The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler was injured by glass from his vehicle window after shots were fired at his car near Huwwara. For the 2d day in a row, Israeli settlers escorted by Israeli forces shot and injured Palestinians in Sinjil, including 2 with live ammunition and others with baton rounds and assault; 6 vehicles were damaged. Israeli settlers also vandalized 1 Palestinian-owned vehicle near Ya‘bad. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Jib, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 4 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 2 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, causing tear-gas related injuries. 4 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Silwad, Husan, Dheisheh refugee camp, and al-Azza refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family demolished their own agricultural structure. In Gaza, Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinians herding cattle east of Abasan. 2 Palestinians were arrested while attempting to enter Israel east of Khan Yunis. In Israel, Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian citizen of Israel near the separation wall at Baqa al-Gharbiyye, claiming he was helping Palestinians in the West Bank enter Israel through the wall. (HA, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/9; WAFA 9/10; HA 9/11; PCHR 9/15; UNOCHA 9/16)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian high school student who was shot by Israeli forces on 4/9 using live ammunition on her way home from school in Deir Ghazaleh succumbed to her injures. Israeli forces shot and seriously wounded 2 Palestinians during a raid in al-Yamun; 1 would later succumb to his injuries on 4/22. Israeli forces also shot and injured 3 Palestinians during a raid in Qarawat Bani Zeid. Elsewhere, Israeli forces placed dirt mounds on rural roads in the Masafer Yatta area and seized 1 school vehicle in al-Fakhit. 15 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Husan, al-Yamun, Ramallah, and Fasayil. In East Jerusalem, 561 Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid. In Gaza, 1 rocket was launched at Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Israel subsequently fired a missile at Khan Yunis, causing damage. Hamas said it had fired an anti-aircraft missile at the jet conducting the air strike but that the missile had failed to hit the jet. Israeli forces also opened fire at Palestinian agricultural lands east of Abasan and Khuza‘a; no injuries were reported. (AJ, AP, F24, HA, HA, MEE, MEE, MEMO, NPR, REU, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/18; HA, MEE, WAFA, WAFA 4/19; MEMO 4/20; PCHR 4/21; HA, WAFA 4/22; UNOCHA 4/23)

Israeli authorities closed al-Ibrahimi Mosque for Palestinian visitors on 4/18 and 4/19 to facilitate a concert for Israeli settlers. (MEMO, MEMO 4/19)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, discussing the latest Israeli violations on the Haram al-Sharif compound during the weekend. President Abbas also spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who condemned Israel’s attacks on Palestinian worshippers at the compound. (HA, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 4/18)

Jordan summoned the Israeli charge d’affaires for questioning about the Israeli-led violence on the Haram al-Sharif compound on 4/15 and 4/17. Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi also said that Jordan will host an emergency meeting of the Arab League on 4/21 to discuss the violence. (HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 4/18)

