The Palestine Chronology

An Islamic Jihad suicide bomber fr. al-Til detonates a device at a checkpoint nr. Tulkarm, killing 1 IDF soldier, 2 Palestinians and wounding 3 IDF soldiers, 7 Palestinians. A Palestinian stabs, injures an Israeli in the Atarot industrial zone nr. Jerusalem, flees. The IDF seals Qalqilya, Tulkarm; continues to shell the n. Gaza nogo zone, targeting 6 main access roads; sends troops into Jenin town and r.c., patrolling streets, firing on residential areas, occupying several homes as observation posts, then raiding and searching the PA General Intelligence headquarters; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. (firing on residential areas, wounding 2 Palestinians), al-Til and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah; begins to bulldoze Palestinian land east of Shavei Shomron settlement nr. Nablus to install a fence around the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize Palestinian homes, steal chickens in Hebron. Mbrs. of a Palestinian clan angry over the arrest of a relative on drug and auto theft charges storm a PA police station in Gaza City, exchange gunfire with police, leaving 1 PA policeman, 1 gunman dead. Unidentified Palestinian gunmen fire on Abbas’s Gaza City home, causing no injuries; Abbas is not there. (HA, IMEMC, JAZ, YA 12/29; HA, IMEMC, NYT, WP, WT 12/30; PCHR 1/5)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and in Aida r.c., Ramallah (surrounding 2 mosques and stopping Palestinians for ID checks as they head to morning prayers); occupies a house under construction nr. Tulkarm as an IDF post; fires on residential areas of Nablus, wounding 2 Palestinians. Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza towards Ashkelon (causing damage but no injuries), 2 towards Sederot (causing no damage or injuries); the IDF responds with artillery fire on n. Gaza. The AMB,Islamic Jihad, PRCs issue a statement that they plan to carry out joint attacks on Israeli targets if Israel goes ahead with plans to enforce a no-go area in n. Gaza. Israel issues tenders for construction of 150 new settlement housing units in Beitar Ilit and 78 in Efrat, both nr. Jerusalem. (IMEMC 12/26; JTA, REU, WT, XIN 12/27; PCHR 12/29)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Ramallah. Late in the evening, the IDF raids Tubas nr. Jenin, patrols streets, stops and seizes a PA police car, arrests 3 PA policemen; the PA joint liaison team intervenes to secure the policemen’s release and the return of the car. The AMB, Islamic Jihad each fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar cut and damage more than 100 Palestinian olive trees nr. Nablus. PA police in Gaza City hold a group of armed Hamas mbrs. at a checkpoint, order them to surrender their weapons; the Hamas mbrs. open fire, wounding 2 policemen, and flee the scene; the PA Interior Min. issues a statement vowing to beat “with an iron fist all those who shed Palestinian blood and assault Palestinian security personnel.” (HA, IMEMC 12/24; HA 12/25; PCHR 12/29)

The Knesset passes a law to compensate Jews who purchased property or held bank accounts in British Mandatory Palestine and whose property was seized by the State of Israel after 1948. Compensation is expected to run to $220 m. Commenting on the passage of the measure, MK Michael Melchior (Labor) says “this is not a question of money but of ethics and morality for the Jewish state.” (AFP 12/24)

Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire 2 rockets fr. n. Gaza towards an IDF base nr. Ashkelon, injuring 5 IDF soldiers; the IDF retaliates with artillery fire on the launch site, killing 1 Palestinian bystander in adjacent Jabaliya r.c.; Israel warns that it could send ground forces back into Gaza. The IDF also raids Nablus, assassinates local PFLP cmdr. Bashar Hanani (also reported as Bashar Khalani), AMB mbrs. Ahmad Jayyusi and Anas Hamad; shells areas northwest of Bayt Lahiya, wounding a farmer working his land; sends troops into Qabatya, fires on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 5 Palestinians; raids, searches a building in Qiffin nr. Tulkarm, confiscating files fr. and sealing the offices of the Loans Association, Palestinian Peoples Party, Popular Campaign against the Wall, and Union of Agricultural Relief Comms.; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah and nr. Hebron, Jenin; uproots 200 Palestinian olive trees northwest of Hebron to erect a gate cutting al-Jaba village off fr. a nearby Jewish settlement. In the evening, the Israeli security cabinet approves new measures, known as Operation Blue Skies, aimed at curbing Palestinian rocket fire fr. Gaza, including using artillery, helicopter, and gunboat fire to enforce a new n. Gaza buffer zone; more stringent monitoring of the Gaza Strip by air; “other steps we have not taken until now,” but does not immediately give orders for the IDF to implement the plan. (BBC, IMEMC, JTA, PCHR, PM, XIN, YA 12/22; BBC, HA, IMEMC, JTA, NYT, WP, WT 12/23; PCHR 12/29)

