnel. In the West Bank, IDF undercover units enter Yatta village in a vehicle with Palestinian license plates, raid an auto mechanics shop, arresting 1 Palestinian. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and neighboring ‘Askar r.c., and nr. Hebron, Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar cut down 24 Palestinian olive trees in nearby Burin village. Jewish settlers fr. Gilad settlement stone Palestinian cars on the Qalqilya–Nablus road. In Khan Yunis, a bomb explodes at the wedding of a fmr. Fatah-affiliated PA security officer, injuring 42 Palestinians; no group claims responsibility. (OCHA, PCHR 7/23)

Israeli naval vessels intercept a Palestinian fishing boat off the Rafah coast, arresting 4 Palestinians (including 2 teenagers). Late at night, the IDF enters Abasan in s. Gaza, arresting 1 Palestinian man. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a rare daytime incursion into Araba village nr. Jenin, searching several homes but making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., in ‘Askar r.c. and Balata r.c., and nr. Hebron and Salfit. Palestinian sources report that in the previous wk., the IDF has leveled large tracts of land s. of Qalqilya (including uprooting 400 olive trees) in preparation for separation wall construction. The IDF informs residents of the Palestinian village of Azun Atma, nr. the separation wall s. of Qalqilya, that they must obtain special permits fr. the Civil Admin. to be able to travel in the area; informs residents of 4 villages s. of Tulkarm that as of 4/1, the IDF will close the sole gate in the separation wall that gives them access to village farmlands located between the wall and the Green Line. (PCHR 3/26; OCHA 3/31, 4/1; PCHR 4/2)

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 makes an incursion into Abasan, raiding and searching homes, occupying several as operational bases, making air strikes on local gunmen who confront them (killing 1 Hamas mbr., seriously wounding 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. and 1 Hamas mbr.), demolishing 1 Palestinian home, bulldozing 110 d. of agricultural land and 4 poultry farms, arresting 4 Palestinians before withdrawing late in the evening. The IDF also makes an early-morning incursion into Jabaliya town, fatally shooting a Palestinian civilian riding a bicycle for no apparent reason, exchanging fire with local gunmen (killing 1 armed Palestinian, 1 bystander), hitting 3 Palestinian homes with tank fire (injuring 3 Palestinian civilians). Later, Palestinians fire a Grad-type rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, striking a shopping mall in Ashqelon, wounding 16 Israelis, 3 of them seriously; several groups, excluding Hamas, claim responsibility. Late in the evening, the IDF makes an air strike on Gaza City, killing 2 Palestinian resistance mbrs. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem and Nablus, and in Qalqilya. (NYT, PCHR, WP 5/15; PCHR 5/22)

Gaza’s power plant shuts down completely for lack of fuel. A Palestinian teenager (brother of the teenager who died on 5/8) succumbs to injuries sustained during the IDF’s 5/7 raid on Abasan. In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a 1-day curfew on Azun nr. Qalqilya; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., nr. Hebron. (WP 5/12; PCHR 5/15)

In Beirut, calm prevails but many roads remain closed and some Hizballah mbrs. continue to patrol streets. Hizballah and Jumblatt supporters exchange fire in the villages of Aley, Kayfun, and Shuwayfat s. of Beirut. Hizballah sends fighters convoys toward Druze leader Walid Jumblatt’s stronghold in the Chouf mountains, but they are ambushed en route by Druze militias fighters (some of whom had supported the opposition and stood with Hizballah until it moved deep into the Chouf, then switched sides to defend the Druze heartland), withdrawing with heavy casualties. (NYT, WP, WT 5/12; NYT 5/16; NYT, WP 5/18)

Overnight in Gaza, the IDF sends tanks and bulldozers supported by aircraft into Abasan, raiding and searching homes, occupying several houses as observation posts, bulldozing 23 d. of olive trees, demolishing 1 Palestinian home, clashing with local gunmen (including firing tank shells and making air strikes), leaving 1 IDF soldier, 1 Hamas mbr. dead, wounding 6 armed Palestinians and 1 bystander. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and Tulkarm (arresting at least 1 AMB mbr. who was among the AMB mbrs. granted amnesty by Israel in 7/06; see 9/23), in Qabatya, and nr. Hebron, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron steal a harvest of olives fr. a Palestinian farmer nr. Qalqilya. In Gaza City, 4 mbrs. of a Palestinian clan are killed in clashes with ESF when the ESF attempts to arrest 1 family mbr. for firing on an ESF patrol earlier in the day; the ESF arrests 25 family mbrs. In Gaza City, 100 Palestinians demonstrate outside the UN Special Coordinator’s Office (UNSCO) against the continued closure of the Rafah border. (NYT, PCHR 10/18; OCHA 10/24; PCHR 10/25)

