The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided at-Tuba and Wadi Ijheish in the Masafer Yatta area, assaulting Palestinians and stealing 6 sheep and agricultural equipment. Israeli settlers also raided Qaryut, vandalizing property. Israeli forces shot and killed 5 Palestinians during raids in Askar refugee camp, Dheisheh refugee camp, Bayt Rima, Balata refugee camp, and Tammun. Israeli forces also shot and injured 38 people, including at least 3 children, during raids in Tammun, Dheisheh refugee camp, Balata refugee camp, ‘Urif, Askar refugee camp, Nablus, and Bayt Rima. Meanwhile, Israeli forces punitively demolished the family home in Askar refugee camp of a Palestinian man killed by Israeli forces in Nablus in May; the man was accused of taking part in the killing of 3 Israeli settlers in April. Israeli forces also punitively demolished the family home of a Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in Burqa and delivered a punitive demolition notice to the family of a Palestinian killed in Rumana. Elsewhere, Israeli forces razed land near Abu Basal to expand a nearby settlement. Israeli forces also closed the Dream Radio station in Hebron, threating to destroy its contents if it did not stop broadcasting. 35 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Nablus, Jenin, Hebron, Qalqilya, Tubas, Salfit, and Tulkarm. The PA Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said more than 1,590 Palestinian have been arrested in the West Bank since 10/7. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinians in Silwan, igniting a fire and causing injuries. In Gaza, some communications were restored after being cut off by Israel on 10/27. At least 302 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks. Islamic Jihad said Israel has assassinated 1 of its senior political officials, Taysir Alghouti, and killed several members of his family in Rafah. Islamic Jihad also said it attacked some Israeli military vehicles in Gaza. 2 Israeli soldiers were injured by a mortar shell in Gaza. Rockets were fired at Israel, causing damage. In Hanita, Islamic Jihad said 2 al-Quds Brigades fighters had been killed during an operation near the Blue Line. In Lebanon, Hezbollah said it had downed an Israeli drone. (AJ, HA 10/28; AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, 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 10/29; AP, AJ 10/30)

The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 8,005 Palestinians have been killed, including around 5,000 women and children, and 20,242 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. 1,800 Palestinians, including 940 children, have been reported missing. In addition, media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 115 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 33 children. More than 2,150 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. As of 10/23, at least 27,781 housing units had been destroyed and 150,000 had 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 bodies of 62 unidentified Palestinians were buried in a mass grave near al-Shifa Hospital. It was the third time Palestinians in Gaza had to resort to burying Palestinians killed by Israel in a mass grave since 10/7. 33 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. Israel opened a second water pipe to Gaza. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Israel has ordered it to evacuate al-Quds Hospital; airstrikes later damaged the hospital as well as the al-Shifa and Indonesian hospitals. UNRWA said the slow flow of aid has prompted thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to take food supplies from its warehouses. The UN said nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in the West Bank since 10/7 due to Israeli settler attacks and Israeli military demolitions. (AJ 10/28; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 10/29; AJ, AJ, AP, WAFA 10/30)

Save the Children said more children have been killed in Gaza in the past 3 weeks than the total number of children killed in conflicts around the world since 2019, saying so far 3,324 have been killed in Gaza and 36 in the West Bank. (AJ 10/29; AJ 10/30)

A Palestinian citizen of Israel, actress Maisa Abd Elhadi, was charged by Israel with incitement to terrorism and expressing solidarity with a terrorist organization for an Instagram post. Interior Minister Moshe Arbel directed the Population and Immigration Authority to determine if he could revoke her citizenship. Elhadi was arrested on 10/12. (HA 10/30)

Reporters Without Borders said their investigation into the Israeli killing of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah on 10/13 in Lebanon concluded that Israel intentionally targeted him and other journalists. (AJ 10/28; REU 10/29; AJ 10/30; AP 10/31)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant signed an order to place the settler activist Ariel Danino on administrative detention for 4 months for his involvement in settler attacks on Palestinians. (HA 10/29)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Bahraini foreign inister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in Ramallah. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki spoke with UK foreign secretary James Cleverly. (WAFA, WAFA 10/29)

A leaked internal U.S. State Department memo recommended that President Joe Biden pressure Israel to allow more aid to enter Gaza, estimating that 52,000 pregnant women and 30,000 babies were drinking brackish or contaminated water due to the lack of water in Gaza. (HA 10/29; AJ 10/30)

The Washington Post reported that the U.S. pressured Israel to turn communications back on in Gaza. (AJ 10/30)

International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric said “[i]t is unacceptable that civilians have no safe place to go in Gaza amid the massive bombardments, and with a military siege in place there is also no adequate humanitarian response currently possible. This is a catastrophic failing that the world must not tolerate.” (HA 10/28)

30 Israeli human rights and civil society organizations urged the international community to “act urgently to stop the state-backed wave of settler violence which has led, and is leading to, the forcible transfer of Palestinian communities in the West Bank.” The French foreign ministry called on Israel to take action to protect Palestinians in the West Bank. (AJ 10/28; HA, WAFA 10/29)