Senior Abu Rish Brigades (ARB) leader Khalid Abu Sitta is killed, 3 bystanders are wounded when his car mysteriously explodes nr. Khan Yunis; ARB claims it is an assassination, but the IDF denies involvement. Palestinians fire 2 mortars fr. Gaza towards Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF fires 3 missiles at a rocket launching site nr. Khan Yunis, causing no damage or injuries; fires a missile at the main Rafah–Khan Yunis road, creating large crater; fatally shoots a PRC mbr. laying a roadside bomb nr. Erez crossing; fatally shoots 1 Palestinian, wounds a 2d who attempts to sneak into Israel fr. Bayt Lahiya to find work; fires on, wounds a mentally handicapped Palestinian who strays close to the Israeli border nr. Khan Yunis; fires on residential areas of Kafr al-Labad nr. Tulkarm, wounding, arresting, evacuating to an Israeli hospital a member of the PA security forces; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Issawiyya, Tulkarm (shooting and wounding a wanted Islamic Jihad mbr.) and nr. Hebron, Jenin. In response to the AMB–Islamic Jihad drive-by shooting on 12/16, the IDF closes some 50 roads in Hebron with sand barriers, blocks the main northern and southern entrances to Hebron with cement barriers. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar cut down more than 150 Palestinian olive trees nr. Nablus. (BBC, HA, IMEMC, NYT 12/18; AFP 12/19; PLO press release 12/21; PCHR 12/22)

Palestinians in n. Gaza, the IDF in s. Israel trade mortar and tank fire throughout the day (Palestinians firing some 11 mortars, the IDF some 27 shells), causing no damage or injuries. The IDF also launches air strikes on s. Gaza targeting Palestinians firing rockets into Israel; sends troops into Anabta, fires on residential areas, then fires on Palestinian stone-throwers who emerge to confront them; conducts arrest raids, house searches around Tulkarm and in Bayt Laqia nr. Ramallah, Hebron; begins bulldozing 345 d. of Palestinian land in Bayt Jala for construction of a new segment of the separation wall nr. Bethlehem. The AMB, Islamic Jihad claim joint responsibility for a drive-by shooting nr. Hebron that kills 1 Jewish settler, wounds 2; the IDF detains 3 journalists in the area. A Palestinian dies of a beating he sustained fr. the IDF several days previously in East Jerusalem. (BBC, REU 12/16; HA, WP 12/17; HA, NYT 12/18; PLO press release 12/21; PCHR 12/22)

IDF conducts air strikes on 2 cars in Gaza City, assassinating 4 PRC mbrs. and wounding 1 bystander in one case, and wounding Islamic Jihad spokesman Khadir Habib and 3 bystanders in the other. Later, Palestinians fire 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; in response, the IDF fires artillery shells at n. Gaza areas, carries out 2 air strikes on a n. Gaza access road, wounding 2 Palestinians. During the day, the IDF also conducts arrest raids in and around Jenin, in Nablus (reportedly finding a Qassam rocket, explosives in the search of a Hamas building). Late in the evening, the IDF makes air strikes on the Bayt Lahiya home of a PRC leader, injuring a relative, and on an Islamic Jihad charity in Rafah, causing damage but no injuries; conducts an air strike on an agricultural school in Bayt Hanun, injuring 1 Palestinian; launches 4 air strikes on open areas of n. Gaza, causing no damage; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah. Israel approves construction of 200 new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim settlement and 40 in Ariel Brakha, Nokdim. A group of AMB mbrs.storms the Fatah headquarters in Gaza, demanding jobs; exchanges fire with another group of Fatah mbrs. who drive them away, leaving 3 wounded. (BBC, HA, IMEMC, JAZ, REU, YA 12/14; DS, JAZ, NYT, PCHR, PMC, WP, YA 12/15; PLO press release 12/21; PCHR 12/22)

The IDF assassinates senior AMB mbr. Iyad Qaddas, firing a missile at a house where he is staying in Jabaliya r.c.; a 2d AMB mbr., Iyad Najjar, is killed and 1 AMB mbr. and 5 bystanders are wounded. Following the assassination, the PRC (firing rockets), IDF (responding with artillery and air strikes) trade heavy fire across the n. Gaza border, leaving 4 Palestinian civilians wounded. The IDF also demolishes 3 Palestinian homes, 2 shops nr. Jenin; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Ramallah (including arresting the mayor of Bayt Laqia, who is a Hamas mbr.), nr. Tulkarm and in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas; confiscates 10 d. of Palestinian land east of Bethlehem for construction of an IDF post. At the Qalandia checkpoint outside Ramallah, an AMB mbr. fatally stabs an IDF soldier, is arrested; the IDF immediately seals the crossing until further notice. PA police raid some 40 Palestinian homes in Hebron and Tubas, arresting more than 10 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in connection with the 12/5 Netanya bombing; Islamic Jihad denounces the raids and warns the PA against becoming an “arm of Israel,” while the AMB and PRCs warn that they will not renew the unilateral truce at the end of the yr. if the arrest campaign continues. (Israeli FMin. press release, XIN, YA 12/8; AFP, BBC, HA, JAZ, NYT, PCHR, REU, WP, WT, XIN, YA 12/9; HA 12/10; PCHR 12/15)

