In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Qabatiya on 3/30. Israeli settlers assault a Palestinian woman during a raid in Susiya in the Masafer...
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April 2, 2024
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February 27, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shoot and kill 3 Palestinians and injure 3 others during raids in al-Fara’a refugee camp and Tubas. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a Palestinian man near al-...
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February 16, 2024
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to a home, a vehicle, and 2 agricultural structures in Kisan. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian shepherd near al-Bireh. Israeli forces deliver...
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January 6, 2024
In the West Bank, armed Israeli settlers harass and intimidate Palestinians in Hebron. Israeli settlers also bring livestock to graze on Palestinian crops in the Masafer Yatta area. Elsewhere,...
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December 7, 2023
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Tulkarm on 11/14. Israeli forces shot and injured 6 Palestinians during raids in Qiffin and al-Khader....
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November 30, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 10 olive trees in Kafr ad-Dik. Israeli settlers with a military escort also raided al-Twana, assaulting Palestinians. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers...
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November 14, 2023
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Jenin on 10/29. Israeli settlers vandalized Palestinian vehicles during a raid in Husan. Israeli forces...
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November 5, 2023
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces earlier this week in al-Eizariya. Israeli settlers set up 5 caravans near Tuqu’. Israeli settlers also threw...
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October 25, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Burin, assaulting them at gun point and stealing tools, phones, and olive crops. Israeli settlers also raided Qarawat...
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October 21, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers injured 5 Palestinians in Yasuf, including 3 with live ammunition and 2 with stones. Israeli settlers also assaulted Palestinians harvesting olives in Deir...
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October 15, 2023
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and stole an olive harvest near Burqa. Israeli settlers also used pepper spray against 2 Palestinians at the Awarta...
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October 13, 2023
In the West Bank, an Israeli settler was filmed shooting a Palestinian man point-blank in the stomach, critically injuring him during a settler raid in al-Twana. Israeli settlers also shot and...
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February 2, 2023
In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler pepper sprayed 1 Palestinian minor in Huwwara. Israeli forces demolished 1 residential structure and 1 agricultural structure in Nabi Musa, demolished 15...
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September 21, 2022
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinian minors during a raid in Rumana; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians...
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April 18, 2022
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian high school student who was shot by Israeli forces on 4/9 using live ammunition on her way home from school in Deir Ghazaleh succumbed to her injures. Israeli...
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August 26, 2021
In the West Bank, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from renovating a water reservoir in Bayt Dajan. 6 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around al-Yamun, Deir Balut,...
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July 19, 2021
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers planted trees near al-Farisya and ‘Ain al-Hilweh. Israeli forces delivered a stop-work order to 1 Palestinian for his agricultural fields and seized 1 bulldozer...
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May 18, 2021
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up sheds in Dayr Istya. Israeli settlers with military escort vandalized property in Burqin and Israeli forces attacked Palestinians when they tried to fend...
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May 12, 2021
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 2 Palestinians in Ma’in, causing light injuries. Israeli settlers also set fire to a Palestinian-owned vehicle in Rujeib. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers...
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April 12, 2021
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up a tent on Palestinian-owned land in Qusra. Israeli settlers also razed 15 dunams (3.7 acres) of agricultural land planted with wheat in Jalud. Israeli...
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October 7, 2020
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to olive trees in Dayr Balut, damaging 50. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Huwwara, injuring 3. 9 Palestinians were...
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Qabatiya on 3/30. Israeli settlers assault a Palestinian woman during a raid in Susiya in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Nablus, causing damage. Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Nablus. Israeli forces also assault Palestinian farmers in the Masafer Yatta area. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolish 2 homes in as-Samu and 2 homes under construction in al-Simiya. Israeli forces also seize a rickshaw in Deir Balut. Meanwhile, Israeli forces raze land near Ya’bad and Arrabah. Israeli forces also arrest 34 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Husa, Battir, Bethlehem, Qalandia, Hizma, Nablus, Madama, Qabalan, Qiffin, ‘Azzun, and Jayyus. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 71 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Ainata, Aitaroun, and Blida. Hezbollah forces fire rockets at Nahariya. In Jordan, protesters demonstrate outside of the Israeli embassy in Amman for the 10th day in a row. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/2; AJ, UNOCHA 4/3)
More than 32,916 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,750 children and 8,900 women, and around 75,495 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 446 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 112 children. More than 4,700 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 254 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,520 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. U.S. forces airdrop aid over northern Gaza. 158 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The UN suspends aid movements at night in Gaza, citing risks to aid workers. (AJ, WAFA 4/2; AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA 4/3; UNOCHA 4/5)
Anera, the second largest humanitarian organization in Gaza, suspends operations following the Israeli attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers on 4/1 that killed 7 people. The UAE suspends its operations in the maritime corridor between Cyprus and Gaza due to the attack. (AJ, AX, HA, REU, WAFA 4/2; AJ 4/3)
140 countries sign letters to the presidents of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, and UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres supporting Palestine gaining full UN membership. The Security Council would have to approve full membership for Palestine before the General Assembly can vote on approval. U.S. deputy ambassador to the UN Robert Wood says the U.S. position remains that the issue of Palestinian statehood is a final status issue to be decided in talks between Israel and Palestine. (REU 4/2; AJ, AP 4/3)
A ceasefire proposal formulated by Egypt and Qatar is sent to Hamas. (HA 4/3)
The World Bank and the UN release a report saying the damage to Gaza’s infrastructure is estimated at $18.5 billion and that the estimated 26 million tons of rubble caused by Israeli destruction will take years to remove. (AJ, REU, WAFA 4/2; AJ 4/3)
PA prime minister Mohammad Mustafa addresses the first cabinet meeting of the new government, outlining 3 major priorities: easing the hardship of Palestinians in Gaza, achieving financial stability, and reform of public institutions to make them more productive, accountable, and transparent. Mustafa also speaks with UK foreign secretary David Cameron, Egyptian prime minister Mustafa Madbouly, and Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa in separate phone calls. PA president Mahmoud Abbas speaks with Jordanian king Abdullah II in a phone call, saying he supports Jordan as external forces are trying to interfere in internal Jordanian affairs, exploiting the situation in Gaza. It is not immediately clear what Abbas is referring to, but it could relate to the more than week-long protests outside of the Israeli embassy in Amman. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/2; WAFA 4/3)
The UN Security Council discusses Israel’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on 4/1. The Russian and Iranian ambassadors condemn the attack, as does Secretary-General Guterres who says the “inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law.” The U.S., France, and the UK do not condemn the Israeli attack but say that diplomatic structures should be protected. (AJ, HA, REU 4/2; NYT 4/3)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Blinken says the U.S. is in contact with Israel on how to distribute aid in Gaza, adding not enough aid is getting in. (HA 4/2)
U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan postpones a trip to Saudi Arabia to discuss Saudi-Israeli normalization with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman after he suffers a cracked rib. (AJ, AX, HA 4/2; REU 4/3)
47,800 Americans in Wisconsin vote “uninstructed” in the Democratic primary election, more than the 20,682 votes President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by in the state in 2020. Wisconsin is one of several swing states where a campaign to criticize Biden’s policy on Gaza has gathered significant support. (HA 4/2; AJ 4/3)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shoot and kill 3 Palestinians and injure 3 others during raids in al-Fara’a refugee camp and Tubas. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a Palestinian man near al-Muntar. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Beit Furik. Israeli forces also seize a bulldozer during a raid in Bidya. Meanwhile, Israeli forces also arrest 30 Palestinians from Gaza in Barta’a and 5 others in Nablus, Beit Furik, Jalazone, Jericho, and Tubas, including a Palestinian child in Jericho who was released as part of the ceasefire prisoner swap in November 2023. 9 Palestinians prisoners released as part of the deal have been arrested again. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Dayr al-Balah, and Rafah, killing at least 96 people. 2 babies die at the Kamal Adwan Hospital due to dehydration. 2 rockets are fired at Ashkelon, both are intercepted. 2 Israeli soldiers die in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Ayta ash Shab, Sidon, and Tyre. Hezbollah fires anti-tank missiles at an Israeli airbase in the Mount Meron area, causing damage. In the Red Sea, U.S. forces shoot down 5 drones launched from Yemen. Germany naval forces also intercept a drone launched from Yemen. (HA 2/26; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/27; AJ, HA, UNOCHA 2/28)
More than 29,878 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 70,215 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 404 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 102 children. More than 4,590 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 240 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,408 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. For the second day in a row, Jordan, Egypt, France, and the UAE airdrop humanitarian aid to Gaza using 6 C-130 planes. Jordanian king Abdullah II personally takes part in the airdrop mission. 135 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/27; UNOCHA 2/29)
The Israeli military’s Central Command commander Yehuda Fuchs signs an order to allow the Mitzpeh Yehuda settlement outpost to be turned into a new settlement called Mishmar Yehuda that initially would have 3,600 housing units and later expand to 13,600 housing units. Mitzpeh Yehuda is north of al-Ubeidiya. (HA, PCN, REU, WAFA 2/28)
Hamas official Basem Naim says Hamas has not received the U.S., Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari ceasefire counterproposal. Reuters reports that the proposal’s first stage includes a 40-day ceasefire, a prisoner exchange ratio of 1 Israeli to 10 Palestinians, that both parties end military operations, a halt to Israeli arial reconnaissance operations for 8 hours a day, and a gradual return of Palestinians to northern Gaza except for men of military age. The second stage would see Israeli forces leave densely populated areas, at least 500 trucks carrying aid enter daily, 200,000 tents and 60,000 caravans enter Gaza, and Israel allow the rebuilding of hospitals and bakeries and allow heavy machinery to enter Gaza to remove rubble. (AJ, AJ, REU 2/27)
PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki meets with WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus in Geneva, Switzerland, discussing the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Al-Maliki also briefs the UN Human Rights Council on the situation in Gaza. President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh meet with Japanese foreign minister Tsuji Kiyoto in Ramallah. Japan donates $32 million in emergency aid to Gaza through the World Food Programme, WHO, and UNICEF. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/27)
The Israeli Army Radio reports that the military and the Shin Bet have urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to restrict entry for Muslim worshippers to the Haram al-Sharif compound during Ramadan, citing the security situation in the West Bank. (AJ 2/27)
Israeli economy minister Nir Barakat tells reporters at the World Trade Organization conference in Abu Dhabi that “in the wars Israel had we had a dip in the economy but immediately after we had a huge spike in innovation. And the knowledge and the experience Israel is gathering in this round of violence is second to none . . . Especially after this war I think we are probably going to be leading many, many initiatives on what next-generation warfare is going to look like.” (REU 2/27)
At the UN Security Council, UNOCHA head and representative in Geneva Ramesh Rajasingham says 576,000 people in Gaza are “one step away from famine.” (AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA 2/27; AJ, AP 2/28)
