The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the former settlement sites, wounding 1. Also in Gaza, 10,000s of Palestinians turn out for a rally commemorating Islamic Jihad’s 23d anniversary. Addressing the crowd by telephone from Damascus, the movement’s head, Abdallah Shallah, denounces the PA for having resumed direct talks with Israel, calls any formal agreement with Israel “forbidden religiously and politically,” and says the duty of all Palestinians should be to “eliminate” Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in and around Tulkarm twice during the day, making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 7 Palestinians are moderately injured. Jewish settlers from Shvut Rachel settlement nr. Ramallah, who have leveled 280 d. of adjacent Palestinian agricultural land since 10/24, place 9 new mobile homes on the cleared plot, effectively expanding the settlement. (NYT 10/30; PCHR 11/4; OCHA 11/5)

At his weekly cabinet session, Netanyahu confirms “intensive contacts” are underway with the U.S. on an incentives package to restart peace talks “in such a way that it cannot be halted in a few weeks or months.” On or around this date, Netanyahu sends his chief negotiator Molcho back to Washington with new proposals for an incentives package; no details are released (IGPO 10/24; WP 10/25; NYT 10/27)

Israeli municipal authorities in Jerusalem approve a modified development plan for the Western Wall area that will involve underground tunnels, car parks, bus and police stations, Talmud and tourism centers, and opening of a new gate in the ancient wall around Jerusalem to provide access for Jewish settlers fr. the Silwan area. Palestinian residents of Silwan protesting the new moves clash with IDF troops who enter the neighborhood to disperse them, firing rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades, seriously wounding an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy. Islamic Jihad fires 3–4 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel, with only 1 landing inside Israel; no damage or injuries are reported on either side of the border. Gaza’s power plant receives a fuel shipment from Israel allowing the plant’s 2d turbine (shut down on 10/22) to resume operation; rolling blackouts drop back down to 4–6 hrs./day. The IDF makes a day-long incursion into s. Gaza to level lands along the border fence e. of al-Qarara to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin in the afternoon and nr. Qalqilya late at night. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim heavily damage a Palestinian vehicle that breaks down on the road nr. the settlement. (JP 10/25; MNA 10/25; PCHR 10/28; OCHA 10/29)

As the quarter opens, Israel has eased (as of 6/2010) its blockade on Gaza, replacing the blanket ban on imports with two lists of prohibited and regulated items, allowing in more (and more varied) food items, construction materials, and commercial goods, but keeping imports only slightly above subsistence and continuing to bar exports. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) enforces a 300-meter-deep no-go zone inside the full length of the Gaza border and limits the Palestinian fishing zone off Gaza to 500–1,000 m off the immediate Bayt Lahiya (northern) and Rafah (southern) coasts, and 3 nautical miles elsewhere—placing 17% of Gaza’s total landmass, including 35% of its viable agricultural areas, and 85% of the maritime areas allocated under the Oslo accords off-limits to Palestinians. In the West Bank, Israel’s easing of restrictions on Palestinian movement between major population centers (which began in summer 2009) continues, and IDF operations are relatively few. Today, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire on a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. burying explosive devices nr. the border fence, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr.; the Palestinians return fire, lightly wounding 1 IDF soldier. Hrs. later, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-‘Arub refugee camp (r.c.) and 2 villages nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Shvut Rachel nr. Nablus uproot 100 nearby Palestinian olive trees. Israel’s Housing Min. approves construction of a new settler-only bypass road to link Ma’ale Adumim settlement e. of Jerusalem with the new E1 settlement area in East Jerusalem; explaining the decision, the Housing Min. states that “the decision to freeze construction in [West Bank settlements] does not include services for existing structures.” (JP, YA 8/16; NYT 8/17; PCHR 8/19; OCHA 8/20)

The U.S. summons Israeli amb. Michael Oren and national security advisor Uzi Arad to a 4-hr. mtg. at the White House to discuss how to “contain fallout” fr. the flotilla raid and to find ways for Israel to ease the siege of Gaza without harming Israeli security. Separately, U.S. Secy. of State Hillary Clinton phones Israeli DM Ehud Barak to urge Israel to be very careful about what it says and does in the coming days to defuse the situation as quickly as possible. (WP 5/27; IFM 6/1; NYT, WJW, WP 7/2)

In light of the 5/31 flotilla incident, Egypt says it will open its border with Gaza indefinitely as of 6/2 for unlimited travel for humanitarian purposes, though import of goods will remain restricted per Israeli demands. Overnight, unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. In response, the IDF carries out 2 air strikes and fires 7 tank shells on the launch site nr. Abasan in s. Gaza, killing 2 armed Palestinians; then sends troops 400 m into Gaza to clear lines of sight in the area. Later in the day, Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. n. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF shells the launch site, killing 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. Meanwhile, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border for unknown reasons fire into al-Shuka neighborhood in Rafah, wounding a 71 yr.-old-Palestinian woman inside her home. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials inside the Erez industrial zone, causing no reported injuries. The UN reports that in the previous wk., Hamas authorities in Gaza for unstated reasons shut down 6 Palestinian NGOs and confiscated some of their property; UN special coordinator for Middle East peace Robert Serry expresses concern over the impact on Palestinian civil society. The UN also reports that in the previous wk., 6 Palestinians were killed, 12 injured when a gas canister being smuggled through a tunnel on the Rafah border exploded; 1 Palestinian was killed and 2 were injured in a separate tunnel collapse. (JP 6/1; NYT 6/2; PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/4)