Overnight, the IDF raids Kefar Rai, arrests 15 Palestinians in connection with the 12/5 Netanya bombing, including the bomber’s father, 3 brothers; also conducts arrest raids in villages around Hebron and Tulkarm, in Bethlehem. PA security forces detain 13 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Balata r.c and Nablus, exchanging fire with AMB and Islamic Jihad gunmen opposed to the arrests, causing no reported injuries; also arrest 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in the n. West Bank. During the day, the IDF suspends Palestinian VIP passage through checkpoints; further tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank; conducts an air strike on Gaza City, targeting and destroying a 1950s statue of the unknown soldier; confiscates 85 d. of Palestinian land outside Bethlehem for construction of a permanent checkpoint to separate the western rural areas of Bethlehem fr. the rest of the governorate; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Hebron; raids, closes 2 Islamic charities in Jenin. A Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. (AP, HA, IMEMC, JAZ, XIN, YA 12/6; NYT, WP 12/7; PCHR, YA 12/8)

Israel suspends further implementation of the 11/15 Rafah arrangements brokered by U.S. Secy. of State Condoleezza Rice, aimed at easing Palestinian movement in and out of Gaza, between Gaza and the West Bank, and within the West Bank; tells the U.S. that it will not resume discussion of the issue until PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas acts against Palestinian militant groups. (NYT, WP, WT 12/9; HA 12/9, 12/10; HA 12/13; WP 12/15, HA 12/16)

An Islamic Jihad suicide bomber fr. Kefar Rai (btwn. Jenin and Tulkarm) detonates a device outside a shopping mall in Netanya, killing 5 Israelis, wounding 31 (4 seriously). Islamic Jihad says the attack is retaliation for the IDF’s 10/24 assassination of 2 of its leaders. The IDF immediately imposes closures on the West Bank and shuts pedestrian crossings in Gaza (keeping the Qarni crossing open for goods); announces that it is preparing for a wide-scale retaliation operation in northern Gaza and will step up assassinations and arrest campaigns in the West Bank, with DM Mofaz stating that the IDF had “decided to operate in a much broader, much deeper and more intensive manner against the Islamic Jihad infrastructure” and would make an effort to keep fr. drawing Hamas into the fighting. Later in the evening, the Israeli security cabinet authorizes the IDF to “adopt a harsher response” to rocket fire fr. Gaza, targeting built-up areas of Gaza as well as launch sites in uninhabited areas. During the day, the IDF also shells uninhabited areas in n. Gaza and in s. Gaza nr. Khan Yunis, causing no damage or injuries; makes 5 mock air raids over Gaza, breaking the sound barrier; fires on residential areas of Aida r.c., wounding 2 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids in and around Hebron and in Bethlehem, Jenin (targeting Hamas, including detaining 2 candidates in the 12/15 municipal elections, 1 candidate in the 1/25 parliamentary elections), Ramallah; bulldozes 5 d. of Palestinian land in Silwan for construction of a parking lot for Jewish settlers. Palestinians throw 2 pipe bombs at an IDF patrol nr. Bethlehem and fire on an IDF checkpoint nr. Nablus, causing no damage or injuries. PA police fire at Palestinians in Jenin rallying in support of the Netanya bombing. Israeli police round up another 500 Palestinians working in Israel without permits (see 12/4). (BBC, HA, IDF Radio, IMEMC, XIN, YA 12/5; CSM, DS, HA, IMEMC, JAZ, NYT, REU, WP, WT, YA 12/6; AFP, PCHR 12/8)

Israel increases the number of Palestinian workers allowed into Israel fr. the West Bank to 37,000, while Israeli police launch a crackdown on Palestinians working in Israel without permits, arresting 250. The IDF erects a fortified observation tower on the Gaza border nr. Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin, al-Khadir and nr. Hebron. AMB mbrs. fire 3 rockets into Israel, causing light damage but no injuries. Late in the evening, the IDF responds with artillery strikes on rocket launch sites in n. Gaza, with fighter jets creating sonic booms over the Strip and conducting air strikes on an Islamic Jihad charity and alleged weapons-making factory; Israeli DM Shaul Mofaz approves an increase in assassinations in response to the rocket attacks. PA police shoot, seriously wound a Palestinian driver in Ramallah who refuses to stop for an ID check, precipitating a protest by some 100 bystanders, joined by AMB gunmen who force local shop owners to close their stores in protest. (HA, IMEMC, XIN 12/4; HA, VOI, WT 12/5; IMEMC 12/6; NYT 12/7; PCHR 12/8)