U.S. treasury secretary Janet Yellen says Israel has started transferring the PA’s tax revenue to the PA upon request from the U.S. and that she urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to reverse the ban on Palestinians from the West Bank working in Israel. President Joe Biden meets with House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) at the White House, urging him to pass the Senate supplemental funding bill providing aid to Israel and Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, discussing the situation in Gaza and the establishment of a Palestinian state. USAID administrator Samantha Power says the U.S. will provide an additional $53 million in humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. (AJ, AP, AX, HA, NYT, REU 2/27; NYT 2/28)
Axios reports that the U.S. has given Israel until mid-March to sign a letter guaranteeing that Israel will use U.S.-provided weapons in accordance with international law and that Israel will allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. (AJ, AX 2/27)
A poll released by Data for Progress shows 67% of U.S. voters support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, including 77% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans. (AJ 2/27)
At the Michigan presidential primaries, an effort to challenge President Biden’s Gaza policy gains support as more than 100,000 voters vote “uncommitted” which organizers had urged people who are angry with Biden’s approach to do in the Democratic primary. Michigan is a swing state which former president Donald Trump won with 11,000 votes in 2016 and Biden won with 150,000 votes in 2020. (AJ, AP, HA, NYT 2/28)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to a home, a vehicle, and 2 agricultural structures in Kisan. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian shepherd near al-Bireh. Israeli forces deliver demolition notices for 4 homes and a restaurant in al-Walaja. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man with a baton round during a raid in Shu’fat, others suffer tear-gas related injuries. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, Jabalia refugee camp, Khan Yunis, and Gaza City, killing at least 112 people. 5 people die at the Nasser Hospital after power outages cut oxygen supplies. 2 Israeli soldiers are killed in combat. In Bnei Re’em, a Palestinian man shoots and kills 2 Israelis and wounds 4 others at a bus stop before being shot dead by Israeli forces in East Jerusalem. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires rockets at Ramya, killing an Israeli soldier. Israeli forces attack Bint Jbeil, Labourna, al-Naqoura, al-Fardis, Rachaya, al-Foukhar, and al-Harbiyah, causing damage. In Yemen, U.S. forces attack 2 sites near Hodeidah. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/16; HA 2/17; UNOCHA 2/19)
More than 28,775 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 68,552 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 390 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 100 children. More than 4,499 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 232 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,361 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 199 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (HA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/16; UNOCHA 2/19)
The ICJ rejects South Africa’s request for additional provisional measures in the genocide case against Israel but says an Israeli assault on Rafah “would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences” and orders Israel to adhere to the original provisional measures. Hamas welcomes the ICJ’s “direct and clear order to stop this brutal aggression leading to genocide against defenseless civilians.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA 2/16)
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) denies Israeli allegations that PRCS staff and equipment were involved in the attack on Israel on 10/7/2023, saying Israel deliberately creates a false narrative by circulating a video that clearly shows that the ambulance and staff in question are not from PRCS. (AJ 2/16)
The PA calls for sanctions on Israel, saying Israeli prime minister Benjamin “Netanyahu continues to disregard international demands and resolutions, and continues to kill our people, starve them, thirst them, and destroy their land to push them to emigrate.” (AJ 2/16)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant says the Israeli military is “thoroughly planning” its invasion of Rafah and claims that 30 UNRWA employees took part in the events on 10/7/2023. Israeli president Isaac Herzog meets with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, discussing ceasefire negotiations. (AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA 2/16; REU 2/17)
Lebanon files a complaint with the UN Security Council over Israel’s killing of 11 civilians on 2/14. (AJ 2/16)
U.S. president Joe Biden says that he hopes Israel does not invade Rafah and stresses the need for a temporary ceasefire. At the Munich Security Conference, Vice President Kamala Harris says after Israel’s war on Gaza there should be “no reoccupation of Gaza, no change to its geographic territory, no return of terrorism by Hamas” and the PA should take over governance of Gaza. The foreign ministers of the U.S., UK, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar discuss plans for Gaza after the war. (AJ, HA, REU 2/16)
Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov says Russia has invited all Palestinian factions to Russia for “inter-Palestinian” talks on 2/26. (AJ 2/16; AJ, HA 2/18)
French president Emmanuel Macron meets Jordanian king Abdullah II in Paris. In a joint press statement, Macron says that France will work with the EU and the UN Security Council to recognize a Palestinian state, adding it is no longer taboo in France. (HA, REU, WAFA 2/16; AP 2/17)
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Biden administration is preparing to send Israel around 1,000 MK-82 500-pound bombs and 1,000 KMU-572 JDAMs. (REU 2/16; AJ 2/17)
The New York Times reports that Israel was responsible for a sabotage attack on 2 gas pipelines in Iran on 2/15 and an explosion at a chemical factory near Tehran on 2/16. (HA, NYT 2/16; HA 2/17; AJ 2/18)
In the West Bank, armed Israeli settlers harass and intimidate Palestinians in Hebron. Israeli settlers also bring livestock to graze on Palestinian crops in the Masafer Yatta area. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers set up mobile homes near Tuqu’. Israeli forces shoot and injure 11 Palestinians during raids in Qatanna, Sabastia, Anabta, Zeita, and Tulkarm. Israeli forces also seize printing equipment and a vehicle from a printing shop in Nablus. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Maghazi, Beit Lahiya, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, and Dayr al-Balah, killing more than 150 people, including 70 in a residential building in Jabalia refugee camp, 43 in 2 homes in Khan Yunis, 27 in 2 homes in Dayr al-Balah, and 4 in an UNRWA school sheltering internally displaced people. Israeli snipers also shoot a Palestinian outside of al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis. Doctors Without Borders says it will evacuate staff and patients from al-Aqsa Hospital in Dayr al-Balah after Israel orders the evacuation of the area in which the hospital is located, noting that Israel has attacked the area around the hospital for several days. Israel claims it forces have assassinated the commander of the al-Qassam Brigades Nuseirat battalion Ismail Sirah and his deputy Ahmed Wahba. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb a home in Kawthariyat al-Siyad 25 miles north of the Blue Line and several places south of Tyre. Hezbollah attacks a group of Israeli soldiers in Avivim and fires 62 missiles at the Meron air base. In the Red Sea, the U.S. says it shot down a drone launched from Yemen. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/6; AP, HA, HA, UNOCHA 1/7)
More than 22,750 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 57,910 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 319 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 81 children. More than 3,949 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 173 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,020 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. As of 12/23, at least 65,000 housing units had been destroyed and 290,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 116 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (AJ, WAFA 1/6; UNOCHA 1/7)
The Gaza media office says Israel has exhumed 1,100 graves in the Tuffah cemetery, stealing 150 bodies. (AJ 1/6)
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari says Israel has dismantled the Hamas “military framework” in northern Gaza and killed 8,000 militants in the area. Military chief of staff Herzl Halevi and Shin Bet director Ronen Bar tour Khan Yunis. (AJ, HA 1/6; AJ 1/7)
The PA says Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley are quickly increasing while the world focuses on Gaza. The PA calls on the U.S. to urge Israel to end the settlement expansion. (AJ, WAFA 1/6)
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres submits a report to the UN Security Council warning that “widespread famine looms” in Gaza. Guterres says in the report that Israel must restore water and electricity services in Gaza. (AJ, HA 1/7)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken visits Greece and Turkey, meeting with Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Crete and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul. Blinken later arrives in Jordan ahead of a meeting with King Abdullah II. Blinken also speaks with the Algerian foreign minister Ahmed Attaf telling him that the U.S. rejects the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU 1/6)
U.S. senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Jeff Merkey (D-OR) visit the Rafah crossing. Van Hollen tells reporters that the Israeli authorities are stymying the flow of aid by arbitrarily rejecting supplies from entering Gaza, calling the aid screening process “unnecessarily cumbersome.” A congressional delegation visits Qatar, meeting with prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and discussing the situation in Gaza. (AJ, AP 1/6; AJ 1/7)
EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borell meets with Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati in Beirut, discussing Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. (AJ 1/6)
100 lawyers from Chile file a complaint with the ICC accusing Israel of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, blaming Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AJ 1/6)
In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Tulkarm on 11/14. Israeli forces shot and injured 6 Palestinians during raids in Qiffin and al-Khader. Israeli forces also assaulted a Palestinian man in Huwwara. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided a printing shop in Ramallah, sealing the shop, and closed and sealed the offices of an orphanage in Beit Umar, seizing files and computers. Israeli forces also issued notices that it will seize 501 dunams of land in Jaba’a and 12 dunams in Wadi Rahal. 44 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Far’un, Qusin, Dheisheh refugee camp, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police dispersed a march by Israeli extremists who called for full Israeli control over the Haram al-Sharif compound. The march was dispersed after marchers violated the agreement with Israeli police. 6 Palestinians were arrested in Sur Baher and at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, and Rafah, killing around 350 people. Israeli airstrikes also destroyed the 13th century Othman bin Qashqar Mosque in Gaza City and put al-Awda Hospital under siege, opening fire at the hospital. Hamas said it had destroyed 135 military vehicles in the past 72 hours. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed, including the son of Israeli war cabinet member Gadi Eizenkot. In Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike on Majdal Zoun injured several people. Islamic Jihad said 2 of its members were killed by Israel near the Blue Line. 1 Israeli was killed and 2 Israeli soldiers were lightly injured by an anti-tank missile in Matat and near Shtula. Israel said it attacked Syria after 2 missiles were launched toward Israel. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/7; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU, REU 12/8)
More than 17,177 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 7,729 children and 5,153 women, and around 46,000 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 258 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 67 children. More than 3,325 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. 93 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.9 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. As of 12/3, at least 52,000 housing units had been destroyed and 253,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 60% of all housing units. The Jordanian military air dropped medical supplies at its field hospital in Gaza. 69 trucks carrying aid, including 13 gallons of fuel, entered Gaza. Rafah remained the only place where aid was delivered to, except for the delivery of medical supplies to 2 hospitals in Khan Yunis. 121 wounded Palestinians and 491 foreign nationals were evacuated to Egypt. (AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 12/7; AJ, HA 12/8)
Israeli videos of dozens of Palestinian men being stripped to their underwear, forced to sit on the ground, and taken by Israeli forces to a large hole dug in the ground circulated in Israeli media and on social media. What happened to the men, who were taken from UN schools in Beit Lahiya, remained unknown as some of them were identified as civilians, including journalists, doctors, and academics. Hamas condemned the Israeli action, calling it revenge for Israel’s failed invasion and calling on human rights organizations to intervene. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed identified one of the Palestinians as their journalist Diaa Kahlout and said several of his family members were among the detainees. (AJ, AP 12/7; AJ, NYT, REU 12/8)
Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered the Israel Prison Service to move members of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades to an underground wing of the Nitzan Prison. The underground wing was said to have not been used for years. (AJ 12/8)
UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths said the current humanitarian mission in Gaza could not be described as an “humanitarian operation” given the pace of the Israeli attacks on southern Gaza, which prevent the UN from delivering aid. (AJ, AP, UNOCHA 12/7)
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said their investigation into the Israeli killing of Lebanese Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah on 10/13 revealed the killing was likely deliberate and should be investigated as a war crime. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said the killing should be investigated, noting that he believed Israel was already doing so. Lebanon said it would add the investigation to its complaint it has filed with the UN over Israeli attacks. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said “Israeli criminality has no limits.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA 12/7; AJ, REU, REU 12/8)
PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told Bloomberg News that the PA was working with the U.S. to plan for the political situation in Gaza once Israel’s war is over. Shtayyeh said Hamas could become a partner under the PLO umbrella if it accepts the PLO’s political platform. The Times reported that a team of UK advisors were in Ramallah to help the PA prepare for governing Gaza. Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry expressed support for the PA governing Gaza. (AJ 12/7; AJ, HA, HA, REU 12/8)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will turn “Beirut and South Lebanon into Gaza and Khan Yunis” in a warning to Hezbollah. (AJ, AP, HA 12/7; AJ 12/8)
Secretary of State Blinken said at a press conference with UK foreign secretary David Cameron that there was a gap between Israel’s stated intent to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza and the reality on the ground. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 12/7; AJ, REU 12/8)
U.S. president Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu. According to the White House, Biden told Netanyahu that more aid is required to enter Gaza, Israel needed to do more to protect civilians, and expressed concern over settler violence in the West Bank. Biden also spoke with Jordanian king Abdullah II, who demanded he call for an immediate ceasefire. U.S. officials said Israel had agreed to open the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing to allow more aid to enter Gaza. (AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA 12/7; HA 12/8)
The U.S. said it had resumed flying drones over Gaza to locate captives. (HA 12/7)
Russian president Vladimir Putin met with Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow, discussing the situation in Palestine. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU 12/7)
The G7 released a statement saying Israel should do more to protect civilians and allow more aid into Gaza. (AJ 12/7)
13 U.S. senators announced they were working on introducing an amendment to the bill that includes $14 billion in military aid to Israel, requiring that U.S. arms are used in accordance with U.S law., international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict. (AJ, AP, HA 12/7)
Al-Haq and Global Legal Action Network filed a legal challenge to UK exports of weapons to Israel in the UK High Court. (AP 12/7)
Axios reported that Egypt had warned Israel and the U.S. of a “rupture” in Egyptian-Israeli relations if Palestinian refugees begin to flee to Egypt as a result of Israeli attacks on Gaza. (AX 12/7)
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it had received 2,171 complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate between 10/7 and 12/2. (AJ 12/7)
Austria ended its suspension of aid to Palestinians, saying there was no indication the funds had been spent on funding or promoting terrorism or to spread anti-Semitic content. (HA 12/7)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 10 olive trees in Kafr ad-Dik. Israeli settlers with a military escort also raided al-Twana, assaulting Palestinians. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers blocked the entrance to Deir Balut. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man, claiming he had injured 2 Israeli soldiers in a car ramming near Atuf. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian outside of the Ofer Prison, injuring 4 others with live ammunition. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided Tulkarm, damaging infrastructure and Palestinian property. Israeli forces also assaulted and detained 3 Palestinian farmers in Khirbet Yanun. Meanwhile, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians during raids in Idhna and Arrabah. Israeli forces also demolished 5 homes and 6 water tanks in Farasin. Separately, Israeli forces seized a home in Karma, turning it into a military outpost. In the western part of Jerusalem, 2 Palestinian gunmen were killed after they opened fire at a bus station, killing 3 people and wounding 16 others. An Israeli civilian was killed by the soldier who killed the 2 Palestinians after the soldier mistook him for a Palestinian. The soldier was later arrested for the killing of the Israeli after a video circulated showing he had his hands raised in the air. Hamas said the 2 gunmen were members of its armed wing. Israeli forces subsequently arrested members of the families of the 2 Palestinians in Sur Baher. In Gaza, a Palestinian man succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 11/29 in Beit Hanun. Israeli forces shot and injured an Israeli journalist in southern Gaza. In Lebanon, Israel said it shot down an “aerial target” crossing from Lebanon. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/30; AP, HA 12/3; HA 12/4)
The Gaza Media Office did not update the casualty numbers, leaving the death toll from Israeli attacks at 15,000 as of 11/27, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, and around 35,000 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 242 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 63 children. More than 3,200 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.8 million Palestinians, nearly 80% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. As of 11/18, at least 45,000 housing units had been destroyed and 233,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 60% of all housing units. Israel said that at least 2,005 soldiers have been wounded since 10/7. Dozens of trucks carrying aid entered Gaza, including 7 trucks carrying fuel. 14 ambulances provided by Saudi Arabia also arrived in Gaza. Gaza’s Ministry of Health said hundreds of Palestinians needed to be evacuated to hospitals outside of Gaza for treatment. 30 people were evacuated to Egypt, including 9 wounded. 91 Palestinians returned to Gaza from Egypt and 31 medical staffers from the UAE and 2 UN staffers entered Gaza. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/30; UNOCHA 12/1)
The temporary ceasefire that was set to expire at 7 a.m. was extended for an additional day into 12/1. 30 Palestinian prisoners, 8 women and 22 children, were released from Israeli prisons on the seventh day of the prisoner exchange. 8 Israeli captives were released from Gaza. 2 Russian Israelis released on 10/29 were counted as released today to uphold the 1 to 3 prisoner release ratio that the parties had agreed to. Israel reportedly rejected a proposal from Hamas to exchange 7 captives and the bodies of 3 captives who had been killed in Israeli airstrikes. Egypt and Qatar said they continued efforts to extend the ceasefire by 2 days. Parents of Palestinians released in the prisoner exchanges called on the Red Cross to investigate the treatment of Palestinians after freed Palestinians said they were beaten and mistreated in prison. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/30; AJ, AP, NYT 12/1)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attended a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet. Blinken urged Israel to account “for humanitarian and civilian needs in southern Gaza before any military operation there,” and to curb settler violence in the West Bank. Blinken also reportedly expressed support for Israel’s continued war but warned that the longer it takes the more pressure there would be on Israel and the U.S. Blinken also met PA president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, saying the 2 discussed the need for reforms in the PA to combat corruption, aid to Gaza, and settler violence. Abbas presented Blinken with a file documenting Israeli crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and urged Blinken to support a lasting ceasefire. (AJ, AJ, AX, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 11/30; AP 12/1; HA 12/4)
Israeli energy minister Israel Katz called on Israel to punish the families of the 2 Palestinian gunmen that killed 3 Israelis in Jerusalem, saying they should lose their East Jerusalem residency cards. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to the shooting by saying Israel will distribute more weapons to Israeli civilians. (AJ 11/30)
Higher Arab Monitoring Committee chairperson Mohammed Barakeh petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice to end the Israel’s ban on protests in Palestinian communities in Israel. (HA 11/30; WAFA 12/2)
Qatari minister of state for international cooperation Lolwah al-Khater visited Gaza, meeting with Thomas White, the director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza. (AJ 11/30)
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan visited Israel, touring areas attacked by Hamas on 10/7. Khan was invited to visit Israel by Israeli families that have relatives held captive in Gaza. In an interview with Haaretz, Khan said he had “reason to believe” that Hamas had committed crimes under international law on 10/7. Khan also said he was looking into settler attacks in the West Bank and the large casualty numbers in Gaza. Palestinian rights organizations urged Khan to visit Gaza. (AJ 11/30; HA 12/2)
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said he doubted that Israel respected international humanitarian law and called Israel’s resumption of attacks in Gaza unacceptable. Israel subsequently summoned the Spanish ambassador for a reprimand and recalled its ambassador to Spain for consultations. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 11/30)
Jordan hosted an aid conference for Gaza. King Abdullah II condemned Israel for not allowing sufficient aid into Gaza. (REU 11/29; AJ, REU 11/30)
A +972 Magazine and Local Call investigation based on interviews with 7 current and former members of the Israeli intelligence community, Palestinian testimonies, data, and documentation from Gaza revealed that Israel had increased its attacks on what it calls “power targets,” which include private buildings, infrastructure, and high-rise blocks, to create a shock effect among civilians. According to the sources, the goal of bombing these civilian targets is to “lead civilians to put pressure on Hamas.” Several sources also said Israel has files that show its assessment of how many civilians will be killed in the bombing of these civilian targets. A source told the 2 publications that Israel had increased its permitted “collateral damage” from dozens when targeting a Hamas commander to hundreds and that Israel is fully aware how many civilians will be killed in its attacks. The sources also revealed that Israel use AI-based systems, such as Habsora, to identify targets, including the suspected homes of junior members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The investigation also said that Israel had broken from previous protocol by allowing the targeting of residential buildings without warning the residents, with Israeli Air Force chief of staff Omer Tishler saying that the “roof knocking” policy does not apply to war. Israel estimated that it had killed 1,000-3,000 Palestinian militants in Gaza out of at least 15,000 casualties. (+972, AJ 11/30)
The Washington Post reported that in late October Pope Francis told Israeli president Isaac Herzog in a phone call not “to respond to terror with terror”. (AJ, HA 11/30)
German and Belgian police searched homes of people who allegedly made social media posts in support of Hamas in Munster, Nordhorn, and Eupen. (AJ, HA 11/30)
Al Jazeera said its analysis of hundreds of speeches at the UN found that 55% of nations that have spoken on the issue of the situation in Gaza have called for a ceasefire, while 23% have called for a “pause,” and 22% did not call for either a pause or a ceasefire. (AJ 11/30)
The New York Times reported that Israeli military and intelligence officers knew of Hamas’ plans for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood but dismissed the attack as aspirational. The Israeli military obtained a 40-page document it called “Jericho Wall” outlining the plans for the operation, which the Times said was followed “with shocking precision.” The document showed that Hamas had intricate knowledge of Israeli military bases, prompting questions of whether it had informants in the Israeli military. (NYT 11/30; AP 12/1; NYT 12/2)
MSNBC cancelled The Mehdi Hasan Show, hosted by Mehdi Hasan, from 1/1/2024, saying it was making changes in preparation for the 2024 U.S. presidential elections. MSNBC was criticized for silencing voices critical of Israel with its cancelation of the show. Hasan was pulled off air for a period after the Israeli attacks started on 10/7. (AJ 11/30)
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Jenin on 10/29. Israeli settlers vandalized Palestinian vehicles during a raid in Husan. Israeli forces attacked Tulkarm refugee camp killing 5 Palestinians, including 3 in a drone strike, and injuring 18. Israel also damaged water, electricity, and sewage lines, uprooted streets, and bulldozed a monument to Yasir Arafat. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly tried to stab a soldier near Beit Einun. Elsewhere, Israeli forces punitively demolished the family home in ‘Urif of a Palestinian killed by Israeli forces after he allegedly killed 4 settlers near the Eli settlement on 6/20. 28 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Qalqilya, Jenin, Nablus, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 90 Palestinians in Khan Yunis and Gaza City, including at least 13 people in an airstrike on Khan Yunis. The number of fatalities was likely much higher since the Gaza Ministry of Health was unable to communicate with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. Israel said it had taken control of al-Shati refugee camp. Israel forces fired shots at al-Shifa Hospital. At the end of the day, Israel told the Gaza Ministry of Health that it will enter the hospital. Israel has bombed the vicinity of the hospital for days. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed and 4 seriously wounded in northern Gaza. Rockets were fired from Gaza, injuring 3 near Tel Aviv. In South Lebanon, Israel said it attacked Hezbollah sites in the Yiftah area. At the Red Sea, Israel said it intercepted a missile fired toward Eliat. The Houthi-led government in Yemen took responsibility. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ, HA 11/15)
The Gaza Ministry of Health was not able to fully update the casualty figures due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza. However, it did say that at least 11,451 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women, and 27,490 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 3,250 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 187 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 47 children. More than 2,700 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals had been killed and 5,431 have injured since 10/7. 51 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.61 million Palestinians, around 70% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 11/6, at least 40,000 housing units have been destroyed and 220,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 45% of all housing units. The Gaza Ministry of Health said 40 patients at al-Shifa Hospital have died in recent days. Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya said 179 people had been buried in mass graves in the hospital compound, including 7 babies and 29 intensive care patients. The WHO said 22 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza were no longer operational. 15 medical workers and 91 truckloads of aid entered Gaza. An estimated 18,000 Palestinians fled from northern Gaza to the south. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ 11/15)
