The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Qarawat Bani Hassan before confronted by Palestinian residents. Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian minor near Kisan, causing injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers set fire to agricultural lands planted with olive trees in Jalud, causing extensive damage. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters commemorating Nakba Day throughout the West Bank, killing 1 Palestinian in Hebron and injuring 450, including 27 in Hebron, 29 in Qalqilya, 12 in Ramallah, 18 in Nablus, 9 in Tulkarm, 6 in Jenin, 2 in Bethlehem, and 1 in Tubas using live ammunition. 13 Palestinians were arrested, including 4 during late-night raids in Tulkarm and 9 during protests near Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Shaykh Jarrah, injuring 1 journalist and arresting 1. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Tur, causing tear-gas related injuries and 1 arrest. 13 others were arrested during raids in Issawiyya, al-Tur, Silwan, and Sur Bahir. In Gaza, 17 Palestinians were killed, including 8 children, and dozens were injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 136 to 153, including 41 children and 2 pregnant women. The casualties included: 10 members of the same family in an Israeli air strike in al-Shati refugee camp, including 8 children; 1 infant was found in the rubble of the house and was the only survivor of the attack; 2 in an air strike on a market in Gaza City; 1 in an air strike while driving north of Gaza City; 1 in a drone strike on agricultural lands near al-Bureij; 1, and 1 injured in an air strike on al-Bureij; 1 in an air strike while riding a motorbike in al-Maghazi; 1 Palestinian succumbed to wounds sustained in an air strike on a car wash al-Zawaideh. Israel also demolished al-Jalaa tower, a 12-story building in Gaza City hosting the offices of AP, Al Jazeera, and other international media outlets along with residential apartments; Israel claimed that it also housed Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine intelligence offices, saying that made it a legitimate target; residents and workers were given 1 hour to evacuate the building. AP said their reporting capabilities in Gaza were significantly reduced while Al Jazeera called it a war crime and an act to stop reporting. Air strikes also demolished the home of senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya and severely damaged the 14-story tower al-Qahira and the 12-story tower al-Andalus in Gaza City. Shelling from land and sea also caused significant damage and injuries in Khan Yunis and Bayt Hanun. Egypt sent 10 ambulances to Gaza to pick up injured Palestinians for treatment at Egyptian hospitals. In Israel, 1 Israeli was killed by a rocket fired from Gaza in Ramat Gan, raising the Israeli death toll to 10. 6 buildings were also damaged in Ramat Gan. Rockets were also fired at Beersheba, Ashkelon, and Ashdod from Gaza, causing damage in Beersheba and Ashdod. Hundreds of Palestinian-Israelis protested in Jaffa over the Israeli police’s inability to protect them as violence has been escalating in the neighborhood and 1 minor was seriously injured by a firebomb on 5/14. 67 Palestinian-Israelis were reported arrested, including 52 in ‘Akka and 15 in Lydda. In Lebanon, hundreds of protesters gathered along the Blue Line to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and Shaykh Jarrah. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, MEE, MEE, PCHR, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/15; AP, AP, AP, AP, HA, MEE, PCHR, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/16; AP 5/17; HA 5/18; PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; NYT 5/26; GDN 7/28)

There were major demonstrations in many cities worldwide in commemoration of Nakba Day and in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and those threatened by eviction in Shaykh Jarrah. (DM, DW, NAT 5/15 BBC, GDN, WAFA 5/16)

U.S. president Joe Biden spoke with both Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and PA president Mahmoud Abbas. It was the 1st time that President Biden and President Abbas have spoken since Biden took office in January. (HA, WAFA 5/15)