An investigation by The New Yorker revealed that Spain had used the Israeli company NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware to hack the phones of 60 Catalonian leaders and activists. The investigation also revealed that Pegasus spyware was used against employees of UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s office. Citizen Lab, which cooperated with The New Yorker for the story, suspected that the UAE was behind the hack. The piece also cited NSO Group CEO Shalev Hulio, saying that “almost all governments in Europe are using our [NSO Group’s] tools.” (AP, HA, New Yorker 4/18; MEMO 4/19; HA 4/24)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 2 Palestinians in al-Zubeidat. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor using live ammunition during a confrontation in al-‘Arub refugee camp. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Husan, leading to tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Hebron, leading to tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting in Jenin, leading to tear-gas related injuries. Palestinian protests were also held in Qabatiya and Rumana. 8 Palestinians were arrested, including 7 during late-night raids in Dayr Abu Mash‘al, Jenin, Jericho, and Bayt Rima; 1 was arrested while in a park in Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers raided the Bab al-Rahma cemetery at the Haram al-Sharif compound. 3 Palestinians were arrested during raids in al-Tur, the Old City, and Silwan. In Gaza, 13 Palestinians were killed, including 2 children, and dozens were injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 203 to 216, including 62 children and 2 pregnant women. The casualties included: 1 in an air strike on a house in Jabaliya; 1 while driving a car near Gaza City; 4 by an Israeli air strike near a seaside café west of Gaza City; 2, including 1 child, in an air strike on an apartment building in Gaza City; 1 child, and 1 child was wounded during an air strike at a house in Dayr al-Balah; 1, and 1 injured in an air strike in Abasan; 2, and 2 injured in a drone strike in Bayt Lahiya; 1 succumbed to wounds sustained on 5/13 during an air strike on the American Hospital west of Bayt Lahiya; 1 Palestinian was found in rubble from a massive air strike that killed 43 in Gaza City on 5/16, raising the death toll from that strike to 44. Israel also conducted large-scale air attacks on al-Bureij, Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, and Khan Yunis, causing extensive damage and injuries; among the buildings damaged was the Gaza COVID-19 vaccination center and a large bookstore. It was reported that several power lines had been destroyed, making the electricity supply to Gaza even worse. In Israel, 1 Jewish-Israeli man was killed by Palestinian-Israeli stone-throwers in Lydda. Israel said 6 rockets were fired from Lebanon toward Israel, but landed in Lebanese territory; Israel subsequently attacked areas of Lebanon. (AP, HA 5/16; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, MEE, MEE, PCHR, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/17; PCHR 5/18; HA, MEE 5/19; PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; NYT 5/26)

The Fatah central committee called for a general strike to protest evictions of Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the Israeli attacks on Gaza on 5/18. A similar call was made by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel on 5/16. (MEE, WAFA 5/17)

PA civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh, general intelligence chief Majid Faraj, and advisor for the president on diplomatic affairs Majdi Khaldi met with U.S. deputy assistant secretary for Israel and Palestinian affairs Hady Amr in Ramallah. The trio urged the U.S. to pressure Israel to stop its attack on Gaza and evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Deputy Assistant Secretary Amr also met with PA president Mahmoud Abbas and PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/17)

U.S. president Joe Biden called for a ceasefire during a phone call with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AJ, AX, NPR, REU 5/17; AJ, AP, HA 5/18; AP 5/19)

Amnesty International said Israel’s attacks on Gaza must be investigated as war crimes, given their targeting of residential homes. (AI 5/17; WAFA 5/19)

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 set up a caravan on Palestinian-owned land in Bil‘in. Israeli forces forced the village of Sabastiyya to remove a newly installed flagpole carrying a Palestinian flag; the flagpole was installed at a site frequently toured by Israeli settlers. 10 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and al-‘Arub refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, 6 Palestinians were arrested, including 1 during a raid in the Old City, and 5 at 1 of the gates to the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces fired missiles at southern Gaza, causing damage in Khan Yunis and east of Rafah; incendiary balloons were sent toward Israel, causing fires; 1 Palestinian-owned house in Abasan sustained severe damage. Israeli forces also opened fire on agricultural lands; no injuries were reported. 4 people from the same family also tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in the 1st instance of community spread of the virus in Gaza; prior positive tests have only occurred in quarantine facilities. 4 Palestinians died in an explosion in a house east of Gaza City; the reason for the explosion remained unclear. (AJ, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/24; AJ, HA, WAFA 8/25; +972 8/26; PCHR 8/27)

U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo landed in Israel for meetings with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. Secretary Pompeo is expected to travel to Sudan, Bahrain, and the UAE to talk with senior officials about, among other subjects, normalizing ties with Israel. (REU 8/22; AJ, HA 8/24)

New York State assemblyman Dov Hikind leads a delegation of 50 Jewish Americans to lay the cornerstone of a new settlement housing project (Nof Zion) in the Palestinian neighborhood of Jabal Mukabir in East Jerusalem (see Quarterly Update for details). Meanwhile, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home and store in Issawiyya (14 residents) on the outskirts of Jerusalem, 4 Palestinian structures in other Arab areas of East Jerusalem, including Silwan. In the West Bank, the IDF searches greenhouses nr. Jenin, looking for unlicensed wells; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Jenin. Also in East Jerusalem, an Israeli youth stabs, wounds a Palestinian laborer in Ramat Eshkol settlement. The IDF also makes 2 incursions into s. Gaza nr. Abasan and Khuza to bulldoze land along the border fence, clearing lines of sight. Late in the day, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF makes air strikes on 2 smuggling tunnels along the Rafah border (injuring 1 Palestinian) and on a Hamas training site in Khan Yunis (destroying 2 structures). (NYT, XIN 11/19; PCHR 11/25; JPI 11/27)