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, “because of Hamas’s use of hospitals for military purposes, [the hospitals] will lose special protection in the international court.” Israel has presented animations, pictures of purported tunnels, and a video from al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital that it said was proof of Hamas’s presence at hospitals, all of which did not show any evidence to back Israel’s claim. In the video from al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, Israel showed a piece of paper hanging on the wall that it claimed was a list of Hamas militants’ names. However, the list was merely a calendar with the names of the days of the week written in Arabic. The U.S. said it had intelligence that suggested a Hamas and Islamic Jihad presence at hospitals in Gaza, including al-Shifa. A U.S. national security council spokesperson said “[w]e do not support striking a hospital from the air and we don’t want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people trying to get medical care they deserve are caught in crossfire.” Hamas called for the UN to inspect all hospitals in Gaza to debunk the Israeli and U.S. claims. Doctors at al-Shifa also rejected the claim that Palestinian militants were operating in the hospital. Human Rights Watch said Israel had not presented evidence “that would justify stripping hospitals of their special protections under international humanitarian law,” adding “international humanitarian law only allows attacking hospitals if room is made for safe evacuation.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ, REU 11/15)
Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the prison facility where Israel is holding members of Hamas who were captured during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, saying prisoners were “handcuffed in a dark cell, iron beds, toilets in a hole in the floor and the [Israeli] national anthem constantly playing in the background.” Ben-Gvir said he will promote the death penalty for the Palestinian militants. (HA 11/14)
A New York Times investigation into an attack on al-Shifa Hospital on 11/10 said it was likely an Israeli attack that killed 7 people at the hospital and not an errant missile fired from Gaza as Israel had claimed. (AJ, NYT 11/14)
Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he welcomed “the initiative of members of Knesset Ram Ben-Barak and Danny Danon on the voluntary immigration of Gaza Arabs to countries around the world. This is the right humanitarian solution for the residents of Gaza and the entire region.” Smotrich was referencing an op-ed written by Ben-Barak and Danon that was published in the Wall Street Journal on 11/13. The PA and Hamas condemned Smotrich comments. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, REU, WAFA 11/14)
U.S. president Joe Biden discussed efforts for a prisoner exchange with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Shin Bet director Ronan Bar met with Egyptian officials in Egypt, discussing a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Nearly 100 members of the U.S. Congress watched a screening of a 43-minute video of the Hamas Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on 10/7. The screening was facilitated by the Israeli embassy. (HA 11/14)
Belize said it had withdrawn its accreditation for the Israeli ambassador-designate in the country, suspended activities at its consulate in Tel Aviv and the Israeli consulate in Belize, and withdrawn its request for accreditation for its consul to Israel, citing Israeli violations of international humanitarian law. (AJ 11/14)
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said “I have been clear the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians. Even wars have rules. All innocent life is equal in worth …. I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint …. The world is witnessing this, the killing of women and children, of babies. This has to stop.” (HA, REU 11/14; AJ, AJ 11/15)
Reuters reported that Israel had approved the delivery of 6,340 gallons of diesel to Gaza. Haaretz later reported that the fuel was only for trucks used by the UN, not for hospitals. (AJ, AX, REU 11/14; HA 11/15)
Bloomberg News reported that in late October the U.S. quietly approved an Israeli request to send it laser-guided missiles, 155mm shells, night-vision devices, bunker-buster munitions, and new army vehicles. (AJ 11/15)
The Washington Post published an op-ed by King Abdullah II of Jordan, who said Israel has undermined the peace process for 2 decades by expanding settlements and allowing Israeli settlers to attack Palestinians. He called for a “concerted international effort to develop a regional architecture of peace, security and prosperity, built on a Palestinian-Israeli peace based on the two-state solution,” saying that Israeli violence will not grant it victory. (AJ 11/14)
German chancellor Olaf Schulz said Israel is a democracy that abides by international law and said it has “the right and duty to defend itself.” (AJ, HA 11/14)
Spanish minister for social rights Ione Belarra said 60 ministers from Europe and Latin America had signed a petition calling for the ICC to investigate Israeli leaders for genocide. (AJ 11/14)
More than 500 political appointees and staff members from 40 U.S. government agencies sent a letter to President Biden protesting his support for Israel’s war on Gaza. (NYT 11/14)
Tens of thousands of pro-Israel demonstrators rallied at the Mall in Washington D.C. Among the speakers was Christians United for Israel founder John Hagee, who in the past has blamed Jewish people for the Holocaust. The American Jewish anti-occupation organization IfNotNow called the rally “a pro-war, pro-Nakba rally.” (AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 11/14; AJ, AJ 11/15)
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces earlier this week in al-Eizariya. Israeli settlers set up 5 caravans near Tuqu’. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and assaulted a Palestinian man near Sabastia. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling north of Ramallah. Israeli forces shot and killed 4 Palestinians during raids in Abu Dis and Nuba, including 1 in a missile strike on a building in Abu Dis. Israeli forces also shot and injured 8 Palestinian during raids in ‘Usarin, Hebron, and Abu Dis. Elsewhere, Israeli forces vandalized several vehicles in Bayt Jala and uprooted 70 olive trees in Haris. 46 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Birzeit, Bil’in, Nuba, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, and Tubas. In Gaza, Israel cut internet and phone communications for the third time since 10/7. Israeli forces killed 243 Palestinians and injured 635 others. Israel bombed Maghazi refugee camp and al-Bureij refugee camp, killing 71 Palestinians and injuring dozens of others. 1 Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza, bringing the total death toll to 28 since the ground invasion started. Rockets were fired at Israel; no damage was reported. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed 4 Lebanese, including 3 children and an elderly woman, traveling in a car between Ainata and Aitaroun. 4 medics were also injured in Israeli attacks in Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah responded by attacking Kiryat Shmona, killing 1 Israeli. 1 Israeli soldier succumbed to injuries he sustained last week when his tank overturned. (AJ, HA 11/4; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/5; AJ, AP, AP 11/6)
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said at least 9,770 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,008 children and 2,500 women, and 24,173 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 2,260 people were buried in rubble, including 1,270 children. 144 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 43 children. More than 2,386 people have been injured. Around 1,400 Israelis, including foreign nationals, have been killed and 5,431 injured since 10/7. Over 1.5 million Palestinians, more than half the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 10/23, at least 27,781 housing units have been destroyed and 150,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The number is likely much higher given the lack of recent data. Egypt said the evacuation of injured Palestinians and foreign passport holders has been suspended since 11/4 due to the Israeli attack on an ambulance on 11/3. (AJ, HA 11/4; AJ, AP, HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/5; NYT 11/6)
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces had divided Gaza into “a south Gaza and a north Gaza.” The Israeli military called on Palestinians in northern Gaza to travel south on Salah al-Din Street between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Israeli heritage minister Amichai Eliyahu suggested that Israel use nuclear bombs in Gaza. He was later suspended from cabinet meetings but not as a minister. Eliyahu also suggested that the Palestinian population in Gaza should be forcefully displaced to Ireland or the desert. Saudi Arabia condemned the comments and called on Israel to fire him. Israeli military rabbi Amichai Friedman told Israeli soldiers, “[t]his is our country. All of it. Including Gaza. Including Lebanon, the entire Promised Land.” Newly appointed chairperson of the Knesset subcommittee on West Bank Issues Zvi Sukkot called on Israel to prevent all Palestinians from harvesting olives, claiming the harvest endangers Israeli settlers. (AJ 11/4; AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/5; AP, HA, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA 11/6)
Israeli police banned an anti-war protest in Umm al-Fahm. (HA 11/5)
King Abdullah II of Jordan said Jordanian military had airdropped medical aid for a field hospital run by Jordan in Gaza. Israel later claimed it coordinated with Jordan on the airdrop. (AJ 11/4; HA 11/5; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU 11/6)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken in Ramallah, calling on Blinken to support a ceasefire. Abbas said that the PA could return to power in Gaza if a “comprehensive political solution” is found to the Israeli occupation. U.S. officials said Blinken had told Abbas that the PA will play a central role in “what comes next for Gaza.” Palestinians protested Blinken’s visit to Ramallah. Blinken also traveled to Iraq, meeting with prime minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with the French consul-general to Jerusalem Pierre Cochard, discussing the upcoming French conference on aid to Gaza. (AJ 11/4; AJ, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/5; AJ, AJ, AP 11/6)
The Fatah Central Committee held a meeting discussing the situation in Gaza. In a statement after the meeting the committee condemned the “barbaric war of extermination by the occupying army.” (AJ 11/6)
CIA director William Burns arrived in Israel for meetings with Israeli officials. (AJ 11/4; NYT 11/5)
The New York Times reported that Israeli officials have been pushing other countries to lobby Egypt to allow Israel to displace Palestinians to the Sinai. The Times also reported that U.S. officials overseeing arms transfers to foreign countries will approve the sale of 24,000 assault rifles to Israel, despite concerns that some of the rifles will be handed out to settlers and civilian militias in Israel. Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has handed out weapons to settlers and promised more will arrive. Axios reported on 11/6 that the Biden administration, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee have approved the Israeli purchase of M16 rifles from U.S. companies on the condition that they would not be handed to civilians in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. (NYT, NYT 11/5; AX 11/6)
Thousands of Turkish protesters demonstrated outside of a U.S. airbase in Incirlik after traveling 584 miles from Istanbul in solidarity with Palestine. Turkish police violently dispersed some protesters with water cannons and tear gas. (AJ, AJ 11/4; AP, HA, REU 11/5; AP 11/6)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Burin, assaulting them at gun point and stealing tools, phones, and olive crops. Israeli settlers also raided Qarawat Bani Hassan, opening fire at Palestinians harvesting olives, forcing them to flee. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers uprooted 55 trees using a bulldozer in al-Twana. Israeli settlers also assaulted Palestinians in Khallet ad-Dabi, causing fractures and bruises on several of them. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian homes in Arab al-Milehat near Jericho. Israeli forces killed 7 Palestinians, including 2 children, during raids in Jenin refugee camp, Qalqilya, and Qalandia refugee camp; 5 of the Palestinians were killed in a drone strike on Jenin refugee camp. Israeli forces also shot and injured 28 Palestinians during raids in Jenin refugee camp and Qalandia refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces razed land and uprooted 25 trees near Beit Umar. 52 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Salfit, Jenin, Tubas, Bayt Awa, and Beit Umar. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli settlers with a military escort also attacked Palestinians in al-Sawana, injuring 3, including 2 with baton rounds and 1 by assault. Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian home in Shaykh Jarrah, displacing 9. Israel also forced a Palestinian family to demolish their own home in Bayt Hanina. 20 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed 756 Palestinians, including the wife, son, daughter, and grandchild of Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh in an airstrike that was said to be targeting him. Israeli airstrikes also destroyed a bakery in Dayr al-Balah shortly after it received a shipment of flour. Rockets were fired at Israel, causing damage and injuries. In Lebanon, Israeli attacks killed 2 members of Hezbollah, increasing the number of Hezbollah members killed to 40 since 10/7. In Syria, Israeli forces attacked Aleppo International Airport, rendering it out of service, and killed at least 8 and wounded 7 others in a different attack in southwestern Syria. (AJ 10/24; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/25; AJ, AP, AP, AP, WAFA 10/26)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of 5 p.m. at least 6,547 Palestinians had been killed, including at least 4,000 women and children, and 17,439 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. It is estimated that 1,500 were trapped in rubble. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 102 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 29 children. More than 1,833 have been injured. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that over 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half the population in Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 27,781 housing units have been destroyed and 150,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. At least 45% of all housing units have been either destroyed or damaged in Israeli airstrikes. The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 24 journalists have been killed since 10/7, including 20 Palestinians, 3 Israelis, and 1 Lebanese. The UN said the shortage of fuel was undermining its efforts to help Palestinians in Gaza. Israel told 40,000 Palestinians in Dayr al-Balah and Khan Yunis to evacuate to al-Mawasi. (AJ 10/24; HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA 10/25; AP 10/26)