After Palestinians fire 2 rockets into Israel, causing no damage or injuries, an IDF helicopter fires missiles at an Islamic Jihad charity in Gaza City, damaging the building, lightly wounding 1 bystander. In response, Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In retaliation, the IDF carries out artillery and F-16 air strikes on open areas in Gaza, firing at least 30 shells and 3 missiles, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF fires on, sinks a Palestinian fishing boat in Palestinian waters off Gaza, killing 1 Palestinian, leaving 1 missing; the IDF says that it attempted to halt the boat after the Palestinian sailor headed toward Egyptian waters alone and returned with a passenger, but the boat ignored warning shots and fired back at the naval vessel, causing no damage or injuries. (The IDF says that videotape that routinely records the naval unit’s activity ran out about three minutes before the incident.) The IDF also begins work on a new segment of the separation wall northwest of Jerusalem in al-Jib, Dahiyat al-Barid; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Khadir, Qabatya nr. Jenin. A Jewish settler injures a Palestinian child in a deliberate hit-and-run nr. Qalqilya. A PA policeman, 4 Palestinians are shot dead in Bayt Hanun during a clash btwn. rival Palestinian clans that erupts at the funeral for the mbr. of 1 family who was killed on 12/1. (AP, HA, IMEMC 12/3; AFP, HA 12/4; PCHR, WT 12/5; PCHR 12/8; IMEMC 12/10)

The IDF places a curfew on Jenin, sends in 70 jeeps and 25 armored personnel carriers, conducts arrest raids and house searches, exchanging gunfire with Palestinians, leaving 1 Palestinian stone-thrower dead, 9 Palestinians and 2 Israeli border police wounded; wanted Islamic Jihad Jenin cmdr. Iyad Abu al-Rub and an aide, fearing they would be assassinated, surrender in a deal brokered by local AMB head Zakariya Zubaydi. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. (HA, Israeli FMin. press release, PCHR 11/24, 12/1)

Overnight, the IDF launches a major raid on Nablus, surrounding and searching houses, assassinating senior Hamas military cmdr. for the n. West Bank, Amjad Hinnawi, and arresting several other Palestinians. The IDF also partially demolishes an apartment building in alZababda nr. Jenin; imposes a curfew on parts of Hebron, conducts arrest raids and house searches, occupying 1 Palestinian home as an observation post; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Yatta (arresting local Islamic Jihad leader Mahmud al-Haddar), nr. Bethlehem. A Palestinian gunman fires on a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Halhul, causing damage but no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Itamar burn 30 Palestinian olive trees in Nablus. In Rafah, gunmen of a previously unknown group called the Islamic Army raids and orders closed a PA Central Election Commission (CEC) office, saying that the upcoming parliamentary elections are un-Islamic and a plot by the U.S. and Israel; CEC officials refuse to leave, PA security forces arrive, the gunmen leave. (HA 11/14; IMEMC, REU, WP 11/15; PCHR 11/17)

Overnight, Palestinian gunmen exchange fire with an IDF undercover unit that attempts to enter Jenin; no injuries are reported, the undercover unit apparently retreats. During the day, the IDF shoots, wounds an Islamic Jihad mbr. as he drives outside Nablus when he allegedly evades a checkpoint; fires on a group of Palestinian youths allegedly planting a roadside bomb outside Nablus, killing a 15-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding 3; fires on residential areas of al-Zawiyya nr. Jenin; shoots, wounds a mentally handicapped Palestinian who ignores orders to halt nr. a checkpoint outside Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah. (HA, IMEMC 11/8; NYT 11/9; PCHR 11/10)

The IDF sends 30 jeeps, 2 helicopters into Jenin to arrest wanted Islamic Jihad leader Hussam Jaradat, sparking armed clashes in which Jaradat is wounded and youths throw stones; during the exchange soldiers shoot in the head a 12-yr.-old boy carrying a toy gun, seriously wounding him, evacuate him to Haifa for treatment. During the operation, soldiers assault a Palestinian press team covering the incident, confiscate their camera. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in villages around Jenin, in Nablus. Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly wounding an IDF soldier; the IDF artillery fires on n. Gaza in response, causing no injuries. Later, Palestinians fire more mortars, lightly injuring 5 Israelis; IDF artillery, helicopters fire on n. Gaza again, causing no injuries. A Palestinian bystander wounded in the 10/30 assassination of 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. dies. (HA 11/3; AFP, NYT 11/4; PCHR 11/10)

Islamic Jihad announces that it will halt all rocket attacks fr. n. Gaza if Israel pledges to cease targeting its mbrs. Hrs. later, the IDF raids a house in Qabatya, assassinating Islamic Jihad mbrs. Jihad Zakarna and Arshad Abu Zayd, also wounding at least 7 bystanders; Islamic Jihad retaliates by firing at least 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF also sets up 2 new artillery positions outside n. and s. Gaza to deter rocket fire; opens the Rafah checkpoint for several hrs. to allow Palestinians making the hajj to leave for Saudi Arabia. Shin Bet reports that it has detained 3 PRC “rocket engineers” in the Negev on their way fr. Gaza to the West Bank. In Ramallah, PA police fire in the air to disperse 60 Islamic Jihad mbrs. protesting outside Abbas’s residence against the PA’s arrest of 4 fellow mbrs. earlier in the wk. Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh severely beat a 73-yr.-old Palestinian man walking nr. the settlement. (AFP, HA, IMEMC, XIN, YA 10/30; HA, NYT, WP 10/31; PCHR 11/10)