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)

The 20th day of OCL is marked by serious diplomatic steps toward a cease-fire but also by Israel’s heaviest attacks on Gaza since operations began. Israel’s envoy receives the Egyptian-Hamas cease-fire offer in Cairo, returns to Israel to brief the security cabinet. Olmert dispatches Livni to Washington to finalize a bilateral “memorandum of understanding” (MOU) regarding U.S.-led international efforts to halt arms smuggling into Gaza.

Combat notes: The IDF sharply escalates air, naval, and ground attacks across Gaza. IDF ground forces push deep into Gaza City under cover of air strikes and heavy tank and artillery fire. Residents report almost constant air, naval, artillery bombardment from 1:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. local time, and particularly heavy ground engagements in al-Atatra n. of the city and Tal al-Hawa neighborhood on the southern outskirts, as well as in Jabaliya r.c. Thousands of Gaza City residents attempt to flee the fighting, but many cannot leave their homes because of the intensity of Israeli fire. During the operations, Israeli troops surround the home of Hamas’s Mahmud Zahhar (in hiding), killing his security guards. Gaza City fighting eases slightly in the afternoon, but IDF troops remain in the city overnight. The IDF also takes up new positions in Bayt Hanun’s alFarta and al-Nazzaza quarters under cover of heavy shelling and gunfire, ordering residents of the 2 areas (some 20 families) to evacuate.

The IDF reports carrying out more than 80 air strikes today, hitting at least 23 rocket and mortar launching sites, 19 groups of armed Palestinians, 6 suspected weapons depots (including 2 mosques in Gaza City, 1 in Rafah), 4 tunnels, 1 radio station in Gaza City. Air strike target areas include al-Atatra, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (al-Rimal, al-Sabra, Tal al-Hawa, al-Yarmuk), Jabaliya, Khan Yunis, al-Maghazi r.c., Nussayrat r.c., Rafah, Yibna r.c. Heavy tank and artillery fire are reported in Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (al-Sabra, Tal al-Hawa, al-Tuffah), Jabaliya, Khuza, al-Mughraqa, al-Nasser (n. of Rafah), Nussayrat r.c., al-Qarara, Rafah. UNRWA reports 100s of Palestinians fleeing areas of northeastern Rafah to escape heavy bombardments. Reports of Israel using white phosphorous munitions spike sharply, with confirmed use in 3 areas (Abasan, Khuza, al-Qarara) and suspected use in 5 areas (Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Khan Yunis, Nussayrat r.c.). Israeli naval bombardment concentrates on Khan Yunis and the neighboring al-Mahatin area. Closecombat fighting is reported around Jabaliya r.c.

In a major air strike on Jabaliya, the IDF assassinates Gaza’s acting Interior M Said Siyam in his brother’s home, along with his brother and nephew, Hamas internal security head for Gaza Salah Abu Sharah, 4 Palestinians in an adjacent home. In addition, IDF air strikes hit buildings in Gaza City housing UNRWA’s main food depot (3 white phosphorous missiles incinerate tons of food and medicine brought in during the humanitarian lulls); Palestinian Red Crescent Society offices and the adjacent al-Quds Hospital (both hit repeatedly over a 5-hr. period; the patient wing of the hospital is not targeted); and the shared media offices of Abu Dhabi TV, al-Arabiyya TV, Reuters, and the Russian TV channel Rusiya al-Yaum, causing serious damage and injuring 2 journalists. A number of other hospitals in Gaza City are damaged by Israeli mortar fire. Palestinian medical workers say the Palestinian toll is at least 1,090 dead (including 375 children, 150 women, 14 medical workers), more than 5,000 wounded.