Overnight, the IDF sends troops into Gaza to engage a group of armed Palestinians laying a roadside bomb nr. the border fence, fatally shooting 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs.; the deaths bring to 22 the number of Gazans killed by the IDF since the 1/18/09 cease-fire. Later in the day, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine detonates a roadside bomb on the Gaza border fence as an IDF patrol passes, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin (firing live ammunition and stun grenades at homes, injuring a Palestinian woman); fires tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall construction in Bil‘in; fires live ammunition, rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in weekly nonviolent protests against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (injuring 10 Palestinians, 2 with live ammunition). Jewish settlers burn 10s of d. of Palestinian crops nr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus, block firefighters fr. reaching the scene. A Jewish settler is found dead nr. Eli settlement btwn. Ramallah and Nablus; the circumstances of his death are unclear. (NYT, WP 5/23; OCHA, PCHR 5/28)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fatally shoot a Palestinian nr. the border, claiming that he attempted to fire on them. The Israeli navy diverts a Lebanese cargo ship (organized by Lebanese politicians and human rights groups) en route to Gaza to an Israeli port and detains the crew of 20, including an al-Jazeera reporter. After confirming that the cargo contained only food, medicine, bedding, and toys, Israel agrees to transport the aid to Gaza. Israel, which has been allowing only very limited amounts of cooking gas and fuel for Gaza’s electricity plant into Gaza, cuts off fuel deliveries without comment but allows 114 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods into Gaza. In the West Bank, IDF undercover units make an early morning raid on a home in Qabatya, fatally shooting Islamic Jihad mbr. Ala’ Abu al-Rub in an apparent assassination. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., in Qabatya, and nr. Nablus. (MM 2/5; MM, NYT, SFR, WT 2/6; PCHR 2/12)

Israel announces the complete withdrawal of ground forces from Gaza. Israeli naval vessels direct heavy machine gun fire at beaches in n. Gaza, causing no reported injuries. Israel allows 118 truckloads of goods into Gaza. Hamas mbrs. reportedly begin rounding up alleged collaborators with Israel, including Fatah mbrs. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Qabatya to ambush and arrest local Islamic Jihad leader Salah Kmail, and into Qiffin nr. Tulkarm to raid a carpentry shop, arresting Islamic Jihad mbr. Omar Daoud; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, Jenin and nr. Salfit, Tulkarm; fires on Palestinians demonstrating against OCL in Bayt Umar nr. Hebron, wounding 2; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (injuring 11 Palestinians, including 5 children). (AP, HA, MM, REU 1/21; IDF Radio, IHY, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT, YA 1/22; NYT 1/23; JP, MM 1/26; PCHR 1/29)

The UNSC passes (14–0, with the U.S. abstaining) res. 1860, calling for an “immediate, durable, and fully respected cease-fire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” but not outlining an implementation or enforcement mechanism (see Doc. A8). Israel says it will not halt its operations until a Hamas cease-fire can be guaranteed. Meanwhile, Egypt begins intensive bilateral talks with Israeli and Hamas envoys to mediate a cease-fire.

Combat notes: The IDF carries out another 60 air strikes across Gaza, with heavy bombing of the Rafah border. Targets include more than 18 homes of senior IQB members (all believed to be in hiding), “a number of armed operatives” assassinated (not named), several groups of armed men, 15 tunnels (including some homes believed to be covering entrances to tunnels), 11 suspected weapons depots (including 1 mosque in n. Gaza), 15 rocket-launching sites, the PASF headquarters and PA Youth and Sports Min. offices in Rafah, and an Islamic Jihad office in Abasan. Target areas include Abasan, Bani Suhayla, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (city center, al-Nasser), Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, al-Nasser (n. of Rafah), Nussayrat, Rafah. Heavy naval shelling of Dayr al-Balah and the nearby al-Qur’an area of c. Gaza is also reported. As ground operations continue, the IDF begins moving a small number of reservists into the Strip for the 1st time since OCL began. Heavy artillery and ground fire is reported in Abasan, Gaza City (al-Sha‘af, al-Shuja‘iyya, Tal al-Hawa, alZaytun), al-Qarara. Late in the evening, IDF troops withdraw from al-Qarara; residents report at least 20 homes destroyed since the IDF took up positions in the city on 1/6.

Palestinians fire at least 15 rockets and 1 mortar into Israel, lightly injuring 4 Israelis. Areas hit by rockets include Ashdod, Ashqelon, Beersheba (4 Grads), Ofakim.

The Palestinian toll, including bodies recovered during the humanitarian lull today (see below), reaches at least 758 dead and more than 3,100 injured. In addition, a Ukrainian woman (married to a Gazan) and her toddler are killed by an IDF shell in Gaza City, becoming the 1st foreign casualties inside Gaza (1 Egyptian was killed on the Rafah border on 12/28). Today, 3 IDF soldiers are killed and 14 are wounded (1 seriously, 1 moderately, 12 lightly) during clashes inside Gaza, bringing the Israeli toll to 13–14 dead and more than 100 injured.

Humanitarian notes: IDF soldiers fire on relief workers in 3 incidents in which the UN and ICRC had fully coordinated their movements with the IDF in advance (providing the IDF with the license plates of the vehicles, giving precise times and routes of travel, and using clearly marked vehicles) and received IDF assurances that travel would be safe. One UN driver is killed and 2 other UN employees and 1 ICRC employee are wounded. The UN and other groups scale back or suspend aid deliveries to Gaza, citing security concerns.