The Palestinian Federation of Trade Unions said between 9,000 and 9,500 Palestinians from Gaza, employed in Israel, were in Israel on 10/7. 5,000 of them made it to the West Bank, with some 2,000 of them subsequently being arrested by Israel while 1,000 are unaccounted for. A Palestinian worker told Haaretz after he was released from an Israeli detention camp that Palestinians were held in the sun for 2 days without food, while they were blindfolded and their hands were tied. He also said he was beaten and threatened with death during an interrogation. (AJ 10/24; HA 10/25; HA, WAFA 10/26; AJ 10/28)
Oxfam said Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war, saying only 2% of the food that circumstances would have entered Gaza under normal circumstances has been delivered since 10/7 and that 104 trucks of food are needed daily to cover the needs of the population. (AJ 10/25)
Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri and Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziad al-Nakhalah met with Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. (AJ 10/24; AJ, HA, REU 10/25; HA 10/26)
U.S. president Joe Biden questioned the accuracy of the death toll reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health. Human Rights Watch said the data provided by the ministry is accurate, saying their own investigations are aligned with the ministry’s data. Biden also criticized Israeli settlers for “attacking Palestinians in places that they are entitled to be.” After a call with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a readout of the conversation stated that they discussed a “pathway for a permanent peace.” Newly elected House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson’s first act as speaker was to bring a pro-Israel resolution to the floor, which passed 412-10, with 6 voting present. The U.S. said it will send 2 Iron Dome batteries and 300 interceptors to Israel. (AJ, REU 10/24; AJ, HA, HA, NYT, NYT 10/25; AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, REU 10/26)
At the UN Security Council, the U.S. and UK vetoed a Russian resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. China, Gabon, Russia, and the UAE voted for the resolution while the 9 other members abstained. Russia and China vetoed a U.S. resolution calling for “humanitarian pauses.” The UAE also voted against it, while Albania, France, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, and the UK voted in favor. Brazil and Mozambique abstained. (AJ 10/24; AJ, REU 10/25; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, WAFA 10/26)
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a speech that he will not visit Israel as planned and that relations between the 2 states will not improve, calling Israel’s attacks on Gaza “inhumane.” Erdoğan also said Hamas is a liberation group that protects its lands and people. (AJ 10/24; AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 10/25; NYT 10/26)
French president Emmanuel Macron met with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who said the 2 discussed the “many, many civilian casualties” that could result from an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. Macron also met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman. Macron said France will deploy a navy ship to bring aid to Gaza hospitals via Egypt. (AJ 10/24; HA, REU, REU 10/25; AP 10/26)
Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf called UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer’s refusal to call for a ceasefire “infuriating.” (AJ 10/24)
The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. has asked Israel to hold off on its planned ground invasion of Gaza until the U.S. has bolstered its defenses in Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and the UAE. Haaretz reported that as of 10/22, 80 U.S. military planes have landed in Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus. (HA 10/24; HA, HA, NYT, REU 10/25)
Axios reported that U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken has asked Qatar to “tone down” Al Jazeera’s rhetoric on the Israeli attacks on Gaza. (AJ 10/24)
Fans of the Scottish soccer club Celtic waived 100s of Palestinian flags during a Champions League match against Atletico Madrid in Glasgow. (AJ 10/24; AJ 10/26)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers injured 5 Palestinians in Yasuf, including 3 with live ammunition and 2 with stones. Israeli settlers also assaulted Palestinians harvesting olives in Deir Istiya and al-Khader. A Palestinian family of 16 fled their home in Khirbet ar-Ratheem, south of Hebron, after Israeli settlers raided the area, causing destruction to their property and threatening them with guns. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian minor during a raid in Jericho. Israeli forces also shot and injured 10 Palestinians with live ammunition during raids in Askar refugee camp, Beita, and Deir as-Sudan. Elsewhere, Israeli forces punitively demolished the home of a Palestinian man in Aqabat Jaber refugee camp using explosives. Israeli forces also seized Hamas political bureau deputy leader Salah al-Arouri’s home in Bani Zeid al-Sharqiya, turning it in to a Shin Bet facility. Meanwhile, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from harvesting olives in Duma, Burin, Zabbuba, and Sebastia. More than 120 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Aroura, Rantis, Bethlehem, Hebron, Deir Sammit, and Nablus. The Palestinian Prisoners Club said at least 1,070 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank since 10/7. In Gaza, around 250 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Rockets were fired at Israel; no new fatalities were reported. In Lebanon, anti-tank missiles fired at Israel wounded an Israeli soldier and Israel attacked Hezbollah-linked sites. Hezbollah said 19 of its members have been killed by Israel since 10/7, including 6 today. In Cyprus, a small homemade bomb exploded near the Israeli embassy in Nicosia with no damage or injuries reported; 4 Syrians were arrested. (AJ, HA 10/20; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21; UNOCHA 10/22)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of 5 p.m. at least 4,385 Palestinians had been killed, including at least 1,524 children, and 13,561 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7, including 47 entire families consisting of 500 people. The UN said that about 70% of Palestinians killed in Gaza are children and women. It is estimated that hundreds are still trapped in rubble. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 84 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 26 children. More than 1,653 have been injured, including at least 360 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 4,629 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that over 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half the population in Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 26,756 housing units have been destroyed and 139,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. At least 42% of all housing units have been either destroyed or damaged in Israeli airstrikes. 43 unidentified Palestinians were buried in a mass grave in Gaza City. It was the second time Palestinians in Gaza were buried in mass graves this week. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 37 medical personnel have been killed since 10/7 and 7 hospitals no longer are operational. The first trucks carrying aid to Gaza arrived through the Rafah crossing. About 35 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said fuel will not enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing. UNRWA said 17 of its staff members have been killed and 35 of its buildings damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ, HA 10/20; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21; HA 10/22; HA 10/23)
Israel said it attacked several high-rise buildings in northern Gaza in recent days in preparation for a ground invasion. Israel also dropped leaflets over Gaza City, warning that Israel considers people who remain there collaborators with terrorists. (AJ 10/21; HA, HA 10/21; REU 10/22)
Hamas said it sought to release 2 additional captives for “humanitarian reasons,” but that Israel declined to receive them. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AJ, HA 10/21)
A PA official told Haaretz that Israel only allowed the aid that arrived in Gaza today to enter because of the release of 2 captives on 10/20 and that future aid will depend on the release of more captives. The official said that the U.S. and European countries have been trying to link aid to the release of civilian captives. (HA 10/21)
5 UN agencies released a joint statement calling the situation in Gaza “catastrophic.” (HA 10/21; WAFA 10/22)
Leaders from the PA, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, the UAE, UN, and EU, and senior government officials from Kuwait, Germany, France, Japan, Norway, Russia, and China met at the Cairo Peace Summit on Israel’s war on Gaza. Jordanian king Abdullah II said “[t]oday Israel is literally starving civilians in Gaza but for decades Palestinians have been starved of hope, of freedom and of future,” complaining that Israel is never held accountable and calling its actions in Gaza a war crime. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said Hamas’ attack does not justify “collective punishment of the Palestinian people.” PA president Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas and Israel to release all captives and prisoners. The summit ended without agreement on a joint statement. Abbas met with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez, EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borell, European Council president Charles Michel, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa, and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the summit. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21)
Prime Minister Meloni arrived in Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. HA 10/21)
U.S. forces shot down 2 drones flying near Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. The U.S. deployed a THAAD missile defense system battery and multiple Patriot missile batteries in the Middle East to “increase force protection for U.S. forces in the region, and assist in the defense of Israel,” according to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III. (AJ 10/21; HA, NYT 10/22)
The U.S. introduced a draft UN Security Council resolution, saying Israel has a right to defend itself, Iran needs to stop exporting arms to “militias and terrorist groups,” and calling for unhindered aid and protection of civilians. (HA 10/21)
AP said, based on videos, its experts have determined that it was likely an errant rocket that caused the explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital on 10/17. French and Canadian intelligence also suggested that an errant rocket fired by Palestinian militants caused the explosion. Investigations by UK Channel 4, Al Jazeera, and Forensic Architecture have concluded that it was likely an Israeli airstrike or artillery fire that caused the explosion. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AP 10/21; AJ, HA, HA 10/22)
Thousands of demonstrators attended pro-Palestinian rallies in many major cities throughout the world, including more than 100,000 in London. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and stole an olive harvest near Burqa. Israeli settlers also used pepper spray against 2 Palestinians at the Awarta checkpoint. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinian vehicles in Shaab al-Butum in the Masafer Yatta area, causing damage. Israeli settlers also assaulted a Palestinian man in Deir Istiya. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian minor in Beita. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters, injuring 2 with live ammunition, in Tubas. 52 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Deir Istiya, and Ramallah. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed around 450 Palestinians and caused extensive damage. Israel also assassinated Hamas commander in the Khan Yunis Battalion Bilal al-Kadra. Rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel, causing injuries. In Lebanon, UNIFIL said its headquarters in southern Lebanon was hit by a rocket. Hamas said it had fired 20 rockets from Lebanon at Israel. Hezbollah said it had hit 2 tanks and an armored vehicle “in response to the killing of journalists and civilians.” An Israeli was killed and 3 were wounded by anti-tank missiles fired by Hezbollah at Shtula. (AP 10/7; AJ, HA 10/14; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/15; HA, HA, HA 10/16)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 2,670 Palestinians have been killed and 9,600 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7, including 47 entire families consisting of 500 people. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. Due to a lack of space in cemeteries, about 100 unidentified Palestinian bodies were laid to rest in mass graves in Gaza City. 55 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 12 children. More than 1,173 have been injured, including at least 300 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals; 3,436 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that nearly 600,000 Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. The UN acknowledged that the number of displaced Palestinians was likely much higher because of the Israel order for Palestinians in the north to leave for the south. At least 11,887 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ 10/14; AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/15; AJ, HA, REU 10/16; HA 10/20)
The WHO said 4 hospitals in northern Gaza have been made nonoperational due to Israeli attacks and 21 hospitals have been ordered to evacuate by Israel. WHO also said it delivered medical supplies to 2,000 patients in Gaza “[d]espite the Israeli airstrikes.” There were reports of aid amassing near the Rafah crossing as Israel has not promised safe passage for the aid to enter Gaza. The U.S. said Israel had agree to supply water to some areas of Gaza. Hamas said the water had not started running as of 10/16. UNRWA said that water has run out at UN facilities sheltering Palestinians who have fled their homes. The remaining seawater distillation plant in Gaza closed due to a lack of fuel. (AJ 10/14; AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 10/15; AJ, HA, REU 10/16)
UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said “Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life. Soon, I believe, with this there will be no food or medicine either.” Lazzarini said UNRWA was no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza. 14 UNRWA employees have been killed and 13,000 displaced from their homes. (AJ, HA, WAFA 10/15)