Overnight, the IDF deploys an artillery battery outside the s. Gaza Strip (since Operation First Rain, artillery has been positioned in Nahal Oz, outside the n. Gaza); begins massing troops in the Gaza border in case the Israeli cabinet calls for ground operations; conducts arrest raids, house searches in the n. West Bank targeting mostly Islamic Jihad mbrs. During the day, the IDF begins erecting a massive new checkpoint (the Zaatara checkpoint) s. of Nablus at Tapuach Junction that will sever the Nablus and Jenin districts from the rest of the West Bank, creating a northern West Bank canton; the crossing, which is similar to the Qalandia checkpoint that Israel has said will be treated as an international crossing, was approved by the IDF Central Command 9 mos. ago and should begin operation in 2 mos. An IDF drone fires on a car in n. Gaza that launched rockets toward Sederot (causing no damage), killing AMB mbr. Majid Nattat. Soon after, Palestinians fire another 2 rockets and a mortar toward Sederot, and the IDF carries out 2 air strikes on 2 roads leading to Bayt Lahiya; no injuries are reported in the exchange. Later, the IDF carries out another 3 air strikes on n. Gaza, causing no reported injuries; fires stun grenades to disperse Palestinians hoping to cross the al-Ram checkpoint into Jerusalem to mark the final Friday of Ramadan at al-Aqsa mosque. Late in the evening, the IDF launches F-16 air strikes on uninhabited areas of n. Gaza; patrols, shoots out street lights in Nablus; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. Palestinians then fire an antitank rocket at the Erez crossing, causing no damage or injuries. Meanwhile, 10,000s of Palestinians attend the Gaza funerals of the 7 Palestinians killed in the 10/28 Muhanna assassination; AMB, Hamas, Islamic Jihad hold massive armed marches, firing automatic weapons in the air in violation of their agmt. with the PA not to carry or use weapons in public. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, escorted by IDF soldiers, severely beat 2 Palestinians in Hebron. Separately, Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize several Palestinian homes in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai violently beat 2 Palestinian teenagers in Hebron; the IDF intervenes and detains 1 Palestinian. Mofaz orders the eviction of 15 Jewish settler families living in the unauthorized enclave of Amona in Hebron. (AP, CSM, HA, IDF Radio, IMEMC, REU, YA 10/28; NYT, WP, WT 10/29; HA, IMEMC 10/30; OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/10)

By morning, the IDF imposes a general curfew across the West Bank, sealing all Palestinian-controlled areas (including the northern villages of Alar, Qabatya, Sa‘ida, al-Til, Yabad, which are considered Islamic Jihad strongholds), cutting off the n. West Bank from the rest of the West Bank, barring all Palestinian private vehicles in the n. West Bank; recommends that Palestinians leave the n. Gaza border area nr. Bayt Hanun; reshuts the Erez, Qarni crossings (opened 10/26). Overnight IDF air strikes on suspected rocket launching sites in n. Gaza damage a bridge but cause no injuries. During the day, the IDF continues mock air raids, sonic booms over Gaza; sends 35 jeeps, Apache helicopters into Jenin to arrest local Islamic Jihad leader ‘Abd al-Halim Izzeddin (a leading moderate in the group), 3 other Islamic Jihad mbrs.; also arrests the father of the 10/26 bomber, 13 suspected Islamic Jihad mbrs. in raids across the n. West Bank in connection with the Hadera bombing; 3 Hamas mbrs. are also arrested. In addition, the IDF clashes with more than 150 radical settler youths while evacuating 5 unauthorized settlement outposts nr. Efrat, Elon Moreh, Keddumim, Kiryat Arba, Worshippers Way in Hebron, leaving 1 IDF soldier hospitalized. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba harass Palestinians in Hebron. In the evening, the IDF assassinates Islamic Jihad n. Gaza cmdr. Shadi Muhanna, Muhanna deputy Muhammad Qandil, 5 others (including at least 3 bystanders), wounding 19 in an air strike on Muhanna’s car as he drives in Jabaliya r.c. just as evening prayers let out; also conducts several F-16 air strikes on open areas in n. Gaza (in 1 instance possibly targeting Abu Rish Brigades and Hamas positions in the area, but causing no injuries); conducts patrols, arrest raids, house searches in Dura, Jenin town and r.c., and nearby Kefar Rai. (AP, HA, YA 10/27; CSM, HA, JT, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 10/28; NYT 10/29; PCHR 11/10)