During the humanitarian lull, the IDF allows ICRC workers back into a heavily damaged residential block of al-Zaytun (see 1/7), where they rescue 103 injured Palestinians who have been stranded since 1/5 and report finding 40–50 bodies, fearing that more dead and injured may be trapped under demolished homes. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem reports (WP 1/9) new evidence that IDF soldiers stationed outside the destroyed houses were aware people were trapped but denied aid. UN Undersecy. Gen. for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes urges Israel to investigate, calling (WP 1/9) it “a particularly outrageous incident” and “absolutely horrifying.”

Israel allows 223 Palestinian dual nationals to exit Gaza via the Erez crossing for Jordan (see 1/2).

The UN estimates that 20,000 Gazans have been internally displaced by the fighting. (AP, HA, IDF, IHY, JP, MA, NYT, UNIS, YA 1/8; AFP, Daily Star, IDF, IFM, ITARTASS, MET, NYT, RFM, UNIS, WP, WT 1/9; AFP, AP, NYT, WT 1/12; AYM, JP, NYT, WT 1/13; IHY, MM 1/14; PCHR 1/15; WJW 1/16; NYT 1/17; ITIC 1/18; JPI 1/23)

In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian who allegedly attempts to set fire to a gas station outside the Ma’ale Adumim settlement e. of Jerusalem; fires live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians demonstrating against OCL in al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron, seriously wounding 2 (including a 12-yr.-old boy); fires live ammunition at Palestinians protesting against the separation wall in Bil‘in, wounding 1; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qabatya nr. Jenin. (PCHR 1/15)

The PFLP General Command fires 4 rockets fr. s. Lebanon into Israel, 3 of which explode near Nahariya, lightly wounding 4 Israelis (5 others are treated for shock). The IDF fires 5 shells the border as a “measured response” and intensifies surveillance overflights of s. Lebanon. Hizballah, the Lebanese government, and Fatah and Hamas reps. in Lebanon condemn the fire, assuring Israel they have no intention of opening a 2d front. The Lebanese army and UNIFIL pledge to step up surveillance in s. Lebanon (ITV, MM, MNR, RFM 1/8; Guardian, HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT, SFR, al-Watan, YA 1/9; YA 1/10; AFP, AP, NYT, WT 1/12; HA, MM 1/15; JPI 1/23)

As OCL enters day 6, Israel announces that it will allow 443 foreign passportholders living in Gaza (mostly the spouses and children of Gazan Palestinians, including U.S., Russian, Moldovan, Ukrainian, Turkish, and Norwegian passport-holders) to leave on 1/2, raising concerns that a major ground incursion into Gaza is imminent.

Israeli actions: The IDF continues air strikes and naval bombardment of Gaza, hitting at least 70 targets and carrying out at least 40 air strikes. Primary targets include the PA parliament building, Justice Min., Education Min., the headquarters of the PA presidency in Gaza City, homes of several other Hamas and PRC cmdrs., tunnels on the Rafah border, suspected weapons depots, 2 mosques in Jabaliya r.c., a fishing harbor w. of Khan Yunis, a water reservoir in Bayt Hanun. Target areas include Abasan, Bani Suhayla, Bayt Hanun, al-Bureij r.c., Gaza City, Jabaliya, Khan Yunis, al-Maghazi r.c., Nussayrat, al-Qarara, Rafah, Tal al-Za‘atar. By day’s end, the Palestinian toll is at least 412 dead.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 59 rockets (at least 10 of them fired by Islamic Jihad) and 1 mortar into Israel, with 1 longrange rocket hitting an apartment building in Ashdod (causing heavy damage but no major injuries) and 3 in open areas outside Beersheba (causing no damage or injuries). Beersheba municipal official Shimon Krief says that city emergency workers received only 18 calls from concerned citizens during incoming rocket warnings today, stating “People are relaxed.” Beersheba hospital reports that since the city first came under rocket fire on 12/30, it has treated 10 Israelis for moderate physical injuries and 154 for stress, adding that “with each attack, we’ve gotten significantly fewer patients.”

Humanitarian notes: Israel allows 60 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The International Comm. of the Red Cross (ICRC) warns that humanitarian needs are growing sharply despite the limited entry of aid, noting severe shortages of water, cooking gas, electricity. Israeli human rights groups issue an appeal to DM Barak to restore fuel shipments to Gaza to allow proper functioning of hospitals, water services, and so on.

Of note: Air strikes today include an attack on the home of Hamas’s Nizar Rayyan, a cleric and chief liaison btwn. Hamas’s political and military wings, in a densely populated residential area inside Jabaliya r.c., assassinating him and killing his 4 wives and 11 of his 12 children, causing heavy damage to surrounding buildings; Rayyan is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since Israel assassinated Abd al-‘Aziz Rantisi in 2004 and one of the only Hamas figures who has not gone into hiding since OCL began. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IDF, REU 1/1; Bloomberg, HA, ITV, NYT, REU, WP, WT 1/2; IDF 1/3; NYT, WP 1/4; MM, QA 1/6; IFM, PCHR 1/8)

The IDF seals the West Bank through 1/3, citing unspecified security concerns. IDF troops at Ni‘lin checkpoint fire rubbercoated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at mbrs. of a funeral procession that refuses to lower a Palestinian flag while going through the crossing, injuring 2 Palestinians; 1 tear gas canister lands inside a nearby Palestinian home, sparking a fire that guts the 1st floor. (IDF 1/2; PCHR 1/8)

The Israeli cabinet rejects the 12/30 French proposal for a 48-hr. humanitarian truce, complaining that it lacked a mechanism to guarantee enforcement. Damascusbased Hamas leader Khalid Mishal says Hamas will consider any cease-fire proposal that includes a lifting of Israel’s embargo, but in Gaza, Haniyeh states that Hamas would not consider any proposals until Israel halts its attacks and opens Gaza’s border crossings, including Rafah.