Palestinians fire 15 rockets and 8 mortars into Israel, seriously injuring a 7-yr.-old Israeli boy in Beersheba and causing significant damage in 2 instances (both by Qassams in Sederot); at least 3 of the rockets are Grads (2 in and nr. Beersheba, 1 in Gadera).

The Palestinian toll is estimated to be at least 1,090 dead, more than 5,000 wounded.

Humanitarian notes: With diplomacy toward a cease-fire showing progress, Israel extends the daily humanitarian lull to 4 hrs./day, allowing in up to 170 truckloads of humanitarian aid; permits the Qarni crossing conveyor belt to resume operation for the 1st time since 12/27 for the import of grain. Israel also allows the ICRC and Palestinian Energy Authority to begin repairs to part of Gaza’s electricity network. (AFP, AP, HA, IDF, IFM, IHY, MM, RFM, UNOSAT, YA 1/15; HA, IDF Radio, JP, MA, MM, NYT, REU, Scotsman, WP, WT, XIN, YA 1/16; IFM, NYT, XIN 1/17; ITIC 1/19; PCHR 1/22, 1/29)

Citing unspecified security concerns, the IDF imposes a total closure on the West Bank through 1/17. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar attempt to close a road nr. Nablus to Palestinian traffic, stone Palestinian cars; the IDF forces them to leave. (IDF 1/15; PCHR 1/22)

The Israeli security cabinet reportedly begins internal debate on opening phase 3 of OCL, which would involve deep incursions into Gaza’s built-up areas to deal a crushing blow to Hamas. Israeli military and intelligence sources warn that the new goal would require deep, sustained incursions into Gaza’s densely populated areas, likely resulting in months of combat and heavy casualties.

Combat notes: Heavy IDF aerial, naval, and ground assaults across Gaza continue. The IDF reports carrying out more than 110 air strikes, in many cases to support troops battling on the ground. Targets include 20 “terror operatives” (possibly assassinations), more than a dozen rocket-launching sites and squads, more than 20 suspected weapons depots (including homes of 3 Hamas mbrs.) and other outposts, at least 10 homes and 1 apartment building, 2 tunnels on the Rafah border, a market in Bayt Lahiya, 1 ESF post in Gaza City, a mosque in Dayr al-Balah. Target areas include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr alBalah, Gaza City (city center and al-Nasser, Shaykh Ridwan), Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, Khuza, Nussayrat, al-Qarara, Rafah, Shati’ r.c., open areas in central Gaza.

At least 1 air strike on a residential area e. of Jabaliya involves white phosphorous munitions that cause extensive fire damage to 4 homes. Another air strike hits the rooftop of a Gaza City building housing the offices of some 20 international press agencies, destroying broadcasting equipment and wounding 1 journalist.

IDF ground forces take up new positions in Juhur al-Dik and al-Mughraqa in c. Gaza, and al-Shuka in s. Gaza (bulldozing 13 homes). Heavy tank and artillery fire are reported in Bayt Lahiya, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (al-Shuja‘iyya, alTuffah, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya. Heavy closequarter combat is reported in Gaza City and nr. Bayt Lahiya, with Palestinians firing antitank weapons and mortars and sniping at ground troops, moderately wounding 1 IDF soldier and lightly wounding 7.

Palestinians also fire 30 rockets and 1 mortar into Israel (including several Grads that hit Ashqelon), causing no reported damage or injuries.

At least 35 Palestinians are killed during the day, bringing the estimated Palestinian toll to around 795 dead and 3,300 wounded.