IDF troops on the Gaza border fire on, send a drone to fire missiles at a group of armed Palestinians attempting to cross into Israel e. of Jabaliya, killing 1 armed Palestinian, wounding 4. For the 3d day, the IDF sends bulldozers and tanks into Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun to level land; this time, Palestinian gunmen fire an RPG at a tank, sparking an exchange of gunfire, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Jenin town and r.c. late in the evening, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen who confront the troops, wounding local AMB leader Zacharia Zubeidi; conducts arrest raids, house searches in alBireh, Nablus, Qalqilya; fires rubber-coated steel bullets on stone-throwing Palestinians nr. the Qalandia checkpoint, injuring 2; fires rubber-coated steel bullets at 10s of Palestinians and Israeli and international peace activists protest the separation wall nr. Bil‘in, injuring 14; similarly fires rubber-coated steel bullets on Palestinians, international peace activists protesting the construction of the separation wall nr. Um Salamuna nr. Bethlehem, injuring 8. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai set fire to a Palestinian car in Hebron; the IDF bars fire engines fr. reaching the scene. For a 2d day, Jewish settlers occupying a Palestinian building nr. Kiryat Arba throw bottles and stones at local Palestinians, use trained dogs to scare Palestinian children; the IDF observes but does not intervene. In ‘Abasan, Fatah-Hamas clashes leave 11 Palestinians wounded. A Palestinian wounded in an IDF artillery strike on ‘Abasan on 9/6/06 dies. (OCHA 4/11; PCHR 4/12)

The worst Fatah-Hamas fighting in Gaza to date leaves a total of 18 Palestinians dead (including 2 children ages 5 and 7, 6 presidential guardsmen; including 12 in Gaza City, 3 in Jabaliya r.c., 1 in Abasan, 1 in Bayt Lahiya), more than 220 injured, with factions exchanging mortar, RPG fire; setting fire to and ransacking rival meeting halls, security compounds (including the n. Gaza headquarters of the PA Military Intelligence, PSF, General Intelligence, as well as a Force 17 barracks, ESF offices, and barracks for the Izzeddine al-Qassam Brigades). In the most serious incidents; the Fatahdominated presidential guard attempts to overrun the Hamas-controlled PA Interior Min. offices in Gaza City, exchanging fire with the ESF there, as well as torching parts of Islamic University (a Hamas stronghold); Hamas mbrs. later attack several buildings at Fatah-dominated al-Quds University and destroying the Palestinian Labor Voice radio station in Jabaliya; and Fatah mbrs. raid a mosque in Abasan, firing on worshipers, killing 1, wounding 8, kidnapping 6. A Palestinian woman wounded in the ESF–Presidential Guard exchange on 2/1 dies. Egyptian mediators resident in Gaza broker talks with Hamas, Fatah officials, who order their mbrs. in the afternoon to begin observing a cease-fire, but exchanges continue late into the evening. (As Egyptian officials leave the talks, their convoy comes under fire, causing no injuries.) In Rafah, 300 Palestinians march calling for a halt to intra-Palestinian violence. In the West Bank, unidentified gunmen fire on the home of mayor of Qalqilya, causing no injuries. Meanwhile, the IDF surrounds a mosque in Bayt Kahil during noon prayers, searches and questions worshipers as they leave; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Itamar settlement shoot, wound a 15-yr.-old Palestinian shepherd outside Nablus. (MM 2/2; NYT, WP 2/3; MM 2/6; OCHA 2/7; PCHR 2/8)

Soon after the 6:00 A.M. Palestinian ceasefire deadline, the IDF withdraws all troops fr. Gaza, ending n. Gaza operations that began on 11/21 that killed 22 Palestinians (including at least 6 civilians), wounded at least 67 (including 28 children), destroyed 10 houses and 10 businesses, razed 80 d. of agricultural land. (After the pullout, the UN reports extensive damage—estimated at $6.4 m.—to Dahaniyya airport buildings by the IDF stationed there, noting that damage could not have been caused by crossfire with Palestinians.) Btwn. 6:00 and 10:15 A.M. local time, Palestinians fire 9 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging a house but causing no injuries; Israel does not retaliate and the truce seems to hold. Two Palestinians are killed when a tunnel they are digging under the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, IDF troops patrol in ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 1; conduct arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qabatya (fatally shooting 2 Palestinian bystanders) and Qalqilya, nr. Bethlehem and Hebron; issues a military order confiscating 565 d. of land belonging to al-Nabi Samwil, Bayt Surik, Bayt Iqsa villages n. of Jerusalem for construction of the separation wall. The Israeli High Court rejects a petition to reroute a section of the separation wallthat would envelope Bayt Hanina, Bir Naballah, al-Jadira, al-Jib, and Qalandia villages, cutting them off fr. the rest of the West Bank. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in the 10/13 IDF attack on Abasan. (IFM, WP 11/26; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/27; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30; OCHA 12/13; PLONAD 2/14)