In a briefing to Olmert’s security cabinet, Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin states that Hamas’s weapons development facilities have been “completely wiped out” and “Hamas’s ability to govern Gaza has been significantly impaired.” Senior Israeli military sources speaking anonymously state that no major hardened targets remain standing but that Hamas’s military wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), “has to a large extent survived the initial onslaught.”

The IDF continues to mass troops and tanks on the Gaza border, stating explicitly for the 1st time that a ground invasion is likely once wet weather clears. The security cabinet increases the number of reservists activated to more than 9,000.

Israeli actions: The IDF carries out some 60 air strikes, and the Israeli navy shells Gaza from the sea. Among the 66 sites hit by the IDF are Haniyeh’s office, the Tal al-Hawa Mosque in Gaza City (Israel claims it was used as a weapons depot), a major Islamic Jihad weapons depot in Khan Yunis (killing senior Islamic Jihad military cmdr. Amar Abu Ghalula, 3 other Islamic Jihad mbrs.), more tunnels on the Rafah border, at least 8 homes, 1 medical clinic, Hamas posts (including money exchanges). Target areas include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Gaza City, Jabaliya r.c., Khan Yunis, Nussayrat r.c., Rafah. The estimated Palestinian toll reaches 393 dead, more than 1,900 wounded.

The IDF claims to have destroyed 200 smuggling tunnels since 12/27; a Palestinian source in Rafah says the Israelis seem to know which tunnels are commercial and which are used by Hamas, and have been selectively targeting Hamas tunnels.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 49 rockets, 15 mortars into Israel, causing no serious injuries; 4 longer-range rockets land in Beersheba, 25 mi. n. of the Gaza border, 1 of which hits an empty school, causing significant damage to 1 room.

Humanitarian notes: Israel allows 93 truckloads of food, medicine into Gaza. UNRWA issues a $34-m. emergency appeal for additional food, medical, and reconstruction aid for Gaza in the wake of OCL; the appeal is in addition to a $275-m. emergency appeal for the West Bank and Gaza for 2009 issued earlier in the month. UNRWA Commissioner-Gen. Karen AbuZayd, warning of the dire conditions in Gaza (where she currently is based), states that for the first time in her 8 yrs. with UNRWA she has begun to see Palestinians begging on the streets of Gaza.

Of note: Residents in Egyptian Rafah report a heavy military, border police, and plain-clothed intelligence presence on the Egyptian side of the border, which Egypt has declared a closed military zone, preventing demonstrations, keeping journalists away, and preventing breeches of the Rafah border from either direction. (AFP, AP, BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Center, FT, IDF, IFM, JP, REU, UNIS, UNOSAT, XIN 12/31; IDF, JP, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 1/1; WT 1/2; IDF, Sabah 1/3; WP 1/4; IFM, PCHR 1/8; NYT 1/11)

In the West Bank, observers report that Palestinian sympathy for Hamas is growing, even though overall public reaction to OCL has been muted, largely because PA security forces have been breaking up explicitly pro-Hamas demonstrations. The IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Nablus. (PCHR, WP 1/1)

Hamas’s Gaza leadership calls on factions to halt their fire for 24 hrs. in an effort to restore the truce. Senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahhar appears on Israeli TV to state that Hamas seeks a new cease-fire in exchange for regular food and electricity in Gaza and a halt to IDF operations in the West Bank. On the ground, Palestinians (suspected to be Islamic Jihad, which says it had not agreed to suspend attacks) fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. An unnamed senior Israeli security official states (YA 12/23) that “all of the IDF’s preparations for a military operation are continuing as planned. As far as we are concerned the clock is ticking down on a military operation.” Israel, which maintains a full seal on Gaza, dispatches diplomats to lobby for international support and sympathy for Israel in the face of rocket attacks. Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak asks Israeli FM Livni to come to Cairo on 12/25 for talks on renewing the truce. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin, Nablus. (IFM 12/22; HA, JP, MA, MM, WP, YA 12/23; PCHR 12/24)

UNRWA is forced to suspend its food distribution to Gazan refugees for the 2d time in 60 yrs. (the first was on 11/13/08; see Quarterly Update in JPS 150) because of Israel’s near-total restriction on the import of food and wheat flour to Gaza (allowing only 15 trucks/day; UNRWA needs 70–80 trucks/day to keep operations going). In light of the ongoing siege and Israeli military actions, Hamas officials in Gaza declare that they will not renew the 6-mo. ceasefire when it expires on 12/19. Palestinians (some if not all mbrs. of Islamic Jihad) fire 11 rockets, 6 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing light damage but no injuries. The IDF responds with air strikes on 2 rocket-launching sites, seriously wounding 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c. (MM, OCHA 12/18; NYT, WT 12/19; WP 12/20; PCHR 12/24; London Review of Books 1/1)