U.S. chair of the senate foreign relations committee Bob Menendez (D-NJ) said, after Israel demolished the building housing the offices of AP and Al Jazeera, that he was “deeply troubled by reports of Israeli military actions that resulted in the death of innocent civilians in Gaza as well as Israeli targeting of buildings housing international media outlets.” Menendez is known as 1 of the staunchest supports of Israel among the senate Democrats. Several House Democrats separately tweeted, “Apartheid states aren’t democracies,” in a reference to Israel. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT 5/15)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds and international activists using stones and batons near Yatta, damaging 1 vehicle. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Umm Safa and Ya‘bad. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers with military protection raided al-Twana; 1 Palestinian was shot by Israeli forces using live ammunition and 7 others were shot by rubber-coated bullets. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian who allegedly shot and injured 2 soldiers at a checkpoint near Madama. 6 Palestinians were arrested, including 5 during house raids in and around Bethlehem, Surayf, Abu Dis, and al-Khadir, and 1 at a checkpoint near Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Issawiyya and the Old City. In Gaza, 50 Palestinians were killed, including 11 children and 2 pregnant women, and dozens were injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 64 to 114, including 27 children and 2 pregnant women. The casualties included: 6, including 2 children, and 25 wounded, including 7 children, in artillery fire at Um al-Nasar village near Bayt Lahiya; 10, including 4 children and 1 pregnant woman, and 52 wounded, in air strikes on apartment buildings in Bayt Lahiya; 2 in air strikes on al-Bureij refugee camp; 1 in al-Turkman in an airstrike; 1 child, and 8 others injured, in an air strike on an apartment building in Bayt Hanun; 2 in an air strike near a hospital in Bayt Hanun; 2 in air strikes on Tal al-Hawa; 4, including 2 children, and 5 wounded, in air strikes on a residential building in al-Bureij refugee camp; 6, including 2 children and 1 pregnant woman, and 22 wounded, including 10 children, in air strikes on 2 houses in Rafah; the bodies of 14 Palestinians were found at a military site; Hamas claimed that the 14 had died of toxic gases from Israeli weapons. Additionally, the headquarters of the interior ministry’s security division was destroyed near Bayt Lahiya and Khan Yunis, as well as 1 ministry of transportation building in Bayt Lahiya. In Israel, 1 Jewish-Israeli man was injured in a stabbing in Lydda. 1 Muslim cemetery and 1 synagogue were vandalized in Lydda. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian-Israeli man with a rubber-coated bullet as he was filming the soldiers from the inside of his house in Jaffa. Israeli right-wingers attacked Palestinian-Israelis and Israeli journalists in the Hatikva neighborhood of Tel Aviv. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in ‘Akka and Israeli right-wingers attacked 1 Palestinian-owned grocery store. 3 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon; all 3 landed in the sea. Dozens of rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza, most of them intercepted. 1 Israeli woman died after falling while running to a shelter near Ashdod, raising the Israeli death toll to 8. Israel said it had sent 9,000 troops to the vicinity of Gaza (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA, PCHR, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/13; AP, HA, PCHR, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA 5/14; GDN 5/15; TOI 5/16; PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; NYT 5/26)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with French president Emmanuel Macron about the escalation of violence in Gaza and eviction of Palestinians in Shaykh Jarrah. (WAFA 5/13)

Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz ordered 10 reserve border police companies to cities in Israel where violence has been rising. Several Israeli media outlets also reported that Israeli military officials were preparing to approve plans for a ground invasion of Gaza. Defense Minister Gantz also spoke with senior executives of social media companies Facebook and TikTok to convince them to prevent content critical of Israel on their platforms. (HA, JP, TOI 5/13; AS 5/14)

U.S. president Joe Biden said that he did not believe that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza is a “significant overreaction.” The Biden administration also rejected a publicly held UN security council (UNSC) meeting on 5/14 discussing the situation in Israel and Palestine. The U.S. has prevented any statements from the UN security council on the matter from 2 other UNSC meetings held in the past week. The Biden administration also notified Congress that it will be sending $10 million to Palestinian groups in the West Bank and Gaza to support exchange and reconciliation projects with Israelis. (HA, HA, REU 5/13; AP 5/14)

As pro-Palestine demonstrations were happening in many countries all over the world, the French interior ministry asked the French police to ban a pro-Palestine protest in Paris. (AJ 5/13)