Overnight, the IDF launches a major raid into Gaza, dubbed Operation Autumn Clouds, sending 100s of infantry soldiers, tanks, helicopters into Bayt Hanun, sealing and imposing a curfew on the town, clashing with Palestinians (who fire automatic weapons, antitank rounds), conducting air strikes, occupying some Palestinian homes as operational bases and sniper posts, bulldozing 18 d. of land, killing 5 Hamas mbrs., 1 Islamic Jihad mbr., 1 PA security officer, 2 civilians, wounding 41 Palestinians (the majority gunmen, but including 8 children, 2 women); 1 IDF soldier is also killed. Palestinians fire at least 8 rockets fr. n. Gaza into Israel in response, lightly wounding 2 Israelis, marking the largest 1-day barrage in wks. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Abasan, wounding 1 Palestinian. Meanwhile, the Israeli cabinet debates, rejects requests by the IDF, frustrated over continued (though declining in recent wks.) rocket fire fr. Gaza, to expand military operations in Gaza, voting instead to continue pinpoint operations. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and Tulkarm (firing on residential areas, stone-throwing youths, wounding 5), in Qalqilya, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin. (REU 11/1; NYT, PCHR, WP 11/2; IFM 11/6)

In Gaza, the IDF withdraws troops fr. Bayt Lahiya after 3 days of operations; fires missiles fr. a drone at a car moving btwn. Gaza City and Bayt Hanun, wounding 3 AMB mbrs. (Ahmad Abu al-Kas, Ayman al-Dar‘awi, Haytham Abu Hassanain), 7 bystanders in a failed assassination attempt; makes an air strike destroying the home of a Hamas mbr. in Abasan (warning residents in advance to leave), damaging 6 nearby homes and a kindergarten. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qalqilya, nr. Jenin (firing on residential areas). Jewish settlers in Hebron throw stones at Palestinians. The AMB threatens to kill 3 senior Hamas leaders (including Damascus-based leader Khalid Mishal, Interior M Siyam) whom they accuse of sedition, “so these filthy people can be made an example.” Scattered Fatah-Hamas violence is reported during the day, with at least 1 Palestinian wounded in Rafah. (NYT, WT 10/4; PCHR 10/5; OCHA 10/11)

In Gaza, the IDF sends troops, bulldozers into Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, firing on residential areas, leveling land, withdrawing in the evening; makes an air strike destroying a house in al-Shuka after warning the residents to leave. In the West Bank, the IDF raids Sanur nr. Jenin, surrounds and evacuates a Palestinian home, fatally shoots wanted AMB mbr. Nabil Hanani in an apparent assassination; patrols in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Jenin, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 4; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Bethlehem; issues military orders for the construction of a new 4,500-m section of the separation wall s. of Qalqilya that will isolate 2,000 d. of Palestinian agricultural land btwn. the wall and the Green Line. An Israeli military court extends the remand of 21 Hamas-affiliated PA legislators detained on 6/28–29. In Gaza City, striking PA civil servants mob the PC building, prevent Haniyeh fr. attending a cabinet mtg. there, prompting his bodyguards to fire in the air to ensure his safety; Haniyeh cancels the PC session, set to talk about economic problems, after Fatah PC mbrs. leave the building to join the strikers. Later in the day, Hamas supporters hold a large counterdemonstration in Gaza City in support of Haniyeh’s government. (AP, REU, WP 9/18; NYT 9/19; HA, PCHR 9/21)

In Gaza, IDF troops in Dahaniyya airport fire tank shells at al-Shuka village, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding another Palestinian who strays near the border fence; sends troops, drones into Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, conducting arrest raids, demolishing 2 Palestinian homes, damaging a 3d house, bulldozing 79 d. of agricultural land and a water network, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tamun; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Tulkarm town and r.c., nr. Hebron and Jenin. A 9-yr.-old Palestinian boy is injured in Balata r.c. when he accidentally detonates unexploded IDF ordnance. A Jewish settler driving nr. Qalqilya deliberately hits and injures a 10-yr.-old Palestinian girl walking home fr. school; the IDF arrests the driver. The High Court of Israel rejects 7 Palestinian petitions regarding the route of the separation wall northwest of East Jerusalem, accepting the existing plan, stating that “the purpose of the construction of the wall is to protect the lives of Israeli citizens from terrorist attacks, so its expected benefit is great” and that Palestinian needs had been adequately addressed. (WP 9/11; OCHA 9/13; PCHR 9/14; Independent 9/19)