President Biden told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that more humanitarian aid has to enter Gaza immediately. Before the 2 spoke, U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan said Israel “has a responsibility to rein in the settlers.” Sullivan also said Israel must distinguish between “terrorist targets” and civilians and claimed Hamas was using human shields. Biden also spoke with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. (AJ 10/28; AJ, HA, REU, REU, WAFA 10/29)

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said, “the world is witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe taking place before our eyes,” in reference to the situation in Gaza. (AJ 10/28; HA 10/29)

Pope Francis called for a ceasefire and the release of the Hamas-held captives. (HA, REU 10/29)

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan visited the Rafah crossing, saying the ICC has ongoing investigations into potential war crimes committed by Hamas and Israel. Khan said impeding aid to Gaza could constitute a war crime. (AJ 10/28; AJ, HA, HA, REU, WAFA 10/29; AJ 10/30)

Jordan said it has asked the U.S. to deploy the Patriot air defense system in Jordan. (AJ 10/28; REU 10/29)

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held in many cities across the world, including in Islamabad, Beirut, Berlin, Madrid, Athens, and Ottawa. (AJ 10/28; AJ, REU, WAFA 10/29)

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF continues its assault, launching air strikes on approximately 47 targets, killing 38 Palestinians and injuring dozens. Among the 38 are 3 high-ranking commanders in al-Qassam Brigades, who are killed overnight by Israeli fighter jets in Rafah. Five Palestinian civilians are also killed in the strike and at least 40 are injured. The armed Palestinian groups fire 109 rockets and mortars into Israel, with 7 landing in built-up areas and 13 intercepted by Iron Dome batteries. One Israeli man is injured with mortar shrapnel nr. Eshkol. Meanwhile, Hamas executes 3 alleged collaborators with Israel, and arrests 7 others. In the West Bank, IDF troops level land nr. Salfit to clear space for an Israeli settlement to expand. Also, the IDF conducts house searches and raids in 4 villages nr. Hebron, Dayr Istya, ‘Askar r.c., al-Bireh, and Bayt Liqya, arresting 9 and issuing summons to 2. Clashes break out with Palestinians in Bayt Liqya, and the Israeli soldiers open fire with live ammunition, tear gas canisters, and sound bombs. Separately, the IDF conducts 4 separate incursions into Hebron and 3 villages n. of Jericho. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces and municipal officials enter Silwan to hand demolition notices to the owners of 2 apartment buildings where 19 Palestinians live. (MNA 8/21; HA 8/22; PCHR 8/28)

There is no major diplomatic progress as disagreements that led to the breakdown of talks on 8/19 remain between the Palestinian factions and the Israeli negotiators. Mishal says in an interview with Turkish Anadolu News Agency that Hamas will keep fighting until Israel meets its terms for a permanent truce, while Israel’s Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai says that Israel will not hold cease-fire negotiations as long as rocket fire from Gaza continues. PA Pres. Abbas travels again to Doha where he will meet with Qatari emir Bin Hamad al-Thani and Hamas leader Mishal to discuss the continued Israeli assault and possible future cease-fire negotiations. Also present are head of the Palestinian delegation in Cairo Azzam al-Ahmad, PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erakat, and PA intelligence chief Majid Faraj. (AA, HA 8/21; MEMO, MNA 8/22)

The IDF continues its assault on the Gaza Strip, killing 61 Palestinians. Local officials say targets struck include 5 mosques and a soccer stadium, in addition to other Palestinian infrastructure and multiple tunnels. Prolonged Israeli shelling of Khan Yunis kills at least 6 and wounds more than 20. Also, the IDF strikes a UNRWA-run school in c. Gaza. Palestinian fighters kill 2 Israeli soldiers overnight and fire approximately 67 rockets and mortar shells into Israel, with 18 projectiles intercepted by Iron Dome batteries. In the West Bank, an Israeli citizen shoots and kills a Palestinian man between al-Ram and Hizma checkpoint n. of Jerusalem, reportedly after the Palestinian man threw stones at the Israeli’s car. IDF troops shoot and injure 5 Palestinians in ‘Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, during clashes in an arrest raid. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Nablus and 2 villages nr. Ramallah at night. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces clash with Palestinians in at-Tur, Shu‘fat r.c., and Issawiyya, causing no serious injuries. (AFP, AP, JP, MNA, REU, YA 7/22; PCHR 7/23)

After 1 rocket lands nr. Ben Gurion Airport, the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) bans flights to and from Israel for at least 24 hours, and the European Aviation Safety Agency advises all carriers to avoid Tel Aviv “until further notice.” Israel’s Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, in a statement, says “there is no need for U.S. carriers to suspend flights and reward terrorism.” U.S. Secy. of State Kerry and PM Netanyahu later discuss the FAA ban on a phone call. (AFP, AP, JP, MNA, REU, YA 7/22)