In Gaza, Israeli drones bomb sites near Jabaliya refugee camp and near al-Bureij refugee camp allegedly being used as staging areas for incendiary kite and balloon attacks; there are no reported injuries. On the other side of the border fence, Israeli firefighters put out 10 small fires allegedly sparked by such attacks. Meanwhile, IDF troops violently disperse dozens of Palestinians gathering near al-Bureij refugee camp to continue the Great March of Return; 1 Palestinian is injured. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Rafah and Dayr al-Balah, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli forces level Palestinian lands near Bethlehem to make space for the expansion of settlements in the area. IDF troops arrest 9 Palestinians and issue 1 arrest summons during late-night raids near Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Hebron; and patrol near Tulkarm and Hebron. A raid near Ramallah sparks clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian minors; there are no reported injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in Silwan. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 8/4; PCHR 8/9)

A Palestinian minor succumbs to injuries sustained when Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinian protesters along Gaza’s border on 8/3, bringing the death toll stemming from the Great March of Return to 140. (MNA, WAFA 8/4)

Israeli naval forces intercept the second ship of a planned flotilla sailing toward Gaza in a symbolic effort to break the Israeli blockade. As they did with the flotilla’s lead ship on 7/29, Israeli naval forces commandeer the ship, escort it to the port at Ashdod, and detain all 12 activists on board. “The forces made it clear to the sailors that they were violating the blockade and that any humanitarian supplies can be delivered to Gaza through the port of Ashdod,” the IDF states. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 8/4)

In Washington, Livni and Rice sign the MOU on curbing arms smuggling, aimed at facilitating Israel’s acceptance of the EgyptHamas cease-fire offer (see 1/15). Anonymous Israeli military officials state that OCL is “in its final act.”

Combat notes: Early in the day, the IDF pulls back to the outskirts of Gaza City (with reports indicating that Tal al-Hawa has been devastated), but fighting intensifies again in the evening. Intensified IDF ground operations under cover of air strikes and heavy shelling are reported on the outskirts of Khan Yunis. The IDF reports hitting more than 50 targets during the day, including 15 rocket-launching sites, 13 groups of armed men, 4 suspected weapons depots, 2 smuggling tunnels, at least 1 mosque, Hamas’s Asda’ media center outside Khan Yunis (previously hit on 12/27). Air strike target areas include Bani Suhayla, Bayt Lahiya, alBureij r.c., the al-Fukhari area, Gaza City (al-Shuja‘iyya, Tal al-Hawa; al-Tuffah), Izbat ‘Abid Rabbuh, Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis (white phosphorous suspected), alNasser (n. of Rafah), Rafah, the al-Satar al-Gharbi area (nr. Khan Yunis), and the alTannour area (e. of Rafah). Artillery and tank fire are reported in Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah (white phosphorous suspected), Gaza City (city center and al-Sudaniyya, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya town, Khan Yunis, al-Qarara, al-Shuka, Twam, Wadi alSilqa (white phosphorous suspected). Naval bombardments center on open areas w. of Khan Yunis and in the al-Mawasi area, and in s. Rafah. Ground engagements are reported in Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, the al-Fukhari area and nearby Ma’an, Gaza City, al-Mughraqa, al-Zahra’. At least 3 ambulances are hit trying to evacuate the dead and wounded in clashes in central Gaza nr. Shuhada junction and in al-Mughraqa.

In a highly publicized incident, IDF tank shells hit a Gaza City home, killing 4 young girls (3 sisters, 1 cousin). Father of the 3 sisters, Izzeddin Abu al-Aish, a prominent Gazan doctor who appears regularly as a commentator on Israeli TV, phones ITV channel 10’s live broadcast to beg for medical assistance for his injured family, reports that his daughters are dead. In addition, an IDF air strike targets a home receiving condolence visits in Gaza City’s al-Shuja‘iyya neighborhood, killing 10 Palestinians, wounding 7. Another air strike on a home in al-Bureij r.c. kills a mother and her 5 children, ages 7–15. Gazan medical officials put the Palestinian toll at 1,140 dead, more than 5,100 wounded (470 in serious condition).

Palestinians fire 22 rockets and 5 mortars into Israel. Areas hit include Ashdod and Kiryat Gat (where at least 3 Israelis are injured, 1 seriously).