Humanitarian notes: The UN and other relief groups resume humanitarian aid transfers after receiving assurances fr. the Israeli government that they will not be targeted. During today’s 3-hr. humanitarian lull, Israel allows 41 trucks carrying food and medicine into the Strip. (Committee to Protect Journalists, Daily News, IDF, MA, MM, YA 1/9; IDF, NYT, WT, WP 1/10; NYT 1/11; PCHR 1/15)

Israel seals the West Bank through 1/10 citing unspecified security concerns. The IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinians demonstrating against OCL after Friday prayers in Bayt Umar nr. Hebron (injuring 2), Hawara s. of Nablus, Hebron (injuring 4), Issawiyya, Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem; also fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists attending weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 3 Palestinians, arresting 5), Jayyus (injuring 9, including 2 wounded by live ammunition, which is not used at the other rallies), Ni‘lin (injuring 5 Palestinians); conducts late-night house searches in Azmut nr. Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo nr. Ramallah beat and fire on 2 Palestinians collecting water at a well nr. the settlement, wounding 1. (IDF 1/9; PCHR 1/15)

International diplomacy to end OCL clicks into gear with France proposing that Israel and Hamas impose a 48-hr. humanitarian truce to try to defuse the violence and restore the Gaza cease-fire, with humanitarian groups, Egypt, the EU, the Quartet, and the U.S. opening mediation channels (see Quarterly Update). Israel’s security cabinet meets to discuss the French proposal but does not formally respond.

Israeli actions: The IDF conducts 70 air strikes on Gaza, while the Israeli navy continues shelling from the sea, killing at least 10 Palestinians and wounding 40, bringing the death toll to about 370. The IDF reports hitting 110 individual sites, with primary targets being tunnels on the Rafah border, suspected weapons factories and rocket-launching sites, civil and naval police stations, and groups of resistance mbrs. In Gaza City, at least 20 air strikes hit Haniyeh’s offices, PA Interior Min., and main PA government complex in Gaza City, all of which had been targeted previously; 1 air strike hits an ambulance, killing 1 paramedic, seriously wounding a doctor and the driver. Part of Gaza’s main power grid is also hit, cutting all power to Gaza City. A fuel depot in Rafah is destroyed. In al-Bureij r.c., a mosque and health clinic are hit. In Khan Yunis, a money exchange is destroyed. At least 7 homes across the Strip are targeted. Target locations include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, al-Maghazi (c. Gaza), al-Mughraqa, al-Qarara, Rafah. The IDF launches a YouTube channel to broadcast declassified videos of its operations in Gaza, “other footage of interest to the international community” (JPI 1/8) and begins regular briefings for Internet bloggers worldwide.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 41 rockets, 10 mortars into Israel, damaging 1 home in Sederot and causing several light injuries (excluding shock); 1 rocket lands in Beersheba, 25 mi. fr. the Gaza border, marking the farthest strike to date; 2 other long-range rockets land in Ashdod. Humanitarian notes: Israel allows 93 trucks into Gaza (50 carrying medical supplies and food donated by aid groups; 43 carrying commercial goods), but Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital says it is out of 150 kinds of medicine and 230 other medical supplies, including gloves, scissors, sterilization equipment, nitrogen for anesthesia. Fuel shipments are still cut off; Gaza’s power plant shuts down for lack of fuel. (BBC, HA, Independent 12/30; IDF, IFM, NYT, REU, UNOSAT, WP, WT 12/31; JP, PCHR 1/1; ITV 1/2; IDF 1/3; WP 1/4; IFM 1/8; NYT 1/13)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian worker in Mod’in Ilit settlement, angry over Israel’s war on Gaza, stabs, wounds 4 Jewish settlers before being shot and wounded by a paramedic who arrives on the scene. The IDF fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinians demonstrating against OCL in al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron, wounding 3 (including teenagers ages 13, 14); makes simultaneous afternoon incursions into Beita and Hawara villages nr. Nablus, imposing curfews through 12/31; conducts simultaneous late-night raids, house searches on 4 villages nr. Jenin, firing on residential areas in all cases, causing no injuries and arresting only 1 teenager; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis and Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm. (PCHR, WJW 1/1)