Early in the morning, Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Bayt Hanun into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; IDF artillery responds, shelling a road and an open field n. Gaza where Palestinians have launched rockets, causing no injuries. Despite the exchange, the IDF partially reopens the Erez and Qarni crossings. In the afternoon, an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber retaliating for the 10/24 Saadi assassination detonates a bomb in an open-air market in Hadera, killing 5 Israelis, wounding 6 seriously, 14 moderately. Palestinians also fire another rocket at the Negev (no damage or injuries), a mortar at an IDF post on the s. Gaza border (no damage or injuries). Israel immediately cancels a planned mtg. btwn. Israeli, PA cabinet mbrs.; Sharon says he will not meet with Abbas until he takes “serious action” against militants. Late in the evening, the Israeli cabinet approves Operation Starting All Over Again—a “broad and nonstop” offensive (including assassinations) against “terrorism” in the West Bank and Gaza that will continue until “terrorism” ends; says there are no plans for a ground offensive into Gaza at present, but restrictions on Palestinian movement across the West Bank will be tightened, diplomatic offensives will be raised to pressure Syria over its hosting of Islamic Jihad in Damascus. Meanwhile, right-wing Jewish settler youths occupy abandoned buildings nr. Elon Moreh, Keddumim settlements and site on Worshippers Way in Hebron, declaring new unauthorized outposts. (HA, WP, YA 10/26; HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT, YA 10/27; HA 10/28; IMEMC 10/31; PCHR 11/10)

The IDF carries out predawn air strikes on an AMB building in n. Gaza (severe damage, no injuries), on an Islamic Jihad cultural center in Rafah (damaging the building and 2 nearby houses, injuring 5 bystanders). During the day, the IDF launches an air strike on an open area of n. Gaza used for launching rockets (no injuries); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. 10,000s of Palestinians attend the funeral for Islamic Jihad’s Saadi (assassinated on 10/24) in Tulkarm. The Knights of the Storm release 2 alleged collaborators it kidnapped in Gaza City on 10/18, shooting each in the leg. Late in the evening, IDF fires 12 artillery shells at open areas of n. Gaza (no injuries); declares the al-Masriyin areas of Bayt Hanun a closed military zone, warning Palestinians there not to leave their homes for several hrs.; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, Hebron. Jewish settlers throw stones at Palestinian cars on the Ramallah–Nablus road. (HA, REU, WP 10/25; NYT, WP 10/26; PCHR 10/27)

Overnight, the IDF raids, imposes a curfew on Nur al-Shams r.c. and Tulkarm, fatally shoots Islamic Jihad West Bank military cmdr. Luay Saadi, Islamic Jihad mbr. Majid Askar in an apparent assassination; hrs. later, Islamic Jihad fires 5 rockets fr. Gaza into s. Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF responds with air and artillery strikes on open areas used for rocket launches in n. Gaza, causing no injuries; shelling fr. naval vessels at PA security forces sites in n. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries; ongoing mock air raids over Gaza, breaking the sound barrier to harass the population; closure of the Erez, Qarni crossings. During the day, the IDF also demolishes 2 stores nr. Jenin, claiming that they “could be used” to manufacture explosives; conducts arrest raids, house searches around Hebron for a 3d night, as well as nr. Jenin. A Palestinian gunman fires on an IDF post nr. Halamish settlement nr. Ramallah, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF returns heavy fire, killing a Palestinian bystander standing outside his home in neighboring Nabi Salih. (NYT, WP, WT 10/25; HA 10/25; PCHR 10/27)

What the IDF describes as an Israeli “special police unit” operating outside Jenin ambushes, assassinates wanted Islamic Jihad military cmdr. Nahid Abu Ghanim, seriously wounds a bystander. Hrs. later, the AMB kills 3 Jewish settlers, wounds at least 5 in drive-by shootings outside Gush Etzion settlement nr. Bethlehem and Eli nr. Nablus; the IDF seals Bethlehem and Hebron, bars Palestinian traffic in those areas, says arrest raids will increase; YESHA settlers council calls on Sharon to close all West Bank roads to Palestinian traffic. During the day, the IDF also handcuffs and severely beats a Palestinian shepherd nr. Tulkarm for no apparent reason; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Kafr Qalil nr. Nablus. Late in the evening, the IDF launches arrest raids that continue overnight in villages around Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah, Tulkarm. An unnamed IDF spokesman confirms that the IDF has sent undercover officers who can pass as Arabs into the weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil`in to encourage Palestinians to throw stones; troops then use force to disperse crowds. Jewish settlers cut down 30 Palestinian olive trees in Salim. (HA, PCHR 10/16; NYT, PM, WP, WT 10/17; CSM, HA 10/18; PCHR 10/20)

Overnight, the IDF kills 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. (Nidal Khalluf, Samir al-Shalabi) in an exchange of gunfire in Burkin nr. Jenin; fatally shoots AMB local cmdr. Samir Saadi in an exchange of gunfire during arrest sweeps nr. Jenin; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, in Tulkarm. In light of Saadi’s killing, the AMB Jenin faction says it will no longer observe the unilateral truce. Palestinians later fire 2 mortars at an IDF post on the Gaza border, causing no damage or injuries. During the day and into the late evening, the IDF raids Balata r.c., fatally shoots 2 wanted AMB mbrs. (Ala’ al-Tirawi, Jamal al-Jirmi), wounds 1 in what may be an assassination; seals Madama and Asira nr. Nablus; launches arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Furik, Dahaysha r.c. and nr. Ramallah, Tulkarm. Some 50 Jewish settlers fr. Bayt Hadassah in Hebron, escorted by IDF troops, throw stones, bottles at Palestinian homes in Hebron, seriously injuring 1 Palestinian. (HA 9/29; IMEMC, NYT 9/30; NYT 10/1; PCHR 10/6)