Humanitarian notes: The IDF allows up to 109 trucks of humanitarian aid entry to Gaza during the 4-hr. lull. (AFP, AP, IDF, IFM, ITV, MA, MM, REU, XIN, Zaman 1/16; IFM, NYT, WP, WT, XIN 1/17; NYT 1/18; AY, DUS, ITIC, MM 1/19; PCHR, WT 1/22; PCHR 1/29; ITV, MM 2/4; NYT 2/5)

The IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, Nablus; fires rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians who attend nonviolent demonstrations against OCL following Friday prayers in Hebron (injuring 4) and neighboring Bayt Umar (injuring 3), Issawiyya (injuring 4); fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in weekly nonviolent protests against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 5 Palestinians, 4 with live ammunition); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in weekly nonviolent protests against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (injuring 12 Palestinians, including 7 children). In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians protesting against OCL nr. al-Aqsa Mosque (injuring 1) and in Ras al-Amud neighborhood (injuring 1). (PCHR 1/22)

IDF ground forces backed by naval and air support continue to enter Gaza overnight, with troops taking up positions across n. Gaza (from which most Palestinian rockets have been fired), surrounding Gaza City, retaking the former Netzarim settlement site nr. the Gaza coast south of Gaza City, and bifurcating the Strip into e. and w. (cutting a swath roughly from the Qarni and Nahal Oz crossings to Netzarim on the coast, driving 1,000s of residents from Juhur al-Dik, al-Mughraqa, and al-Zahra’ with heavy artillery and tank fire), but not entering dense urban areas.

Combat notes: IDF-Palestinian ground fighting is described as “fierce,” characterized by heavy IDF artillery fire and heavy Palestinian sniping and mortar fire. Because the IDF stays out of built-up areas, there are few reports of close-quarter combat or heavy exchanges of gunfire. While ground troops concentrate in the north, Israeli air strikes and naval bombardment focus equally on the north and south, hitting more tunnels on the Rafah border and targeting Hamas leaders for assassination. (The IDF claims to assassinate Hamas rocket cmdr. Hussam Hamdan and IQB and long-range rocket cmdr. Muhammad Hilu in Khan Yunis, senior IQB mbr. Muhammad Shalbush in Jabaliya, but there is no independent confirmation.)

The IDF reports hitting 45 sites and carrying out 40 air strikes during the day, striking a produce market in Gaza City, several mosques, a medical building and 3 mobile clinics in Shati’ r.c. run by a Danish charity, homes of at least 4 Hamas mbrs. (most of whom have gone into hiding), and suspected weapons depots across Gaza. Target areas include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (al-Daraj, Tal al-Hawa, al-Tuffah, al-Yarmuk, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya, Juhur al-Dik, Khan Yunis, al-Mughraqa, al-Nasser (n. of Rafah), Rafah, Shati’ r.c., al-Shuka, al-Zahra’. After dark, IDF troops conduct door-to-door searches on the outskirts of Gaza City.

Palestinians fire 29 rockets (including at least 12 Grads) and 5 mortars into Israel, hitting Ashdod, Ashqelon, Netivot, Ofakim, and Sederot; 1 house in Sederot is damaged and 1 Israeli woman lightly injured. 

At least 47 Palestinians (including 4 paramedics) are killed and 400 wounded (including 3 paramedics) during the day; 1 IDF soldier is killed, 1 is seriously wounded in a heavy exchange of gunfire nr. Jabaliya; 15 IDF soldiers are wounded (3 seriously) by Palestinian mortar fire inside Gaza. The UN and Palestinian medical workers estimate the Palestinian toll to have reached at least 507 dead, 2,400 injured. The Israeli toll stands at 5–6 killed, more than 40 injured.

Humanitarian notes: The Israeli FMin. announced a new joint office of the FMin. and Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, called the Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Center (HACC), to coordinate humanitarian organizations operating on aid transfers to the Strip. The UN reports that shortages of fuel, electricity, and water are worsening. Gazan hospitals report drastic shortages of anesthesia, surgical equipment, heaters, spare parts. (AP, BBC, IDF, JAZ, National Public Radio, OCHA, REU, WT 1/4; IDF, IFM, NYT, RFM, UNOSAT, WP, WT 1/5; BBC 1/6; IFM, PCHR 1/8; WP 1/27)