As massive Israeli strikes on Gaza enter a 2d day, IDF Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yo’av Galant says (HA 12/28) that the IDF aims to “send Gaza decades into the past” in terms of Hamas’s leadership, weaponry, and smuggling capabilities while achieving “the maximum number of enemy casualties.” Israel’s security cabinet authorizes the IDF to call up 6,500 reservists, and the IDF begins massing tanks and troops on Gaza’s border, indicating planning for a ground incursion. Israel’s Homefront Command orders 80 factories and businesses within 3 mi. of the Gaza border to close indefinitely for their safety (a move expected [WJW 1/1] to cost Israel’s economy $1 m./day), indicating concerns of increased Palestinian rocket fire once ground operations begin. Israeli Military Intelligence breaks into Palestinian radio broadcasts to warn Gazans against cooperating with Hamas. The IDF drops 300,000 leaflets across Gaza warning residents to evacuate areas where Hamas is operating or storing weapons or to remain at their own risk. The Israeli FMin. opens an international media broadcast outlet in Sederot (a main target of Palestinian rockets), begins tours of Sederot and other Gaza border communities for foreign media, diplomats, and VIPs. (Israel continues to prevent the foreign media fr. entering Gaza.)

Israeli actions: The IDF reports air and naval bombardment of 100 sites across Gaza, bringing the number of targets destroyed since operations began to more than 210. The 2-day Palestinian toll rises to an estimated 300 dead (including at least 22 children, 9 women, 60 other civilians) and 1,300 injured (including at least 235 children and 200 women). Target areas include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Bani Suhayla (s. Gaza), Bir al-Naja (n. Gaza), Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (city center, al-Rimal, Shaykh Ridwan, Shati’ r.c., al-Shuja‘iyya, Tal al-Hawa, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, Khuza (east of Khan Yunis), Nussayrat r.c., al-Qarara (s. Gaza), Rafah, Shati’ r.c., and Tal al-Za‘atar (nr. Jabaliya).

The IDF’s primary targets are around 40 tunnels along the Rafah border, hit with GBU-39s. Other major targets include several buildings at Islamic University (including a science building Israel claims was connected to rocket manufacturing); Gaza City’s PA ministry compound, the offices of acting PM Ismail Haniyeh, and the main police station (destroying the Saraya; allowing about 50 Fatah prisoners to escape, but killing at least 4); Rafah’s main PASF, governorate, and municipal complexes; more civil and naval police stations, metal workshops believed to make rockets; the Gaza City and Rafah ports; at least 3 mosques (Imad ‘Akel Mosque in Jabaliya r.c., Izzeddin al-Qassam Mosque in Abasan, al-Rimal Mosque in Gaza City) alleged to be weapons depots; a Palestinian Energy Authority building in Khan Yunis; a private medical warehouse; and at least 8 homes and 3 apartment buildings.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 17 rockets, 18 mortars into Israel, injuring at least 6 Israeli civilians (including cases of shock). The rockets include 1 manufactured Grad/Katyusha that lands in Gan Yavne 20 mi. inside Israel, outside Ashdod, the farthest to date. In the evening, 100s of Palestinians attempt to flee Gaza through small breaches in the border wall apparently caused by IDF air strikes; they are sent back by Egyptian security forces, who exchange fire with the crowd, leaving at least 1 Palestinian, 1 Egyptian border policeman dead, 4 Palestinians, 5 Egyptian border policemen, an 8-yr.-old Egyptian child wounded.

Humanitarian notes: Israel allows the entry to Gaza of 100 truckloads of food and medical aid, 10 ambulances, and fuel for hospitals, donated by Jordan, Turkey, and international aid organizations. The shipments include 4 truckloads of pharmaceuticals from the PA central pharmacy in Ramallah (the 2d PA delivery since the PA had blocked the shipments of medicine to Gaza in early 9/08; see 12/16), transferred by the PA at UNRWA request. Humanitarian groups, however, continue to warn of deteriorating medical conditions and lack of food in Gaza and urge Israel to allow unrestricted entry of aid. OCHA reports power outages of up to 16 hrs./day in Gaza City, n. Gaza, and c. Gaza; says all flour mills have shut down for lack of grain imports, threatening widespread bread shortages. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IDF, IFM, JAZ, OCHA, REU 12/28; IDF, JP, al-Masryun[Egypt], NYT, SFR, WP, WT 12/29; BBC, Defense Update [online], Global Research [online], WP 12/30; REU, UNOSAT 12/31; JP, PCHR, WJW, WP 1/1; IDF, NYT 1/3; WP 1/4; IFM 1/8; WP 1/10)

