The Palestine Chronology

Egypt and Hamas complete resealing of the Rafah border. Egyptian border police allow Palestinians still in Egypt to return to Gaza but do not allow any Palestinians into Egypt. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Bayt Lahiya, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Qabatya to ambush 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in an apparent assassination attempt, killing Islamic Jihad’s Ahmad Abu Zaid and Ammar Zakarna, wounding Naji Nazzal; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, in Balata r.c., nr. Bethlehem. (NYT, WP 2/4; OCHA 2/6; PCHR 2/7)

Israelis in Sederot close schools, demand government action after Palestinians fire 3 more rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Egyptian border police demolish a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF raids, searches several Hamas-run charities in Nablus, confiscating documents, computers and sealing the offices; patrols in, fires on residential areas of ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya (also firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 2 children, ages 13 and 14), Sa‘ir nr. Hebron (seriously wounding 1 Palestinian); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qabatya nr. Jenin and Tulkarm r.c., and nr. Hebron. The Israeli High Court rules that the separation wall around Bil‘in, site of weekly nonviolent protests, must be moved westward to prevent the de facto annexation of more han half of the village’s agricultural land, rejecting the government’s claim that a wide buffer zone was needed to protect nearby Mod’in Ilit settlement and determining that the original route took into consideration plans to expand the settlement “as much as possible”; the decision gives the government a “reasonable period of time” to take down and move portions of the wall, which is expected to return 250 acres of land to Bil‘in residents. In Gaza City, the previously unheard-of Security Members Martyrs Brigade took responsibility for detonating a bomb under the car of a prominent Hamas mbr. in Gaza City, causing no injuries; the group is thought to be made up of Fatah security officers still in Gaza who have been underground since Hamas took over in mid6/07. Suspected Fatah mbrs. also fire on an ESF patrol, causing no injuries. In Rafah, ESF officers fire on Fatah mbrs. writing proFatah graffiti, wounding 3. (BBC 9/4; IFM, NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 9/5; PCHR, WT 9/6)

In Gaza, the IDF continues operations in Abasan, directing tank fire at residential areas, killing 1 Palestinian woman inside her home, wounding a man, bulldozing 120 d. of agricultural land; makes an air strike on a car driving in Bayt Lahiya, killing 3 Hamas mbrs. (‘Adil al-Maqusi, Muhammad al-Taluli, Rasim Zhahir) allegedly en route to fire rockets into Israel, wounding 1 bystander; makes an air strike on a car in Gaza City, assassinating Fatah Mujahiddin Brigades mbr. Raja’i al-Labban, wounding a 2d Fatah mbr.; makes a late-night air strike on Rafah destroying a Palestinian home (after warning residents to leave), severely damaging 5 others, cutting power to some areas; conducts arrest raids in Wadi al-Silqa. Late in the evening, Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Sederot, lightly injuring 3 Israelis. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts searches in Qabatya, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, firing on residential areas, wounding 1 Palestinian militant; conducts house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Nablus (firing on residential areas, wounding 2 civilians). 100s of angry Palestinians barred by Israel fr. attending Ramadan Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque use makeshift ladders to scale the separation wall and 4 checkpoints around Jerusalem and 1 checkpoint nr. Nablus, fighting with IDF soldiers who disperse them using tear gas, water cannons, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai stone a Palestinian home in Hebron. Jewish settlers nr. Ramallah prevent Palestinians fr. reaching their olive groves; Israeli border police intervene to disperse the settlers. Overnight and throughout the day, Hamas mbrs. angered over the assassination of a local leader on 10/12 engage in fierce clashes with Fatah mbrs. in Bayt Lahiya, leaving a 14-yr.-old Palestinian dead, around 50 Palestinians injured. A Palestinian wounded by IDF fire in Gaza on 10/12 dies. (AP, NYT, REU 10/13; NYT, WT 10/14; PCHR 10/15, 10/19)

Some 20 IDF soldiers patrolling in Rafah exchange fire with Hamas mbrs., leaving 1 armed Palestinian injured. The IDF bulldozes part of a cemetery in Rafah to widen the Philadelphi route; sends troops into Bayt Furik nr. Nablus, fires on residential areas, then fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 2; temporarily seals ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus, searches houses; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qabatya nr. Jenin, in villages around Hebron; occupies a Palestinian home in Mughraqa as an observation post. An Israeli border policeman is seriously injured in a fall during scuffles with Palestinians at a separation wall demonstration nr. Har Adar. Palestinians fire 6 mortars at Jewish settlements in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. (XIN 7/3; VOI 7/3 in WNC 7/4; YA 7/4 in WNC 7/5; OCHA 7/6; PCHR 7/7)