Overnight, Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Gaza fire more than a dozen rockets into Israel in retaliation for the IDF’s 12/15 assassination of Nawahda, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF makes 2 air strikes on Islamic Jihad mbrs. preparing to launch rockets nr. Bayt Hanun, injuring 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs., 1 bystander. OCHA reports that in recent days, Israel allowed 78 tons of chlorine and purification chemicals to be transferred to Gaza’s water authority, enough to treat Gaza’s water supply for 1 mo.; Gaza also received its 2d shipment (14 truckloads) of pharmaceutical supplies fr. the PA central pharmacy in Ramallah. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces bulldoze a tent and level land, displacing a Palestinian family whose home on the site they had bulldozed in 11/08. Inside Israel, some 200 Israeli police make an overnight raid on the Bedouin encampment of Abdallah al-Atrash in the Negev, which has existed for over 20 yrs., expelling 20 families and demolishing all structures. A Gaza court sentences Palestinian Muhammad Saidam, arrested in 2/08, to death for “treason, espionage, and collaborating” with Israel to assassinate mbrs. of the Palestinian resistance; PA pres. Abbas must approve the sentence before it can be carried out. (MM, OCHA 12/17; NYT, PCHR 12/18)

IDF troops, bulldozers cross into s. Gaza to level land along the border e. of Khan Yunis, exchanging fire with Hamas mbrs., causing no reported injures. In a similar incident nr. the Erez crossing, IDF soldiers exchange fire with DFLP gunmen, causing no reported injuries. The IDF also makes an air strike on an alleged rocket-launching site in n. Gaza, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm, nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat a 6-yr.-old Palestinian boy on his way to school until his grandfather halts the attack; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Hamas accuses PA security forces in the West Bank of arresting 26 Hamas mbrs. and supporters, mostly in Hebron, but also in Bethlehem, Jericho, and Salfit. (HA, JP, MNA, REU, YA 11/8; HA, JAZ, MNA 11/9; OCHA 11/12; PCHR 11/13)

After a last-minute talks in Cairo between Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Sulayman and senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahhar fr. Gaza, Hamas’s dep. leader Musa Abu Marzuq announces from Damascus that Hamas will not attend national unity talks in Cairo on 11/9. Hamas officials cite Egyptian and PA unwillingness to compromise on the wording of an Egyptian draft national unity statement or to discuss issues of importance to Hamas, and the PA’s failure to fulfill a pledge to release 100s of Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners held in the West Bank as a confidence-building gesture in advance of the summit. (AFP 11/8; NYT, WT 11/9; see also MNR 11/7)

Rice stops in Jenin to meet with Abbas and to inaugurate a new hospital wing funded by USAID, announcing another $14 m. in USAID funds for Jenin. (HA 11/8; IFM, NYT, WP, WT 11/9)

Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire 14 rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel, 7 of which land inside Israel, none of which causes damage or injuries. FGM sends another boat fr. Cyprus to Gaza (see 8/23, 10/29), this time carrying 13 mbrs. of various European parliaments and veteran Israeli journalist Amira Hass; Israel does not block the boat. A 7-yr.-old Palestinian boy fr. Gaza dies after Israel repeatedly denies him transportation to an Israeli or foreign hospital to be treated for breathing and heart problems. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); fires rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a similar nonviolent demonstration in Ni‘lin (injuring 1 Palestinian journalist covering the incident, 1 international); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Tulkarm, and nr. Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize Palestinian property, including removing a fence that separates the settlement fr. a neighboring plot of Palestinian land. (HA, NYT 11/8; 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)

Gaza’s border crossings remained sealed for a 3d day. The IDF fires warning shots at Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the Gaza border fence e. of Khan Yunis, seriously injuring 2 elderly Palestinians. The Israeli navy fires warning shots at fishermen to keep them close to shore. AMB mbrs. fire 2 rockets into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Hamas’s Gaza security chiefSiyam meets with heads of the various Gaza factions to discuss ways of reacting to IDF actions in the West Bank while respecting the Gaza cease-fire. Islamic Jihad pledges to coordinate its responses with Hamas. In the West Bank, the IDF makes an unusual daytime raid into Bayt Umar village nr. Hebron, setting up road blocks, checking IDs, raiding and searching homes, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront troops, killing a 16-yr.-old Palestinian boy, arresting 1 Palestinian; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and Ramallah, nr. Bethlehem and Jenin, and outside East Jerusalem. Jewish settlers fr. Halamish nr. Ramallah burn a Palestinian olive tree. Nr. Jabaliya r.c., unidentified assailants detonate a bomb outside a fmr. PA Preventive Security officer’s home, causing damage but no injuries. (NYT, WT 6/27; MM 6/30; OCHA 7/2; PCHR 7/3)

Just before a Gaza cease-fire goes into effect, the IDF makes a series of air strikes on Gaza (killing 1 armed Palestinian, wounding 1), and Palestinians (mostly Islamic Jihad mbrs. seeking revenge for IDF killings of its mbrs. in previous days) fire 33 rockets and 10 mortars into Israel (causing light damage but no injuries); 5 rockets land inside Gaza, wounding 1 armed Palestinian, 2 civilians. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Bethlehem; also makes a major arrest raid in Qalqilya, searching, firing on, and heavily damaging a 3-story apartment building and 2 homes, demolishing 2 uninhabited Palestinian homes.(PCHR, WT 6/19; NYT 6/20; OCHA 6/25; PCHR 6/26)

