The Palestine Chronology

As Israel’s total seal on Gaza borders, imposed on 11/5, continues, Gaza municipal officals shut down Gaza’s power plant for lack of fuel, cutting power to much of Gaza City. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in and around Nablus but makes no arrests. The IDF also confiscates a Palestinian mobile home in Bayt Hanina in East Jerusalem; the IDF previously demolished 2 homes that the Palestinian owner had built on the site. (NYT, WP 11/11; OCHA 11/12; PCHR 11/13)

Overnight, the IDF demolishes the Palestinian home nr. Dayr al-Balah that it says was hiding a tunnel, arresting 4 female residents, bulldozing an additional 2.5 d. of land. Retaliating for IDF attacks on 11/4–5, Hamas and Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire about 35 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF strikes 1 rocketlaunching site in Jabaliya r.c. in n. Gaza, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. and wounding 2 others (including senior cmdr. Issam Ba‘lusha) and 2 bystanders. Hamas officials state that they are in contact with Egypt to restore calm and would observe the ceasefire if Israel halted attacks; Israel says it intends to uphold the truce, but cuts off fuel shipments to Gaza and seals all crossings into the Strip indefinitely as punishment for the rocket fire. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a daytime arrest raid, searches a shop in al-Khadir nr. Bethlehem; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron and nr. Bethlehem, Ramallah. The IDF also demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Silwan in East Jerusalem (displacing 9 Palestinians)— the 1st of 88 Palestinian homes slated for demolition to make way for a “national archeological park”—sparking clashes with local residents that leave 8 injured, 20 under arrest; also demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Shu’fat (displacing 11 Palestinians), a wedding hall in Bayt Hanina. (AFP, HA, XIN 11/5; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 11/6; HA 11/8; OCHA 11/12; PCHR 11/13; NYT 12/7)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Dahaysha r.c., seriously wounding a Palestinian teenager; conducts daytime arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Jala and nr. Hebron, and similar latenight operations in and around Jenin town and r.c., in Dahaysha r.c. and Nablus (firing on stone-throwing youths, wounding 2), and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, and Salfit; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Anabta nr. Tulkarm, causing no injuries. The IDF also demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem’s Bayt Hanina neighborhood, displacing 16 Palestinains (including 11 children). (PCHR 8/14; OCHA 8/20; PCHR 8/21)

The IDF demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in the East Jerusalem environs (1 in Issawiyya, 2 in Bayt Hanina), displacing 30 Palestinians, including 14 children; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus (including raiding the offices of the International Solidarity Association for Human Rights, confiscating computers and files), in al-Far‘a r.c. (firing on stone-throwing youths, wounding 3) and Qalqilya, and nr. Jenin, Ramallah, Tulkarm. (OCHA 7/16; PCHR 7/17)

IDF soldiers on the c. Gaza boarder e. of al-Maghazi fire on Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence while tending their fields, causing no injuries.Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF issues a military order confiscating 1,500 d. of Palestinian land in Bayt Hanina for construction of the separation wall around Ramot settlement; searches a Palestine Red Crescent Society ambulance, a house in Bayt Umar nr. Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); severely beats and fires tear gas, percussion grenades at demonstrators at a similar protest al-Ma‘sara (injuring 2); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Ramallah (arresting 9 Palestinian teenagers in Jalazun r.c.). Jewish settlers fr. Susia attack and beat several Palestinian farmers and shepherds in nearby Yatta, injuring 2. Several hrs. later, Jewish settlers fr. Mitzpe Ya’ir nr. Hebron attack Palestinian farmers and shepherds in the same area, injuring 3; the IDF detains the injured Palestinians for questioning. Unidentified gunmen shoot, wound 3 Jewish settlers hiking nr. Nachliel settlement nr. Ramallah. (OCHA 6/25; PCHR 6/26)

Four Palestinian gunmen representing Islamic Jihad, the PRCs, and the Mujahiddin Brigades (an AMB offshoot) raid the Nahal Oz fuel depot on the Gaza-Israel border under cover of mortar fire, killing 2 Israeli civilian workers; IDF soldiers on site return fire, killing 2 gunmen; 2 escape back into Gaza. The IDF retaliates with air strikes and artillery fire, killing a 3d Palestinian gunman, 4 Palestinian civilians, wounding 2 armed Palestinians, 6 civilians (including 2 children), demolishing a Palestinian home. Israel also closes Nahal Oz until it reviews security procedures (Gaza’s electricity plant has enough fuel to last until 4/13). In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina in East Jerusalem, displacing 7 Palestinians (including 5 children); patrols in Bayt Rima nr. Ramallah, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 1; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Nablus, in Qalqilya and Tubas, and nr. Ramallah and Tulkarm, nr. Salfit. Jewish settlers stone a Palestinian family nr. Ramallah, injuring 2 women. Jewish settlers fr. Brakha nr. Nablus uproot Palestinian olive trees, vandalize a Palestinian home nearby. (AP, BBC, HA, IFM, Ma’ariv [Tel Aviv], REU, YA 4/9; NYT, WP, WT 4/10; WP 4/11; OCHA 3/16; PCHR 4/17)