Across the West Bank, Palestinians protest against OCL, clashing with the IDF at numerous points (Abu Dis, Issawiyya, and al-Ram nr. Jerusalem; Bani Na‘im nr. Hebron; Ni‘lin and Silwad nr. Ramallah), leaving 3 Palestinians dead, 31 Palestinians, 1 IDF soldier, 1 Israeli child injured. In at least one instance, PASF breaks up one protest by 100s of Palestinians in Ramallah when demonstrators unfurl Hamas banners; the PASF reportedly (NYT 1/3) has been ordered to prevent any popular displays of support for Hamas. The IDF conducts daytime house searches nr. Jenin, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bil‘in and nr. Hebron, Nablus. Palestinians stone a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Hebron, lightly injuring an 8-yr.-old girl. (PCHR, WJW 1/1)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire on a Palestinian farmer fixing a water pipeline nr. the border, wounding him. IDF troops on the c. Gaza border e. of Gaza City fire a tank shell at a group of armed Palestinians, killing 1 armed Palestinian, wounding 1. An IDF drone fires a missile at a group of armed Palestinians in Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, missing the target, causing no injuries. IDF troops level land along the border fence inside Gaza e. of Gaza City. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols, fires percussion grenades in al-Far‘a r.c. nr. Tubas, then opens fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 2; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, including in al-Far‘a r.c. Jewish settlers fr. Susia settlement nr. Hebron harass Palestinian farmers, shepherds in nearby Yatta. In Khan Yunis, a bomb explodes outside the home of a fmr. Fatah mbr. who is now working for the Hamas-affiliated police, causing damage but no injuries. (OCHA 6/11; PCHR 6/12)

Overnight, the IDF raids Abasan nr. Khan Yunis to search for tunnels, exchanging fire with armed Palestinians and firing on residential areas (wounding around 12), making an air strike on Hamas mbrs. (killing 3 Hamas mbrs. and 2 bystanders, including a 13-yr.-old boy; wounding 5 bystanders, 2 Hamas mbrs.), searching and occupying Palestinian homes as operational bases; makes air strikes destroying 2 Palestinian homes in Jabaliya and Gaza City, a metal workshop in Gaza City, warning occupants prior to the attacks; expands operations during the day, firing on residential areas (killing 1 Palestinian civilian), rounding up male residents ages 15–40 for interrogation. The IDF also fires on Palestinian fishing boats off s. Gaza, damaging several but causing no injuries; makes an air strike late in the evening destroying a house in Gaza City in an attempt to assassinate Hamas cmdr Ashraf Farwana, instead killing his brother, 2 bystanders (including a 2-yr.-old girl), wounding 10 bystanders; makes air strikes destroying 2 auto shops in Gaza City. For the 1st time in over 1 mo., Hamas fires 6 rockets into Israel in response, damaging a power line to Sederot. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm, firing on residential areas. Also in Gaza, suspected Hamas gunmen fatally shoot a PA General Intelligence Services officer. Late in the evening, suspected Fatah gunmen fatally shoot a local Hamas leader in Bayt Lahiya. In Bayt ‘Umar nr. Hebron, unidentified gunmen shoot, wound a Hamas mbr. Jewish settlers in Hebron prevent local Palestinians fr. harvesting olives. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba stone Palestinian homes in Hebron. (NYT, REU, WP, WT 10/13; OCHA 10/18; PCHR 10/19)

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)

Sharon orders the IDF to intensify operations against Palestinian militants and to act “without restrictions, I emphasize, without restrictions” to halt “terrorism,” stating that Abbas is “not lifting a finger” to stop attacks on Israelis. The IDF withdraws fr. Gaza City (having bulldozed a total of 80 d., wounding at least 13 Palestinians since 1/15) but continues targeted operations in the outskirts of the city; shells Khan Yunis, damaging 1 Palestinian home, then firing on the family when they emerge to check the damage, killing a Palestinian mother and son, wounding the father, saying soldiers fired on suspicious “figures gathering information about IDF troops” in the area; separately fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, hitting Nasser Hospital; fires on residential areas of Balata r.c., Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, Hebron, Husan, Ithna, Saida. Hamas fires 3 mortars at an IDF post in Gaza, 1 Qassam rocket at Gadid settlement, causing no damage or injuries. Palestinian gunmen fire on an IDF patrol in Jenin, wounding 4 soldiers. (AFP, HA, JAZ, VOI, VOP, YA 1/16, MENA 1/17 in WNC 1/20; NYT, WP, WT 1/17; JTA 1/18; HA, OCHA 1/19; PR 1/20; PCHR 1/27)