In Gaza, the IDF begins allowing limited humanitarian and food supplies through the Kerem Shalom, Sufa crossings (closed since 6/25); sends an undercover unit into Abasan in s. Gaza to capture senior Hamas mbr. Yunis Abu Daka, firing on his home, killing his brother Yusuf Abu Daka, then conducts air strikes on the house causing severe damage (Yunis Abu Daka is not captured). In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit into Jenin, driving a car with Palestinian license plates, that shoots, seriously wounds Islamic Jihad’s West Bank military cmdr. Hussam Jaradat in an assassination attempt; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Qalqilya, in Bethlehem and Nablus, nr. Jenin. A previously unknown group called the Holy Jihad Brigade releases a video tape of 2 Fox News journalists kidnapped in Gaza City on 8/14, demanding that the U.S. release all Muslims fr. its jails within 72 hrs., marking the 1st time that a Palestinian militant group has made demands of a foreign country other than Israel, which is not mentioned in the statement; all major Palestinian groups denounce the kidnapping and deny involvement. PA civil servants launch a series of strikes to press PA PM Ismail Haniyeh’s government to take action to pay back salaries. (Miftah 8/23; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 8/24; OCHA 8/25; PCHR 8/31; NYT 9/1)

Without explanation, the IDF shells Shaba‘ village, inside Lebanon, fr. the disputed Shaba‘ Farms region, causing no damage or injuries. In s. Lebanon, 3 Lebanese troops are killed when they accidentally detonate an unexploded IDF missile that they are trying to disarm; an IDF soldier is killed, 3 are wounded when they accidentally trigger one of the 1,000s of Israeli landmines left over fr. Israel’s previous occupation. (NYT, WP 8/24)

In Gaza, the IDF expands ground operations in Bayt Hanun under artillery fire, occupying the town, firing on residential areas (killing 2 Palestinians), bulldozing land and homes, occupying houses as military bases, forcing some residents to flee; fires 2 artillery shells at a group of Palestinian children playing soccer in al-Bureij r.c., wounding a 14-yr.-old; fires on residential areas of Abasan, wounding 1 Palestinian. Palestinians fire at least 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 2 Israelis. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a raid on Nablus, where Palestinian militants throw an explosive device at troops, killing 1 IDF soldier, wounding 6; sends undercover units into Bethlehem to detain a wanted AMB mbr.; conducts late-night arrest raids nr. Nablus, Qalqilya. For a 2d day (see 7/16), the IDF detains al-Jazeera satellite TV’s Jerusalem bureau chief for questioning regarding violating Israeli military censorship rules. (AP 7/17; WP 7/18; PCHR 7/20)

The IDF intensifies attacks on e. and n. Lebanon, hitting Lebanese army barracks in Tripoli and army bases in Baalbek (killing 9 Lebanese soldiers), homes of Hizballah officials in the east; conducting heavy bombing of s. Beirut to destroy underground bunkers where Nasrallah and Hizballah’s senior leadership may be hiding; hitting fuel depots at the Beirut airport for a 2d time. In total, at least 38 Lebanese (mostly civilians) are killed during the day, including 12 civilians killed when the IDF targets a minibus in s. Lebanon. Hizballah responds by firing at least 30 rockets on n. Israel, including hitting Haifa with 3 rockets, shearing the front of an apartment building, wounding 6 Israelis. Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, the U.S. begin evacuating their nationals. (NYT, WP 7/17; NYT, WP, WT 7/18) 

The IDF shells Tal al-Sultan, hitting an UNRWA school, injuring 2 students in their classroom; raids Qabatya nr. Jenin, surrounding and firing on a home sheltering a wanted AMB mbr., then firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 5, arresting the wanted man; demolishes 8 Palestinian homes, 7 shops, 2 poultry farms completely, 6 homes partially in Rafah; demolishes a Palestinian home in Hazma nr. East Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around ‘Ayn Sultan r.c. nr. Jericho, Bayt Sahur nr. Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Nablus, Tulkarm; fires on residential areas of Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, Rafah; fires on a mentally handicapped Palestinian who strays into a closed military zone, wounding him; dynamites an apartment in Tulkarm, severely damaging 3 other units in the building; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah. Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets into Israel, damaging a building in an industrial park in Sederot but causing no injuries. Some 130 PA security officers and personnel hold a sit-in outside the Force 17 offices in Dayr al-Balah to protest corruption and mistreatment by their superiors and their impossible working conditions, saying it is impossible to do their jobs for lack of equipment, training, means of communications. (AP, HA 6/1; VOP 6/1 in WNC 6/3; UNRWA press release 6/2; PCHR 6/3; PR 6/9; MEI 6/11)

The IDF opens fire on stone-throwing Palestinians outside Balata r.c., wounding 5; bulldozes 40 dunams of land in Abasan, 32 dunams in Khuza, 29 dunams in al-Qarara; blows up 1 Palestinian home in Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids in Khan Yunis. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 4/19. International aid workers in Gaza report that the IDF is requiring them to undergo additional security checks on entering and leaving Gaza, causing new delays. (HA 4/26; LAW, PCHR 5/1; AIDA 5/12)