Overnight, the IDF conducts more arrest raids across the West Bank; fires missiles fr. F-16s at the Gaza Strip, destroying a bridge in Bayt Hanun allegedly used by Palestinians firing rockets, a money changer’s office linked to Hamas, and an office building used by Fatah in Khan Yunis, causing no injuries. During the day, Palestinians fire several rockets or mortars toward Sederot, 1 of which lands inside the city, causing no damage or injuries; soon after, an IDF F-16 fires a missile nr. a housing project in Bayt Hanun, causing no damage or injuries; IDF artillery shells an open area in Bayt Hanun, causing no injuries. Mofaz warns that Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyya, Mahmud Zahhar could be targeted for assassination if there are further rocket strikes fr. Gaza; says Israel will continue striking Gaza until there is “a new reality there.” Islamic Jihad vows retaliation for the 9/25 assassination of its military cmdr. Khalil, but later, along with Hamas and the rest of the factions represented in the NIHC, reaffirms commitment to the unilateral truce agreed to by the Palestinian factions in 2/05. PA Interior M Nasr Yusuf gives orders for the PA security forces to “arrest any armed Palestinian not in uniform.” (HA, NYT, REU, WT 9/27; BBC, IMEMC, NYT, PCHR, WP 9/28; PCHR 9/29; MEI 10/12)

Overnight, the IDF conducts air strikes on the home of PRC mbr. ‘Amr Qarmut in Jabaliya r.c. in what may be an assassination attempt (causing damage but no injuries), a Hamas-run school in Gaza City (injuring 23 Palestinians), and a cultural center in Bayt Hanun run by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), causing damage but no injuries; arrests 207 Palestinians (mostly Hamas and Islamic Jihad mbrs., including Hamas political leaders Shaykh Hasan Yusuf and Muhammad Ghazzal) in the largest raids across the West Bank since 2/05. During the day, Sharon says that he has given the IDF “free rein” to act against Palestinians firing rockets. The IDF continues to mass troops on the n. Gaza border, breaks the sound barrier over Gaza roughly every 2 hrs., fires artillery shells fr. Nahal Oz into open areas nr. Bayt Hanun as a warning to Palestinians (marking Israel’s 1st shelling of Gaza since 1967); fires missiles fr. F-16s at a car s. of Gaza City, assassinating senior Islamic Jihad leader Muhammad Shaykh Khalil, Islamic Jihad mbr. Nassir Barhum, wounding 4 bystanders. In the evening, Hamas agrees to stop rocket attacks immediately. Later, an IDF helicopter gunship strikes 3 targets in Khan Yunis, including the homes of senior AMB mbrs. Ziyad Abu Hayya and Mahir al-Farra in what may be assassination attempts, causing heavy damage, injuring 17 Palestinians; the IDF says it is targeting AMB arms storage facilities. A 12-yr.-old Palestinian wounded in the 9/23 Jabaliya explosion dies, bringing that toll to at least 16. (AFP, AP, HA, IMEMC, JAZ, WP, WT, XIN, YA 9/25; CSM, HA, IMEMC, JP, NYT, WP, WT 9/26; HA 9/27; AFP, DS, MEI, PCHR 9/29)

Today’s Independent (9/25) reports that a new book by 2 prominent Israeli journalists, Ofer Shelah and Raviv Druker, states that “at a conference of officers as early as May 2001, Shaul Mofaz, now defense minister and then chief of staff, asked for the tape to be switched off before telling them that he wanted a ‘price’ exacted from the Palestinians of 10 killed a day on each of the army’s seven fronts.” The book also reports that after 6 IDF soldiers were killed in an ambush in 3/02, “Mofaz personally ordered a revenge operation in which for the first time [sic—see “Overview of Israeli Military Operations,” Resource File Doc. A, JPS 134] Palestinian police officers would be shot, whether they posed a threat or not.” (Independent 9/25)

Before dawn, Islamic Jihad and Hamas fire more than 30 rockets fr. Gaza at Sederot and the Negev, 3 of which lightly wound 3 Israeli security guards, 2 civilians. Early in the morning, the IDF fires missiles fr. helicopters at warehouses and an alleged weapons factory in Gaza City and Jabaliya r.c., marking Israel’s 1st military operations against Gaza since disengagement; orders the Rafah crossing shut, saying it will allow humanitarian aid only into Gaza through the Sufa crossing; fires missiles fr. naval vessels at Palestinian fishermen who attempt to go out to sea; drops leaflets on Gaza warning of harsh retaliation against further rocket fire; warns the PA that it is responsible for preventing attacks fr. Gaza. Abbas meets with Hamas officials in Gaza, secures their pledge to halt all armed demonstrations. Hrs. later, IDF aircraft fire 5 missiles at 2 cars in n. Gaza, assassinating 2 Hamas mbrs. (Nafiz Abu Hassanian, Rawad Farhat); 2 other Hamas mbrs. may have been targeted but escape. During the day, IDF fighter jets bomb open areas along the n. Gaza border used by Palestinians to launch rockets, while tanks, artillery, infantry gather along the n. Gaza border in preparation for a major operation. Meanwhile, the IDF seals the West Bank, fires on Palestinians waiting to cross a checkpoint outside Nablus, wounding 3 (1 seriously); conducts patrols in Jama‘in village nr. Nablus; raids 20 houses in Hebron, interrogating and photographing residents. In the evening, Sharon convenes his security cabinet, which approves an “all-out continuous offensive” called Operation First Rain, using artillery, air strikes, assassinations in Gaza, saying that if Palestinian violence continues after several days, the full cabinet will convene to consider sending infantry back into the Strip. (JP, REU, WP, YA 9/24; AP, HA, IMEMC, JAZ, NYT, WP, WT, XIN, YA 9/25; MEI, PCHR 9/29; IDF press release 10/9)