A Hamas suicide bomber detonates a device on a bus outside French Hill settlement in East Jerusalem, killing 6 Jewish settlers, 1 West Bank Palestinian laborer, wounding 12 settlers; as rescue workers arrive at the scene, a 2d Hamas suicide bomber detonates a device in the area, killing only himself. (Reports indicate that the 2 bombers today and the 1 yesterday were friends fr. Hebron, possibly mbrs. of the same soccer team.) The IDF expels Mahmud al-Safuri, brother of detained Islamic Jihad military cmdr. Haj ‘Ali al-Safuri, fr. Jenin to Gaza for 2 yrs. for allegedly aiding his brother in staging attacks; this is the first such forced transfer since 9/4/02. The IDF also seals the West Bank, places closures on most villages, cities; continues operations in Bayt Hanun, fatally shooting 1 Palestinian, demolishing 3 Palestinian homes, bulldozing more land, tightening the closure; fatally shoots a 2d Palestinian in Khan Yunis; chases, fires on a group of laborers on their way to work in Israel, causing 1 Palestinian to suffer a fatal heart attack; bulldozes 120 dunams of land in Abasan; demolishes 10 Palestinian homes in Rafah r.c.. Sharon convenes a cabinet mtg. to discuss responses, overrules calls to expel PA head Yasir Arafat. Palestinian gunmen fatally shoot an alleged collaborator in Nablus. (WT 5/18; ITAR-TASS 5/18 in WNC 5/19; HA, MM, NYT, WP 5/19; MM, PCHR 5/20; HA, MM, PR 5/21; LAW, PCHR 5/22; HA 5/23; al-Haq 5/24; NYT 6/13)

In light of the Jerusalem bombing, Sharon postpones plans to leave for Washington today to meet with Pres. George W. Bush regarding implementation of the road map; convenes his security cabinet to discuss retaliation. (NYT, WP, WT 5/19; VOI 5/20 in WNC 5/21)

Outside Gush Katif settlement, 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. detonate a car bomb nr. an IDF checkpoint, killing themselves, lightly injuring 4 IDF soldiers; soldiers open fire on Palestinians waiting to cross the checkpoint, wounding 2. The IDF demolishes 8 Palestinian homes in Rafah; conducts arrest raids in East Jerusalem; fires on residential areas of Abasan, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Tulkarm. (HA, REU 2/9; HA, NYT, WT 2/10; VOI 2/10 in WNC 2/11; PCHR 2/20)

Israeli pres. Moshe Katsav formally invites Sharon to form a coalition government. Sharon accepts saying that “The new government will have to complete the campaign against terror, remove the terrorist leadership, and create the conditions for the emergence of a new Palestinian leadership with which it will be possible to make real peace.” (WT 2/10)

The IDF fatally shoots 2 armed al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbrs. attempting to infiltrate Gaza's Kefar Darom settlement; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes, 1 brick factory in Dayr al-Balah; razes 25 dunams of olive groves in Abasan nr. Khan Yunis; firse on residential areas nr. Rafah; arrests 4 humanitarian workers (2 Palestinians, 2 foreign nationals) in Nablus for no apparent reason, threatens to deport 2 foreigners. Jewish settlers establish a new settlement enclave nr. Shvut Rachel settlement. (WP, WT 8/24; PCHR 8/28; Peace Now press release 9/2)

Israeli, Palestinian security cmdrs. hold talks in Jerusalem on the Gaza First implementation, but Israel puts off discussion of expanding the arrangement to Hebron for at least a wk. (AYM 8/24 in WNC 8/26)