Israel publicly calls for opening “direct, bilateral” peace talks with Lebanon, which says it is not interested (NYT, WP 6/19)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a car carrying 2 Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbrs. nr. Khan Yunis, missing it, wounding 6 bystanders. Gazan PC mbrs. erect a tent in front of the PC headquarters in Gaza City, begin a hunger strike to protest Israel’s ongoing siege. In the West Bank, the IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths outside Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem, wounding 5 with live ammunition; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qabatya, and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Israel bars access to the Jordan River to 15,000 Christians making a pilgrimage to Jesus’s baptismal cite to mark Orthodox Christian Holy Week, keeping them behind a fence 30 ft. fr. the river. Birzeit University student council elections allot 25 seats to Fatah, 19 to Hamas, 5 each to the PFLP and a joint Islamic Jihad/People’s Party list. Students clash over the results, prompting the university to close the campus until tensions cool. (OCHA, WT 4/23; PCHR 4/24)

Israel resumes shipments (suspended 4/9) of industrial gasoline for Gaza’s power plant but continues to suspend gasoline and diesel for cars and generators. The UNOCHA calls the fuel supplies for the power plant “insufficient” and urges Israel to resume shipment of all forms of fuel, saying that schools and clinics are unable to function normally without regular transportation. Overnight, the IDF sends troops into areas e. of Gaza City, sparking clashes that leave 4 armed Palestinians dead and 1 IDF soldier, 4 armed Palestinians wounded. In the morning, Hamas and Islamic Jihad mbrs. stage a diversion nr. the Nahal Oz crossing to lure IDF soldiers into Gaza, ambushing the unit once it enters the Strip, killing 3 IDF soldiers; the IDF responds with tank fire and air strikes, killing 4 Hamas and Islamic Jihad mbrs. The IDF increases tank fire, air strikes on Palestinian targets throughout the day, killing 14 Palestinian civilians, including 11 in a helicopter air strike on a mosque in Juhur al-Dik in c. Gaza, and Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana’a (his clearly marked Reuters press vehicle is hit directly by a flechette tank shell), wounding 34 (including 17 children, 1 woman); 2 IDF soldiers are also wounded. The IDF also bulldozes 6 Palestinian homes, 200 d. of agricultural land in Juhur al-Dik. An IDF infantry unit crosses into Gaza nr. Bayt Lahiya to engage armed Palestinians in the area, fires on a car of Palestinian farmers trying to fleeing the area, killing 1 Palestinian farmer, wounding 2. Palestinians fire 10 rockets, 2 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel during the day, causing no damage or injuries; 1 rocket fired toward Israel lands nr. Jabaliya r.c., injuring 2 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin r.c. (firing on residential areas, arresting an AMB mbr. granted amnesty by Israel in 7/07) during the day, and late at night in and around Jenin and Tulkarm, in Nablus, and nr. Hebron. In the evening (8:30 P.M. EST; 2:30 A.M. on 4/17 local time), IDF undercover units ambush a car in Qabatya, assassinating local Islamic Jihad cmdr. Bilal Zaalah (also reported as Bilal Kmayel) and a 2d Islamic Jihad mbr. (BBC, IFM, OCHA, REU 4/16; HA, NYT, PCHR, WP 4/17; OCHA 4/23; PCHR 4/24)

IDF troops inside Israel fatally shoot an armed Palestinian who approaches the s. Gaza border. The IDF also bulldozes 5 d. of Palestinian land inside the border fence nr. Wadi al-Silqa; later conducts arrest raids, house searches in Wadi al-Silqa, detaining 3 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in and around Nablus but makes no arrests; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 8, including 3 children). Jewish settlers fr. Efrat uproot 100 Palestinian olive trees to make way for new construction begun on 3/23. Palestinians stone Jewish settler vehicles nr. Ramallah, causing no injuries. In n. Gaza, 50,000 Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah al-Yasir (an AMB offshoot) supporters hold a peaceful demonstration calling on the Arab League summit assembling in Damascus to find a way to break Israel’s siege of Gaza. In Jabaliya r.c., 2,000 Palestinians attend a rally organized by Islamic Jihad to call on Fatah and Hamas to form a unity government. (OCHA 4/2; PCHR 4/3)

The IDF shells a rocket-launching site in Gaza City and makes an air strike on a 2d rocket-launching site nr. Bayt Lahiya, killing 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs., wounding at least 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. and 2 civilians; bulldozes land along the border fence e. of al-Maghazi r.c. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, nr. Qalqilya. Overnight, in Jerusalem, Israeli authorities hand the body of the 3/6 Mercaz Harav attacker over to his family in Jabal Mukabir for a predawn burial, hoping to prevent clashes surrounding his burial. When news breaks, however, 10s of right-wing Jewish settlers storm Jabal Mukabir, evading police barricades, clashing with riot police, throwing stones at Palestinian homes on the rim of the neighborhood. Nearby, 100s of right-wing Jewish settlers hold a protest rally demanding the expulsion of Palestinian citizens of Israel, scuffle with police. In total, 20 protesters are arrested; 1 protester, 1 policeman are injured. (WT 3/16; OCHA, PCHR 3/19)