The Commission of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs and the Prisoners’ Society said Palestinian workers from Gaza were being detained by Israel at Anatot camp. It was unclear how many were being kept in the camp. (WAFA 10/15; HA 10/17)
The New York Times reported that Israel had “loosened” its rules of engagement for its planned ground invasion in Gaza. (AJ 10/14)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas told Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro that Hamas’ actions and policies do not represent the Palestinian people. After the phone call, Maduro said that Venezuela would send 30 tones of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Abbas also spoke to U.S. president Joe Biden. (AJ 10/14; HA, REU 10/15; WAFA 10/16)
A landlord in Planfield, Illinois stabbed and killed a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and severely injured his mother. The man screamed “you Muslims must die!” as he attacked the 2 in their apartment. President Biden called the killing a “horrific act of hate.” (AJ 10/14; AJ, AJ, HA 10/15; HA, WAFA 10/16)
Israeli communications minister Shlomo Karhi said he will ask the cabinet to close Al Jazeera’s office in Israel. Karhi also promoted emergency regulations titled, “Limiting Aid to the Enemy through Communications,” that would allow him to direct Israeli police to arrest people, remove them from their homes, and seize their property if he believes they have spread information that could harm national morale or serve as enemy propaganda. (HA, HA 10/15)
U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said President Abbas and “virtually every other leader that I have talked to in the region” warned against the idea of transferring Palestinians from Gaza to the Sinai Peninsula. Blinken also met with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, announcing the Rafah crossing was open. It was unclear if it was only open for aid or for travel; reporting suggested it was not open for either. El-Sisi criticized Blinken for his remarks in Israel earlier in the week, when Blinken said he came to Israel “as a Jew,” and el-Sisi said the Israeli attacks on Gaza go beyond self-defense and amount to collective punishment. Blinken also met with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman who, after letting Blinken wait for hours for the meeting, urged him to help stop the attacks, make Israel respect international law, and lift the siege on Gaza. Blinken has also visited the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain since leaving Jordan on 10/13. (AJ 10/14; DOS, HA, HA, REU, REU 10/15; AJ 10/16; HA 10/18)
President Biden tweeted “[w]e must not lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas’s appealing attacks, and are suffering as a result of them.” Biden also told 60 Minutes that it would be a big mistake for Israel to reoccupy Gaza. Biden further said Hamas needs to be eliminated, while there needs to be a Palestinian authority in Gaza and a path to a Palestinian state. (AJ, HA, REU 10/15; HA 10/16)
U.S. senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Jackie Rosen (D-NV) traveled to Israel, meeting with President Isaac Herzog. (HA 10/15)
Israel suspended security exports to Colombia in response to a tweet on 10/9 by President Gustavo Petro comparing Israel’s response to Gaza, particularly its language about Palestinians and the total blockade of Gaza, to that of the Nazis. (AJ, HA 10/15)
The African Union and Arab League issued a joint statement saying an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza could lead to “genocide of unprecedented proportions.” (AJ 10/14)
King Abdullah II of Jordan met with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak in London in his first visit to Europe as part of his effort to convince European leaders to help end the war on Gaza. (HA 10/15)
Algeria said it would host “all official and non-official matches involving the Palestinian [national soccer] team’s preparation for qualification to the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup and to assume all associated costs.” (AJ 10/14; AJ 10/17)
In the West Bank, an Israeli settler was filmed shooting a Palestinian man point-blank in the stomach, critically injuring him during a settler raid in al-Twana. Israeli settlers also shot and injured 3 Palestinians with live ammunition in Nablus, Elsewhere, Israeli settlers vandalized 2 agricultural structures and uprooted fruit trees in Masafer Yatta, damaged vehicles near Nahalin, and homes in Silat ad-Dhahr. Israeli forces shot and killed 15 Palestinians, including 3 minors, during raids in Tulkarm, Beit Furik, Beit Ula, al-Ram, Atuf, Biddu, Bayt Liqya, and Hebron. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Halhul, Dheisheh refugee camp, Qalandia, Huwwara, Budrus, al-Khader, Bethlehem, al-Twana, Jenin, Hebron, and Qalqilya, injuring 53 with live ammunition and baton rounds. An Israeli soldier was killed in friendly fire in Nablus. 36 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Hebron, Fawwar refugee camp, Qalqilya, Dheisheh refugee camp, Beit Umar, and Halhul. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinians children in Isawiya. Israel also refused Palestinians under the age of 35 entry to the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, 70 Palestinians following Israeli evacuation orders were killed and more than 200 wounded in an airstrike on a road. Around 300 others were also killed and more than 1,100 were injured in Israeli airstrikes throughout Gaza. Israeli forces also made incursions into Gaza, retrieving the bodies of several Israelis. Rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza; no deaths were reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdullah and injured 6 others in a missile strike. Al Jazeera said Israel targeted the group of journalists intentionally. (AP 10/7; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/13; AJ, HA, HA, REU 10/14; AP, REU, REU 10/15)
The Gaza Ministry of Health said that as of 2 p.m. at least 1,799 Palestinians had been killed and 7,388 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. Hamas said 13 of the captives from Israel, including foreign nationals, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours. Israel said it hit 750 targets overnight and destroyed 12 high-rise buildings within a minute. 51 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 11 children. More than 700 have been injured. Israeli officials said 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 3,436 injured since 10/7. The UN reported that 423,378 Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 9,283 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 10/13)
The Israeli military told around 1.1 million Palestinians in the northern part of Gaza, including Gaza City, that they should flee south within the next 24 hours. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that would have “devastating humanitarian consequences” and strongly appealed to Israel to rescind the order. Many countries also called on Israel to reverse its order. The WHO called relocating severely ill people a “death sentence.” UNRWA offered its staff and their families shelter at an UNRWA compound in southern Gaza but said it did not have plans to evacuate Palestinians sheltering in UNRWA schools throughout Gaza as it does not have any capacity in the south and has no means of transporting the many thousands of people. Hamas’ refugee affairs authority called on Palestinians to remain in their homes, calling the Israeli evacuation order “disgusting phycological war.” Egypt moved thousands of troops to its Gaza border to prevent Palestinians fleeing Israeli attacks from breaching the border fence. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, HA, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/13; AJ, AJ, AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/14; WAFA, WAFA 10/15)
Adalah, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, ACRI, and HaMoked sent letters to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara, and Israel Prison Service head Katy Perry demanding that water and electricity be restored in the security wings of Israeli prisons that hold Palestinians. The Commission for the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs said on 10/12 that Israel had started collectively punishing prisoners in the Naqab prison on 10/11. (Adalah, WAFA 10/14)
The UN appealed for $294 million in aid to help around 1.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. (REU 10/13)
A Turkish cargo plane with humanitarian aid arrived in Egypt for transfer to Gaza. (AJ 10/13)
PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. (AJ 10/13)
Israeli president Isaac Herzog blamed Palestinian civilians in Gaza for the Hamas operation, saying “[i]t is not true this rhetoric about civilians [being] not aware, responsible for the attack . . . They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état.” (FT 10/13)
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said Israel received a second plane carrying U.S. ammunition. (AJ 10/13)
Tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated in Baghdad and Tehran against the Israeli attacks in Gaza. Jordanians marched toward the border with the West Bank in protest against the Israeli attacks. Jordanian police violently dispersed protesters at the border. Large protests were also held in Yemen, Pakistan, and elsewhere. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, WAFA 10/13)
After meeting Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati and Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel that if it does not stop its attacks on Gaza the war could spread to other parts of the Middle East. (AP, REU, REU 10/13)
U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin III arrived in Israel to meet with Israeli leaders. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Jordan for meetings with Jordanian king Abdullah II and PA president Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas told Blinken that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people and called for the opening of humanitarian corridors and for aid to enter Gaza. Blinken offered condolences for the Palestinian victims of the Israel-Hamas war. Abbas also spoke with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. 55 members of Congress wrote a letter to U.S. president Joe Biden, urging him to pressure Israel to protect civilians in Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/13)
Russia introduced a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. President Vladimir Putin compared the siege of Gaza to the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II. (HA 10/13)
Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia had frozen normalization talks with Israel and the U.S. due to the attacks on Gaza. (HA, HA 10/13; AJ 10/14)
The New York Times and NBC News reported that they had obtained documents that allegedly show how Hamas instructed militants to target schools and seize captives during its 10/7 operation. Israeli schools were closed on 10/7 as it was a Saturday. The documents were allegedly found on the bodies of militants killed by Israel and were labeled “top secret” in Arabic. Other media outlets questioned whether the documents were fabricated. (HA 10/13; HA 10/14)
The Huffington Post reported that the U.S. State Department was telling its diplomats not to use the terms “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed,” and “restoring calm,” when referring to Israel and Gaza. (AJ 10/13)
New South Wales police force said it has sought legal advice on if it can use special stop-and-search powers for the first time since 2005 to demand the identities of pro-Palestinian protesters attending an unauthorized demonstration in Sydney, Australia on 10/15. (REU 10/13)
In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler pepper sprayed 1 Palestinian minor in Huwwara. Israeli forces demolished 1 residential structure and 1 agricultural structure in Nabi Musa, demolished 15 commercial structures in Wadi al-Qelt, and demolished 2 homes in Duma. During the demolitions in Duma, Israeli forces shot and injured 1 journalist with a baton round and injured others with tear gas. Israeli forces also notified Palestinians in Hizma and Jaba’ that Israel will seize 500 dunams (123 acres) of land between the 2 villages to expand a settler-only road. 28 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in al-Mughayyir, Kafr Malik, al-Bireh, Nur Shams refugee camp, Nablus, Jericho, Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, and Hebron. In Gaza, 12 rockets were launched at Israel, causing no damage. Israeli forces subsequently launched airstrikes at Gaza, causing damage. In the Naqab, Israeli authorities demolished 1 Palestinian-owned home in Umm Batin. (HA, REU 2/1; AJ, AP, AP, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/2 AJ 2/3; PCHR 2/9; UNOCHA 2/21)
Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen met with Abdel Fatah Al Burhan, president of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, in Khartoum. After the meeting the 2 parties announced that Sudan will sign a normalization deal with Israel in Washington D.C. later in 2023. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA, HA, HA, MEE 2/2; ALM 2/3)
Chadian president Mahamat Idriss Deby and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the opening ceremony for the new Chadian embassy to Israel in Tel Aviv. (AJ, ALM, AP, AX, REU 2/1; HA 2/2)
Prime Minister Netanyahu met with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris. According to the French daily Le Monde, Macron told Netanyahu that “France will assume that Israel has disconnected from the two countries’ democratic perception,” if Netanyahu moves ahead with his planned changes to the Israeli judicial system. (HA 2/2; ALM, HA 2/3)
Jordanian king Abdullah II met with U.S. president Joe Biden at the White House, discussing the need to preserve the status quo at the Jerusalem Holy Sites. (AX 2/1; MEE 2/2; AJ 2/3)
The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives voted 218-211 to remove representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the foreign affairs committee due to her criticism of Israel. (HA, MDW, MEE 2/2; MEE 2/3)
The EU announced a support package to Palestine worth $319 million, including $214 to the PA, $32 for clean water projects in Gaza, $29 to small and medium sized businesses, $13 million earmarked for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, $8.5 million for infrastructure in Area C, and $5 million for judicial support. (WAFA 2/2)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinian minors during a raid in Rumana; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians during a raid in al-Arroub refugee camp, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces razed farmland and olive trees in al-Zawiya to make room for water pipes connecting 2 Israeli settlements. Israeli forces also seized 1 bulldozer and construction equipment in Artas, seized 1 mobile home in Duma, and demolished 2 residential structures near Kafr Malik, displacing 17. 12 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Dura, Hebron, Dheisheh refugee camp, Kafr Ni‘ma, and Tulkarm. In the Naqab, Israeli authorities demolished 1 Palestinian-owned home in al-Buqei‘a Bedouin community, displacing 14. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/21; PCHR 9/22; UNOCHA 9/30)