Overnight, the IDF assassinates 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. (Ra’id ‘Ajaj, Said alAshqar, Jamil Ja’ara) in a raid on Tulkarm. In the afternoon, Islamic Jihad fires at least 13 rockets at Sederot, the Negev in retaliation, causing no damage or injuries. At a heavily armed Hamas rally in Jabaliya r.c., a Qassam rocket paraded on a truck accidentally explodes in a crowd of 1,000s, killing at least 15 Palestinians (and perhaps as many as 21), wounding at least 100. Hamas accuses the IDF of firing missiles at the truck fr. a drone, but Israel denies this, the PA discounts it, the Fatah Central Comm. issues a statement holding Hamas responsible, and most Palestinians see it as an accident. Israel allows the PA to reopen the Rafah crossing for 48 hrs. to allow the passage of Palestinians with special needs, marking the 1st time the PA has processed travelers crossing an international border. (REU 9/23; NYT, WP, WT 9/24; WP 9/25; CSM 9/26; MEI, PCHR 9/29; DS 10/8)

A day after the IDF completes withdrawal fr. Gaza, Sharon, DM Mofaz separately vow that Israel will “make every effort to direct resources to the development” of West Bank settlement blocs. Meanwhile, Palestinians continue looting fmr. Gaza settlement sites for a 2d day, overwhelming PA security forces to strip some greenhouses. Egypt, daunted by the number of Palestinians seeking to cross the Rafah checkpoint, declares the border open for several days as a good-will gesture, allowing 1,000s on either side of the border to cross; many Palestinians rush to buy Egyptian goods (including food, medicine, sheep for the upcoming Ramadan holidays) that are dramatically cheaper than those in Gaza, and visit family and friends they have not seen in yrs. before the border is resealed. Israel criticizes the lax Egyptian, PA security; Egypt, the PA blame Israel for failing adequately to coordinate disengagement. Egyptian border guards patrolling the border find a smugglers tunnel containing 38 fire arms, 3 rocket propelled grenades (RPGs); the PA security forces seize the weapons. Palestinian militant groups hold larger rallies than on 9/12 (including 10,000s of Palestinians at a Hamas rally in Gaza City), celebrating the disengagement as a victory of the resistance; at Islamic Jihad rallies, mbrs. display their arms, but at Hamas rallies, mbrs. do not; Abbas warns that he will no longer tolerate the “chaos of weapons.” In the West Bank, the IDF occupies the top floor of a 4-story residential building nr. Hebron as an observation post, fires on stone-throwing youths who challenge the troops, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 4; demolishes a Palestinian home in ‘Issawiyya, East Jerusalem, nr. French Hill settlement. (HA, NYT, YA 9/13; AFP, IMEMC, Independent, NYT 9/14; PCHR 9/15)

Just past dawn, the IDF pulls its last troops out of Gaza, issues a declaration ending military rule in the Strip. Palestinians storm past PA security forces to enter the evacuated settlements, scavenging some synagogues and demolished homes for anything that could be sold or used, setting 4 synagogues on fire; the PA security forces bulldoze several synagogues, bar Palestinians fr. ransacking greenhouses (purchased by U.S. philanthropists and given to the PA as economically viable operations to aid the Palestinian economy), but leave a large factory in Kefar Darom unguarded, allowing it to be stripped of equipment. Palestinians also remove IDF roadblocks across Gaza, flock to beaches to swim for the 1st time since the start of the intifada. The AMB, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah hold marches and celebrations, with factional flags more numerous than Palestinian flags. Egyptian border guards along the Rafah border fatally shoot a Palestinian while attempting to control crowds who flock to the crossing; 100s of Palestinians break through the border fence and enter Egypt. The IDF fires on Palestinian youths who approach the border fence in Bayt Lahiya, seriously wounding a 13-yr.-old. In the West Bank, the IDF imposes an overnight curfew on al-Til, conducting house searches and ID checks, withdrawing late morning; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, Tulkarm; occupies the top floor of a Palestinian home nr. Hebron as an observation post. (AP, JAZ, NYT, REU 9/12; CSM, HA, JT, JTA, NYT, WP, WT 9/13; IMEMC, Independent 9/14; BBC, PCHR 9/15)