Overnight, the IDF makes an air strike on a suspected rocket-launching site in n. Gaza, killing 1 Palestinian. During the day, the IDF makes a 2d air strike, killing another Palestinian; briefly sends 25 armored vehicles into Wadi al-Silqa in c. Gaza to surround the home of senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Yusuf Samiri, who flees and is killed in an exchange of fire with troops; troops also fire on Samiri’s home, killing a Palestinian infant, wounding 4 Palestinians (including a woman and child). The IDF also sends tanks and bulldozers into s. Gaza to level land nr. the Rafah airport site, firing on surrounding areas, causing no reported injuries. Palestinians fire 8 rockets and mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF searches PA Education Min. offices in Nablus; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., in Qalqilya, nr. Hebron. Inside Israel, Israeli Palestinians in Umm al-Fahm protest Operation Hot Winter. (WT 3/4; NYT, WP, WT 3/5; PCHR 3/6)

Overnight, the IDF makes several air strikes on Gaza, killing 5 Hamas mbrs. before withdrawing ground troops fr. Gaza in the morning, stating that it is suspending Operation Hot Winter during U.S. Secy. of State Condoleezza Rice’s upcoming 3/4–5 visit. The toll for the 5-day operation is at least 110 Palestinians (half of them civilians, including at least 24 children; Hamas says it lost 37 mbrs.; Islamic Jihad and the PRCs say they lost 15) and 3 Israelis dead (1 civilian inside Israel, 2 IDF soldiers in Gaza), and nearly 400 Palestinians injured (most of them civilians). In addition, 21 Palestinian homes were destroyed (leaving 147 Gazans homeless) and 88 heavily damaged (affecting 616 Gazans), 90 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of agricultural land was bulldozed, and 80 Palestinians were detained for questioning (at least 5 were remanded to Israel). Palestinians fired more than 200 rockets (allegedly including 21 Grads). The IDF, however, makes more air strikes during the day, killing another 3 Palestinians (at least 2 of them civilians, including a child), destroying the Palestinian Council (PC) headquarters in Gaza City. Palestinians fire 18 rockets (allegedly including 1 Grad) into Israel, causing damage but no injuries; 1 rocket lands inside Gaza, hitting a home, wounding 2 Palestinians. In the West Bank, 1,000s of Palestinians demonstrate against Operation Hot Winter; a Jewish settler fr. Talmon B settlement nr. Ramallah fires on demonstrators in nearby al-Mazra‘a, killing a Palestinian teenager; IDF soldiers fire on another protest nr. Hebron, wounding 2 Palestinians. The IDF also exchanges fire with Palestinian gunmen nr. Bethlehem, wounding 3; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Nablus. (BBC, NYT, PCHR, REU, WP 3/3; MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/4; PCHR 3/6; OCHA 4/18)

In the morning, the IDF makes an air strike on a minivan nr. Khan Yunis, assassinating 5 Hamas mbrs. and wounding 1 allegedly responsible for the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades’ rocket program; makes air strikes on a 2d Hamas vehicle, missing it, allowing the targets to escape. Also in the morning, IDF troops on the Gaza border nr. al-Bureij r.c. fire on a group of Palestinian children who stray nr. the border fence, wounding 1. In response to the air strikes, Hamas fires 25 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, killing 1 Israeli, wounding 2, and damaging a home and factory in Sederot. The IDF responds with air and artillery strikes on suspected rocket-launching sites nr. Jabaliya r.c. and Gaza City, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr., 3 Palestinian civilians (including boys ages 12, 13), wounding 12 (including 5 children ages 8–14); fires across the border, wounding a Palestinian in al-Shuka. In response, Palestinians fire another 15 rockets, causing no damage or injuries. In the evening, IDF warplanes drop 3 guided missiles on Gaza’s Interior Min. building (empty at the time), destroying it, killing a 6- mo.-old Palestinian baby, wounding more than 25 Palestinians; also launch air strikes on at least 4 other sites in Gaza City and Khan Yunis suspected of manufacturing rockets, causing no reported injuries. An Islamic Jihad mbr. dies when a roadside bomb he is laying nr. the border fence e. of al-Bureij r.c. explodes prematurely. Gaza municipal authorities warn all Gazans to boil their water to prevent disease, reporting that waterworks still receiving electricity have run out of chlorine to treat sewage; Israel last allowed the import of chlorine on 1/21. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Nablus, where they ambush and fatally shoot wanted al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. Ibrahim Masimi in an apparent assassination, wounding and arresting 4 AMB mbrs. and a construction worker nearby; Masimi and 2 of the wounded AMB mbrs. were among those granted amnesty by Israel in 7/07. The IDF also patrols in, fires on residential areas of Balata r.c., exchanging fire with local gunmen, killing 2 armed Palestinians, wounding 2; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, and nr. Jenin, Ramallah, Tulkarm. (BBC 2/27; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 2/28; PCHR 3/6; WP 4/10)