The PA security forces and local militant factions in Nablus reached an agreement to end tensions in the city. The PA security forces reportedly promised not to arrest Palestinians in Nablus on behalf of Israel and that the PA would release many of those arrested on 9/20 during the unrest that followed the arrest of Hamas member Musab Ashtaya. (HA 9/22)
30 Palestinians held on administrative detention announced that they would start an open-ended hunger strike, demanding their freedom. The mass hunger strike is scheduled to begin on 9/25. (AJ 9/25)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas held meetings with leaders of the UK, Libya, Malta, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Norway at the sidelines of the annual UNGA meeting. President Abbas also met with president of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari at the UN building. (WAFA 9/21; WAFA 9/22)
UK prime minister Liz Truss told Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid, during a meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA, that she is considering moving the UK embassy of Israel to Jerusalem. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Truss told reporters that Truss’s government is reviewing the current location of the embassy. The PA condemned the news, saying that “opening an embassy in Jerusalem amounts to complicity in Israel’s illegal annexation of the city.” Prime Minister Lapid also met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and UN secretary-general António Guterres. (ALM, NAT 9/21; AJ, DM, GDN, HA, IN, JP, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 9/22; MEE 9/23; MEMO 9/24)
Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borell convened a meeting with representatives from 25 countries, including the U.S. and the PA, to find ways to revamp the Arab Peace Initiative. (AX 9/21; WAFA 9/22)
The foreign ministers of Egypt, France, Jordan, and Germany held a meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA, focused on revamping the Middle East peace process. The 4 countries released a statement calling on resuming direct negotiations. (WAFA 9/22; WAFA 9/23)
In an interview with French media, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he was “in shock” over Israel’s refusal to supply air defense systems to Ukraine to help the country in its fight against the occupying Russian forces. (TOI 9/23; JP, MEE, REU 9/24; AJ 9/25)
In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian high school student who was shot by Israeli forces on 4/9 using live ammunition on her way home from school in Deir Ghazaleh succumbed to her injures. Israeli forces shot and seriously wounded 2 Palestinians during a raid in al-Yamun; 1 would later succumb to his injuries on 4/22. Israeli forces also shot and injured 3 Palestinians during a raid in Qarawat Bani Zeid. Elsewhere, Israeli forces placed dirt mounds on rural roads in the Masafer Yatta area and seized 1 school vehicle in al-Fakhit. 15 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Husan, al-Yamun, Ramallah, and Fasayil. In East Jerusalem, 561 Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid. In Gaza, 1 rocket was launched at Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Israel subsequently fired a missile at Khan Yunis, causing damage. Hamas said it had fired an anti-aircraft missile at the jet conducting the air strike but that the missile had failed to hit the jet. Israeli forces also opened fire at Palestinian agricultural lands east of Abasan and Khuza‘a; no injuries were reported. (AJ, AP, F24, HA, HA, MEE, MEE, MEMO, NPR, REU, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/18; HA, MEE, WAFA, WAFA 4/19; MEMO 4/20; PCHR 4/21; HA, WAFA 4/22; UNOCHA 4/23)
Israeli authorities closed al-Ibrahimi Mosque for Palestinian visitors on 4/18 and 4/19 to facilitate a concert for Israeli settlers. (MEMO, MEMO 4/19)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, discussing the latest Israeli violations on the Haram al-Sharif compound during the weekend. President Abbas also spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who condemned Israel’s attacks on Palestinian worshippers at the compound. (HA, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 4/18)
Jordan summoned the Israeli charge d’affaires for questioning about the Israeli-led violence on the Haram al-Sharif compound on 4/15 and 4/17. Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi also said that Jordan will host an emergency meeting of the Arab League on 4/21 to discuss the violence. (HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 4/18)
An investigation by The New Yorker revealed that Spain had used the Israeli company NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware to hack the phones of 60 Catalonian leaders and activists. The investigation also revealed that Pegasus spyware was used against employees of UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s office. Citizen Lab, which cooperated with The New Yorker for the story, suspected that the UAE was behind the hack. The piece also cited NSO Group CEO Shalev Hulio, saying that “almost all governments in Europe are using our [NSO Group’s] tools.” (AP, HA, New Yorker 4/18; MEMO 4/19; HA 4/24)
In the West Bank, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from renovating a water reservoir in Bayt Dajan. 6 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around al-Yamun, Deir Balut, Hebron, Beita, and Deir Nidham. In East Jerusalem, the head of Shu‘fat’s local council Mahmoud Ali al-Shaykh was arrested during a late-night raid. In Gaza, the UN mine action service removed an unexploded Israeli bomb fired in May during Israel’s Operation Guardians of the Wall. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Gaza; no injuries were reported. (WAFA 8/26; MEMO 8/27; PCHR 9/2)
Egypt reopened the Rafah crossing for traffic from Egypt toward Gaza but not from Gaza toward Egypt. Egypt closed the crossing on 8/23. (MEMO, REU 8/25; AJ, MEMO, WAFA 8/26)
Israel’s defense ministry said Israel would increase the number of allowed imports of vehicles and goods to Gaza and issue more permits for Palestinian businesspeople entering Israel from Gaza. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA 8/26)
Hamas thanked Jordanian king Abdullah II for allowing its leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal to attend the funeral in Amman of former Hamas leader Ibrahim Ghosheh, who passed away today. The funeral will take place on 8/27. (MEMO 8/27)
U.S. president Joe Biden postponed a meeting with Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett in Washington D.C. after suicide bombs killed nearly 90 people at the Kabul airport as evacuations continue after the Taliban took over almost all of Afghanistan. Among the killed were 11 U.S. Marines and 1 other navy soldier. President Biden and Prime Minister Bennett are expected to meet on 8/27 instead. German chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly also canceled a visit to Israel next week due to the situation in Afghanistan. The attack at Kabul airport was reportedly made by Islamic State – Khorasan Province, an Afghan offshoot of the Islamic State. (HA 8/25; AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, FOX, HA, HA, HA, HA, MEE, MEMO 8/26; AP, AP, AP, HA, REU 8/27)
The New York Times reported that when Israel attacked the Iranian Natanz nuclear facility on 4/11/2021, the Netanyahu administration gave the U.S. 2 hours’ notice before the attack. U.S. officials told the NYT that Israel deliberately gave the Biden administration too little time to ask Israel to call off its attack. (HA, NYT 8/26)
Germany provided the PA a grant of $29.5 million to develop the education sector in the West Bank. (WAFA 9/26; MEMO 8/27)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers planted trees near al-Farisya and ‘Ain al-Hilweh. Israeli forces delivered a stop-work order to 1 Palestinian for his agricultural fields and seized 1 bulldozer. 9 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Beit Fajjar, al-Bireh, Dura, Bayt Liqya, Bayt Rima, and Jaba‘. In East Jerusalem, around 100 Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound for the 2d day in a row. 2 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Isawiya and Shu‘fat. (WAFA, WAFA 7/19; PCHR 7/29)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz spoke on the phone. According to Gantz’s office, the 2 discussed trust-building steps between Israel and the PA and Gantz gave Abbas best wishes on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. Their conversation was the 1st between Abbas and an Israeli minister since 2017, when Abbas spoke to then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli president Isaac Herzog also called President Abbas to wish him a happy Eid al-Adha. (JP, REU, TOI, TOI, WAFA 7/19; ALM 7/22)
In Syria, Israeli forces conducted air strikes in as-Safira, south of Aleppo, killing 5 people. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA 7/20)
A freedom of information request revealed that the director general of the Israeli interior ministry lives in a house in the illegal settlement outpost Keida, which has had a demolition order against it since 2008. The interior ministry said in a statement that its minister Ayelet Shaked “is pleased that the director-general of her ministry lives in Keida.” (HA 7/20)
King Abdullah II of Jordan met with U.S. president Joe Biden in the White House. King Abdullah II was the 1st Middle Eastern leader to visit President Biden in Washington, as the U.S.-Jordanian relationship was tarnished during the Donald Trump administration due to the 1-sided peace proposal made by the administration. A read-out of the meeting said that the 2 discussed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Jordan’s relationship to Israel. (AJ, HA, JP, JP, MEE, NBC, NYT, REU, TOI, TOI 7/19; MEMO, WAFA 7/20)
The ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s issued a statement declaring it will end sales of its ice cream in Israeli settlements, saying that selling its ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territory “is inconsistent with our values.” Ben & Jerry’s also announced it would not renew its licensing agreement with manufacturers of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel but that the ice cream will still be available in Israel. Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett said that Ben & Jerry’s had decided to brand itself as an “antisemitic ice cream.” Foreign minister Yair Lapid, who weeks ago said his government would not call all criticism of Israel anti-Semitic, said the company was surrendering to BDS and anti-Semitism and that he would ask 35 U.S. states with anti-BDS laws to enforce them against the U.S. company. On 7/20, Prime Minister Bennett called the CEO of Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, to criticize the decision and Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan urged states with anti-BDS laws to take legal action against Ben & Jerry’s. The Israeli president Isaac Herzog likened the Ben & Jerry’s decision to terrorism. Ben & Jerry’s is known to engage publicly on progressive issues. Both founders of the company are Jewish-Americans. (AJ, ALM, AX, BenJerry, FOX, GDN, HA, HA, MEE, MEMO, NBC, REU, TOI, TOI, TOI, TOI, Twitter 7/19; AJ, AP, BBC, CNN, HA, HA, JP, JP, JP, MEE, MEE, REU, TOI, WAFA 7/20; HA, MEMO 7/21; AJ, AP, MEMO 7/22; GDN 7/23; HA 7/26; AX 7/27)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up sheds in Dayr Istya. Israeli settlers with military escort vandalized property in Burqin and Israeli forces attacked Palestinians when they tried to fend off the settlers, injuring 2 with rubber-coated bullets. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian child and wounded dozens of others during a protest at a checkpoint in Bil‘in; Israel said that 2 Israeli soldiers were lightly injured. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian in Hebron, saying he was going to attack the soldiers. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Ramallah, killing 2 and injuring 64. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Qalqilya, injuring 12 with live ammunition and 20 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Ijza, injuring 3 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Nablus, injuring 11 with live ammunition. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Atuf, injuring 11 with live ammunition. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Huwwara, injuring 1 with live ammunition. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Nabi Salih, injuring 13 Palestinians with live ammunition. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Qiffin, injuring 1 Palestinian with live ammunition; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Anabta, injuring 2 with live ammunition and 3 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Fajjar, injuring 1 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Aida refugee camp, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Dayr Sharaf, injuring 2 with live ammunition and 2 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Naqura, injuring 1 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries and a tear gas canister ignited a fire in a field. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Luban al-Sharqiyya, injuring 5 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Burqa, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Furik, injuring 3 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Hebron, injuring 1 with rubber-coated bullets; others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Qarawat Bani Hassan, injuring 1 with live ammunition. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters at a checkpoint near Jenin, injuring 7 with live ammunition. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Tuqu‘, leading to tear-gas related injuries. A total of 202 were reported injured during the protests in the West Bank. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Shaykh Jarrah and Bab al-Amud, injuring 41. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian minor in her back, fracturing her spine with a rubber-coated bullet, and injured her father with a rubber-coated bullet and stun grenade while they were inside their home in Shaykh Jarrah; a video shows the incident. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Silwan. In Gaza, 3 Palestinians were killed, including 1 child, and many were injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 216 to 219, including 63 children and 2 pregnant women. The casualties included: 1 in an air strike a house south of Gaza City; 1 of a heart attack during heavy bombardment of Rafah; and 1 Palestinian infant succumbed to her wounds sustained on 5/11 during an air strike on Gaza City that killed her father, mother, and sister. In Israel, Israeli police shot and seriously injured 1 Palestinian-Israeli minor who was sitting in a car with friends in Umm al-Fahm. Rockets fired from Gaza killed 2 Thai citizens working at a factory in Moshav Ohad, raising the Israeli death toll to 12. Israel also said it had destroyed 7.5 miles of Gaza tunnels overnight. 1 drone of unknown origin was shot down by Israeli forces near the northern part of the Israeli-Jordanian border. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/18; AX, CNN, HA, HA, HA, PCHR, PCHR, WAFA 5/19; PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; HA, NYT 5/26; HA 5/27)
Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and Israel observed a general strike in protest over evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the Israeli attacks on Gaza. (WAFA 5/18; HA 5/19)
A spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza said that no more COVID-19 tests were being processed in Gaza due to an Israeli air strike destroying the sole COVID-19 test processing center. (AJ 5/18)
Israel opened the Kerem Shalom crossing and then closed it shortly after, citing Hamas’s shelling of the area. (AJ, AJ 5/18)
The Israeli high court of justice ruled that 1 Israeli settler must stop cultivating 170 dunams (42 acres) of land near Turmus ‘Ayya, saying the cultivation is illegal. The court, however, refused to rule on the ownership of the land, stating that the 8 Palestinian petitioners must obtain permission to farm the land from a different body as the court does not consider itself the proper venue for the question. (HA 5/23)
Israel’s Channel 12 said that an Egyptian truce proposal calling for an end to violence from 6 a.m. on 5/20 had been agreed to by Hamas. (AJ 5/19)
The Israeli police commissioner Kobi Shabtai was criticized by the public security minister Amir Ohana for saying that there “were terrorists from both sides [Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli] and we will bring every one of them to justice.” (HA 5/18)
After saying that his committee would review a sale of arms to Israel on 5/17, chairman of the house of foreign affairs committee Gregory Meeks was said to have reversed course and that he is looking at discussing the arm sales with the Biden administration. The Biden administration had informed Congress on 5/4 that it would be selling Israel $735 million’s worth of precision-guided missiles. It was reported that Chairman Meeks had come under significant pressure after saying he would review the sale. Several other Democrats in the House have called for conditioning or ending military aid to Israel. (AJ, REU 5/17; ALM, HA, HA, MEE 5/18)
U.S. president Joe Biden joked, when asked by a journalist if he would answer a question about Israel, that she could ask a question if she let him run her over with the Ford F-150 he was sitting in. President Biden was visiting a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan. (FOX 5/18)
France called for the UN security council to agree on a resolution calling for a ceasefire. Prime minister Emmanuel Macron made the call after a meeting with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian king Abdullah II. (AJ, REU 5/18; AP, HA 5/19)
The EU foreign ministers met to discuss how to help facilitate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Hungary was said to have prevented consensus on a meaningful engagement. Separately, Germany said it would donate $48.9 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA 5/18; ALM 5/19)
The Egyptian presidency said it would give $500 million to help rebuild Gaza. (AJ 5/18)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 2 Palestinians in Ma’in, causing light injuries. Israeli settlers also set fire to a Palestinian-owned vehicle in Rujeib. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling between Jenin and Nablus. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians in Burin, demolished parts of a house, and set fields on fire. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian child during a late-night raid in Tubas and injured 1 other by running him over. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in al-Fawar refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian at a checkpoint near Huwwara, claiming he had tried to attack 2 Israeli soldiers. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Hebron, injuring 2, including 1 with live ammunition. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Yatta, injuring 1 with live ammunition and 2 with rubber-coated bullets. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Umar, injuring 1 minor with live ammunition and 3 others with rubber-coated bullets. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting in Bethlehem, Harmala, al-Khadir, and Dayr Sharif, resulting in tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, injuring 3 using rubber-coated bullets. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Tulkarm, injuring 3 with live ammunition. 40 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, al-Fawar refugee camp, Nablus, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, 2 Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian with a sharp tool, slicing her face as she was leaving the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Tur, injuring 1 with a rubber-coated bullet; others suffered tear-gas related injuries and 2 were arrested. 6 other Palestinians were arrested during house raids in the Old City, Jabal Mukabir, Silwan, and Shu‘fat. In Gaza, 34 Palestinians were killed, including 6 children, and dozens injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 30 to 64, including 16 children. The casualties included: 4 in a drone strike on a car east of Bayt Lahiya; 8, including 3 children, in 3 air strikes on apartment buildings in Gaza City; 1 child in an air strike on a butcher in Gaza City; 6 in a drone strike on a car in Gaza city, including 3 inside the car and 3 passersby; 1, and 1 wounded, in another air strike on a vehicle in Gaza City; 1 in an air strike in Khan Yunis; 1 in an air strike on agricultural lands near Khuza‘a; 4, and 2 injured, in a drone strike on Nuseirat refugee camp; 2, and 1 child injured, in an air strike on a liquefied petroleum gas distribution vehicle in Khan Yunis; 2, and 3 wounded, including 1 child, in an air strike on a house in Khan Yunis; 2, and 2 wounded, all children, after a helicopter fired missiles at a gas station in al-Fukhari; and the body of 1 Palestinian was found in rubble near Bayt Hanun, it was assessed that he was killed in an air strike on 5/10; the body of 1 Palestinian was found near a mosque in Rafah, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said it was unclear if he had been killed by debris from an intercepted rocket or in an Israeli air strike. Hamas reported that the interior ministry and the passport office along with other government buildings had been hit by Israeli air strikes. Israeli air strikes also demolished 2 high-rise buildings, the 10-story al-Jawhara building, and the 14-story al-Shorouq building, which housed news outlets and other offices, and the headquarters of the interior ministry and UNRWA schools. In Israel, 1 Israeli soldier was killed and 2 injured from an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza and 1 child succumbed to injuries sustained in Sderot, raising the Israeli death toll to 7. Dozens of rockets were also fired at Israel from Gaza, most of them intercepted. A mob of Jewish-Israelis pulled 1 Palestinian-Israeli out of his car and beat him while tv cameras were rolling in Bat Yam; the man was said to be in serious condition. A mob of Jewish-Israelis also raided a number of Palestinian-owned businesses in Tel Aviv, causing severe damage. 1 Jewish-Israeli man was attacked by 5 Palestinian-Israelis in ‘Akka; he was said to be in serious condition. Jewish-Israelis also attacked a tent set up to mourn the death of 1 Palestinian-Israeli who was shot by a Jewish-Israeli on 5/10 in Lydda, throwing stones at the mourners. Elsewhere in Lydda, 1 Jewish-Israeli was shot and injured and 2 more were injured in stabbings, 21 Palestinian-Israelis were injured, including 1 by gunshot. Israeli police announced a nighttime curfew in Lydda from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. 1 Palestinian-Israeli man was injured when rammed by a car and beaten near Or Akiva. 1 Palestinian-Israeli was lightly injured by a mob of Jewish-Israelis while driving in Tiberias. 1 Jewish-Israeli was injured in a stabbing incident in Tamra. A mob of Jewish-Israelis also attacked 1 Palestinian-Israeli in Haifa. (AJ, NYT 5/11; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, BBC, CNN, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, PCHR, REU, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/12; AP, CNN, HA, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA 5/13; PCHR 5/14; TOI 5/16; HA 5/18; WAFA 5/19; PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; HA, NYT 5/26; HA 5/27)
1 Palestinian prisoner suspended a 56-day-long hunger strike as Israel promised not to renew his administrative detention after 7/17. (WAFA 5/12)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas discussed the current situation with EU high representative Josep Borrell, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Iraqi president Barham Salih. A White House statement also said that U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke with President Abbas and they discussed “the violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and the Secretary expressed his condolences for the lives lost as a result. The Secretary condemned the rocket attacks and emphasized the need to de-escalate tensions and bring the current violence to an end.” (HA, WAFA 5/12)
At a security cabinet meeting, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers decided not to accept a potential ceasefire and continue its attack on Gaza for the time being. (HA 5/13)
Israeli president Reuven Rivlin condemned what he called a “pogrom” by “an Arab mob” on 5/11, despite the majority of the violence in Israel being perpetrated against Palestinian-Israelis. (HA 5/12)
Turkey said that its president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin had discussed the situation in Jerusalem and Gaza, and that Turkey had called for international action against Israel. (AJ, AP, REU 5/12)
U.S. president Joe Biden said, during a press conference, that he believes that “Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying in your territory,” and that his “hope is that we’ll see this coming to conclusions sooner than later.” President Biden also spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, where he gave his “unwavering support for Israel’s security and for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and its people, while protecting civilians,” according to the readout. The Biden administration also dispatched deputy assistant secretary of state for Israel and Palestine Hady Amr to Israel for talks with Palestinian and Israeli officials. The White House said that senior officials have had more than 25 calls with officials from Israel, the PA, Qatar, Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt about the situation. (HA 5/12; NYT 5/13)
25 house democrats signed a letter circulated by Marie Newman (D-IL) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) urging secretary of state Antony Blinken to condemn the planned evictions of Palestinian families from Shaykh Jarrah. (HA 5/13)
ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that she was following the situation in Gaza and Jerusalem with concern. (MEE, REU, WAFA 5/12)
The UN security council held a 2d meeting in 3 days to discuss the escalation of the conflict between Palestine and Israel. (TOI 5/12)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up a tent on Palestinian-owned land in Qusra. Israeli settlers also razed 15 dunams (3.7 acres) of agricultural land planted with wheat in Jalud. Israeli forces seized 1 tent and 1 electric generator in Masafer Yatta. Israeli forces also demolished 1 house near Bethlehem. Elsewhere, Israeli forces delivered a stop-work order for a house in Susiya. 24 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Tuqu‘, Bayt Umar, Dayr Jarir, Ramallah, Jenin, and Qabatiya; among the arrested were at least 4 prominent members of Palestinian political parties, including at least 1 who was running in the upcoming Palestinian elections. In East Jerusalem, 4 Palestinians were arrested during raids in al-Tur and Silwan. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/12; PCHR, PCHR 4/15)
In a joint statement by a number of PLO parties, the members said that “[t]here will be no elections without Jerusalem, and Israel possesses no veto to this.” (WAFA 4/12; TOI 4/13)
A PA court sentenced 1 Palestinian man to life in prison for treason against Palestine. (WAFA 4/12)
Israel allowed 3.5 tons of mail to enter the West Bank from Jordan after having stalled it in Jordan since 2018. (WAFA 4/12)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved delivery of extra water rations from the Jordan River to Jordan almost a month after the request was made. It had been reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu was stalling the request because of his personal deteriorating relationship with Jordanian king Abdullah II. It was also reported that U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken had asked Israel to send the extra water to Jordan. Prime Minister Netanyahu also held a joint press conference with U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd J. Austin III in Jerusalem. During the conference, which was held 1 day after Israel attacked the Iranian Natanz nuclear site, Netanyahu called the Iranian government a “fanatical regime.” When asked about the attack on the nuclear site, Netanyahu did not say whether it was an Israeli operation but did say, “[m]y policy as prime minister of Israel is clear: I will never allow Iran to obtain the nuclear capability to carry out its genocidal goal of eliminating Israel.” (AJ, HA 4/12)
The Lebanese outgoing minister of public works Michel Najjar signed a decree that extended Lebanon’s maritime border claim by 550 square miles. The decree still needs the approval of the defense minister, prime minister, and president before it becomes valid. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 4/12; REU 4/13; REU 4/15)
The EU imposed sanctions on 8 Iranian officials in response to the crackdown on protests in November 2019, when some 1,500 people were reportedly killed by Iranian forces. Iran denies that the death toll was that high. The UN said at least 304 people were killed. The EU is in the process of mediating between the U.S. and Iran to get the U.S. to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. (AJ, ALM, HA, REU 4/12; ALM 4/13)
In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to olive trees in Dayr Balut, damaging 50. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Huwwara, injuring 3. 9 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Qusra, Beita, Jenin, al-Izzariya, Anata, and Yatta. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen west of al-Sudaniyya refugee camp and Bayt Lahiya within the allowed fishing area; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/7; PCHR 10/8)
In the 3d installment of a 3-part interview with al-Arabiya TV, Saudi prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz said that Saudi Arabia should weigh its own security challenges over its grievances with Israel related to Palestinians. Prince Bandar, a former ambassador to the U.S., said that Palestinian leaders are allying themselves with Turkey and Iran, countries that to varying degrees are adversaries to Saudi Arabia as well as Israel. (REU 10/7; HA 10/8)
King Abdullah II of Jordan appointed Bisher al-Khasawneh as his new Prime Minister. Al-Khasawneh has previously worked as a palace aide and diplomat. (REU 10/7; AJ, WAFA 10/12)