In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots 1 Palestinian demonstrator who attempts to climb the separation wall nr. Qalqilya; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, nr. Jenin. Israel’s High Court rules that the IDF may seal 2 floors of the home of the East Jerusalem Palestinian who killed 8 students at the Mercaz HaRava yeshiva in Jerusalem in 3/6/08, even though the gunman was killed during the attack and sealing the home would serve only to punish his extended family; another floor of the home will not be sealed because it is being rented to an unrelated family. (PCHR 1/8)

As Israel continues widespread air and naval bombardment of Gaza for a 3d day, Israeli DM Barak declares “all-out war” on Hamas. The IDF declares a 2-mi. buffer zone around the Strip a closed military zone and continues amassing tanks and troops there, indicating further preparations for a ground invasion. Israeli military officials speaking anonymously say they have expanded the IDF’s target list to include Hamas’s support network and symbols of Hamas power, stating that “there are many aspects of Hamas, and we are trying to hit the whole spectrum, because everything is connected and everything supports terrorists against Israel” and that “anything affiliated with Hamas is a legitimate target.”

Israeli actions: The IDF reports hitting 100 sites today, including more Islamic University buildings (including the engineering dept., library); homes and offices of Hamas leaders; PA government buildings (including the Interior Min., Finance Min., Foreign Min., Labor Min., Construction and Housing Min., and a PA presidential guest house); Bani Suhayla’s municipal building; the alZawiyya Mosque in Jabaliya r.c. and Omar Bin al-Khattab Mosque in al-Bureij r.c.; more civil and naval police stations; more tunnels along the Rafah border; the headquarters of Hamas’s al-Aqsa TV; Gaza’s port (for a 2d day); and 1 Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades training site. Target areas include Abasan, Bani Suhayla, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (city center, al-Rimal, al-Sabra, Shaykh Ajlin, Tal al-Hawa), Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, Nussayrat r.c., al-Qarara, Rafah, Shati’ r.c., Tal al-Za‘atar. Just before strikes on Rafah, Israeli Military Intelligence makes 10,000 automated calls to Rafah residents warning of pending air strikes, breaks into Palestinian radio broadcasts to urge residents across Gaza to move to city centers. Palestinian medical officials report at least 364 Palestinians dead, 1,500 wounded since 12/27.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 66 rockets, 14 mortars into Israel (twice as many as in the previous 24 hrs.), killing 3 Israeli civilians (1 each in Nahal Oz, Ashdod, Ashqelon; 1 of them an Israeli Palestinian) and wounding 5 (3 of them Israeli Palestinians), with 2 rockets hitting 23 mi. north in Gan Yavne/Ashdod. A Palestinian mortar hits an IDF base in Netivot, s. and e. of the Nahal Oz crossing, killing 1 IDF soldier (a Druze), seriously wounding 1, lightly injuring 4. The Israeli toll stands at 4–5 dead, about 20 injured. Reports circulate (e.g., NYT 12/30) of Hamas gunmen executing at least 5 accused collaborators with Israel inside hospitals; the 5 had been jailed for collaboration and transferred to hospitals after being wounded in IDF air strikes on jails.

Humanitarian notes: Israel allows 40 truckloads of humanitarian aid into Gaza; Egypt allows 23 truckloads of emergency goods in, some wounded out through Rafah. International aid groups (including Amnesty International, the UN) say aid transfers are insufficient, warn that the death toll is rising in part because of lack of medicines and medical supplies, food, and fuel.

Of note: One Israeli air strike heavily damages the UN Special Coordinator’s Office (UNSCO) headquarters in Gaza City, prompting the UN to issue a formal complaint. Egyptian TV reports that captured IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit has been wounded in an Israeli air strike in recent days; Hamas does not comment. (BBC, CNN, HA, Houston Chronicle, IFM, REU, White House press briefing, YA 12/29; BBC, IDF, Independent, NYT, WP, WT 12/30; IDF, UNOSAT 12/31; JP, PCHR, WJW 1/1; ITV 1/2; IDF 1/3; NYT, WP 1/4; WT, UNOSAT 1/5; IFM 1/8; Committee to Protect Journalists 1/9)

In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinians demonstrating against OCL in Issawiyya, Shu‘fat r.c., al-Tur neighborhood in East Jerusalem, causing no serious injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in East Tura village nr. Jenin, Hebron. (PCHR 1/1)