Gaza’s power plant, which supplies up to 43% of Gaza’s power, ceases operation after running out of fuel due to Israel’s closure. The majority of Gazans, already used to going without power for 4 hrs./day because of Israeli limits on fuel imports, face cuts of 12 hrs./day. Electricity and fuel cuts prevent Gaza municipal authorities fr. treating wastewater, forcing them to begin dumping 40 m. liters/day of untreated sewage into the Mediterranean. Reps. of the military wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the PRCs hold a press conference in Rafah, threaten to use explosives to destroy the Gaza border fence with Egypt if Egypt does not take action within 24 hrs. to reopen the Rafah crossing and ease the siege. Meanwhile, Israel allows 70 Gaza medical cases into Israel for treatment. The IDF makes an air strike on AMB mbrs. Ibrahim al-Ghuti and As‘ad Abu Shari‘a as they walk across a bridge in Gaza City in an apparent assassination attempt, killing Ghuti, wounding Abu Shari‘a and 2 bystanders; makes an incursion into al-Shuka, raiding and searching homes, detaining 100 Palestinians for questioning, releasing all but 8 before withdrawing in the evening; makes at least 1 air strike on n. Gaza, allegedly targeting a rocket launching site, killing 1 Palestinian; fires a missile across the border e. of Gaza City, wounding 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. In Gaza City, 2,000 Palestinians organized by the Palestinian Popular Comm. Against the Siege (PPCAS) hold a candlelight vigil to protest the Israeli siege; 400 Palestinians hold a similar rally in Nussayrat r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dahaysha r.c., Hebron, and nr. Ramallah, Tulkarm (heavily damaging a Palestinian home, displacing a family of 5). (JP 1/20; JAZ, NYT, WP, WT 1/21; NYT, WP 1/22; OCHA 1/23; PCHR 1/24)

Israel rejects Hamas’s latest call (ca. 12/20) via Egypt for a cease-fire, vows to continue “counterterrorist operations” to deter rocket fire. Dep. PM Haim Ramon says Israel’s strategic goal is to overthrow Hamas in Gaza using military and economic pres sure. Islamic Jihad, declaring that it would not adhere to a truce, fires 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging 2 commercial buildings but causing no injuries; another rocket lands inside Gaza, damaging a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanun, causing no injuries. Before the 2d post-Annapolis mtg. of the Palestinian and Israeli negotiating teams on 12/24, Olmert’s government reopens the Sufa crossing (closed since 10/28/07) for up to 30 trucks/day, but also seeks Knesset approval for $25 m. to construct 500 settlement housing units in Har Homa in Jerusalem and 240 units in Ma’ale Adumim outside of Jerusalem; it is unclear whether the money is for units already approved for construction (see 12/4) or involves new building plans. Meanwhile, in Gaza, the IDF fires on unarmed Palestinians (including a child) on their land nr. the border fence e. of Dayr al-Balah, wounding 1; shells a Hamas border patrol e. of al-Bureij r.c., killing 2 Hamas mbrs. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (NYT, WT 12/24; NYT 12/25; OCHA 12/26; PCHR 12/27)

UN officials report that Israel has now reduced daily fuel imports to Gaza by 20% and that, as a result, some 400,000 Gazans have lost (or have only limited access to) safe drinking water because of lack of fuel to run pumps, water treatment facilities, and generators; vaccinations and medicines have spoiled at some hospitals because of inconsistent power to run refrigerators. Overnight, the IDF sends some 30 tanks and APCs supported by helicopters and warplanes into s. Gaza border areas, allegedly to look for rocket-launching sites, clashing with Palestinian gunmen, killing 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. and 3 PRC mbrs., wounding 13 Palestinians (including 5 civilians), rounding up all males age 15–50 for questioning, detaining 10s, demolishing 1 Palestinian home, bulldozing 133 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of land before withdrawing late in the evening. The IDF also makes 2 air strikes on rocket-launching sites in n. Gaza, killing 2 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Jerusalem’s Old City; raids the offices of several media outlets in Nablus (including Afaq TV, al-Nahar, al-Quds) accused of “supporting terrorism,” confiscating computers and documents, and clashing with local gunmen, wounding 3. Separately in Nablus, 1 AMB is killed when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. (WT 12/11; OCHA, WP 12/12; PCHR 12/13; WP 12/15)

The IDF occupies strategic high points inside the Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya, firing surface-to-air missiles at a group of armed Palestinians (missing them, causing no damage or injuries) and on a car carrying a local Islamic Jihad military cmdr., wounding him in an apparent assassination attempt; conducts bulldozing operations inside the Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya; continues operations in al-Shuka. Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire an RPG at an IDF patrol inside the Israeli border nr. al-Bureij r.c., missing the target and causing no injuries; the IDF responds with heavy machine gun fire, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. Egyptian border police detain 3 PRC mbrs. who entered Egypt through a tunnel under the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a roundthe-clock curfew on ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya after Palestinian youths throw stones at Jewish settler vehicles, causing no injuries; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and neighboring Balata r.c., nr. Ramallah. Unidentified gunmen fire on Abbas’s residence in Ramallah, causing damage but no injuries. (PCHR 11/1; OCHA 11/7; PCHR 11/8)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on an ESF vehicle in al-Bureij r.c., wounding 1 ESF mbr. Palestinians fire 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel; the IDF responds by shelling suspected launching site; no injuries or damage are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a major raid on Jenin targeting Islamic Jihad, demolishing 1 building, fatally shooting 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in an exchange of fire that also leaves 1 IDF soldier wounded; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus. Around half of the 2,200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel’s Ketziot prison riot against searches by guards, leaving 14 prisoners, 15 guards injured. An 8-yr.-old Palestinian girl wounded by the IDF during 10/18 arrest raids in Tulkarm dies. In Gaza City, 100 Palestinians protest outside the UNSCO building against the PA’s halt to issuing passports and travel documents for Gazans. (WT 10/23; NYT, OCHA, WP 10/24; PCHR 10/25)

Lebanese PM Siniora delays elections for a 2d time until 11/12 to give the governing coalition and opposition more time to agree on a compromise candidate. (NYT, WP 10/23) (see 9/22)