At a monthly meeting of the EU Council, the 28 EU FMs issue a statement that “strongly condemns the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel by Hamas and militant groups in the Gaza Strip” and also “condemns calls on the civilian population of Gaza to provide themselves as human shields.” Meanwhile, Secy. of State Kerry meets with Egypt’s Pres. al-Sisi in Cairo to discuss Gaza, and afterward, affirms that “there is a framework available to end the violence, and that framework was the Egyptian initiative.” Senior Fatah official al-Ahmad flies in to Cairo to also meet with Kerry. In Israel, UN Secy.-Gen. Ban meets with PM Netanyahu and at a Tel Aviv press conference, Ban condemns the rocket attacks, while the Israeli leader accuses Hamas of committing a “double war crime” of targeting Israeli civilians while using Palestinian civilians as human shields. (AFP, AP, HA, JP, MNA, REU, YA 7/22)

In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians fire 5 mortar shells into s. Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and kill a 16-year-old civilian during an arrest raid in Jenin r.c. In Hebron, IDF troops demolish parts of houses belonging to 2 of the named suspects in the case of the kidnapped and murdered Israeli youths. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Nablus and ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c., ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c. and 3 villages nearby, Ramallah and 4 villages nearby, al-Jalazun r.c., Hebron and 2 villages nearby, Jenin and 2 villages nearby, and al-Bireh; patrols in 1 village each nr. Hebron and Salfit and al-Bireh at night. (MNA, REU 7/1; PCHR 7/3)

State Dept. dep. spokesperson Harf says that the U.S. has strong evidence Hamas was “involved” in the killing of 3 Israeli settler teenagers whose bodied were discovered on 6/30, but does not directly say the group is responsible. The UNSC issues a statement unanimously condemning the killings, urging Israel and the PA to cooperate in bringing those responsible to justice. Meanwhile, Israel’s security cabinet meets for the 2d time in 2 days. Ministers are reportedly divided over the nature of any further action in the Gaza Strip or West Bank. (HA, JP, REU 7/1)

Palestinians fire at least 4 rockets and several mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 2 IDF soldiers and 1 Israeli civilian nr. Nahal Oz. For a 3d day, the IDF relays automated phone messages to Rafah residents ordering them to evacuate houses nr. the border. The Israeli cabinet discusses the recent rocket fire at its regular weekly session, stating afterward that while Israel believes small Palestinian factions (including the AMB) are responsible for the fire, Israel would hold Hamas responsible and would respond “disproportionately” to each attack. After the cabinet session, Israeli warplanes fly over Gaza, setting off sonic bombs as a warning. Soon after, the IDF makes massive air strikes (apparently using GBU-39 bunker-busting munitions) on 6 smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border, and a smaller air strike on a Hamas-affiliated police station in c. Gaza (targeted previously); no injuries were reported. During the day, Israel allows 193 truckloads of goods (much of it seed and fodder) and 45 tons of medicine and medical equipment into Gaza during the day. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in ‘Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, Bayt Sahur, Tulkarm r.c. and nr. Jenin, making no arrests. (AP 2/1; HA, IDF Radio, MM, NYT, WP 2/2; MM, YA 2/3; NYT 2/4; PCHR 2/5)

Israel warns of an expanded ground war in Gaza and begins moving more tanks and reservists to the Gaza border. The IDF drops leaflets and sends out automated phone messages across Gaza, warning of an escalation in fighting.

Combat notes: IDF tanks and artillery pound Gaza throughout the day. The IDF reports making air strikes on about 120 targets, including the home of IQB head Ahmad Jabari (presumed to be in hiding), at least 15 rocket-launching sites, 21 suspected weapons depots (including a mosque and school in Rafah, the homes of several Hamas mbrs.), 16 tunnels, 3 Hamas outposts, 1 police station, and 2 vehicles allegedly transporting weapons. In Khan Yunis, an air strike destroys Gaza European Hospital’s fuel depot, electricity generator, and water supply system. Target areas include Bani Suhayla, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Gaza City (al-Nasser, Shaykh Ridwan, al-Shuja‘iyya), Jabaliya, Khan Yunis, al-Maghazi, Nussayrat, Rafah. IDF ground forces engage in heavy exchanges with Palestinians in and nr. Bayt Lahiya. Heavy IDF tank and artillery fire are reported in Jabaliya (where 8 family mbrs. are killed by an IDF tank shell that lands outside their home), Khuza (possibly involving white phosphorus, burning 15 homes and 100s of individuals), Nussayrat, and Tal al-Hawa in Gaza City. The IDF claims to kill 16 armed Palestinians, including Hamas’s “leading authority on Grad rockets,” IQB cmdr. Amir Mansi, during a strike on a rocket-launching site. The estimated Palestinian toll reaches 820–840 dead.

Palestinians fire 9 rockets and 10 mortars into Israel, the fewest since OCL began on 12/27; 3 Grad rockets strike Ashqelon (each causing damage and light injuries, including shock), others land in open areas nr. Ashdod and in the Negev (causing no damage or injuries). The IDF reports 7 ground troops lightly wounded in various exchanges.

Humanitarian notes: The IDF observes a 3-hr. humanitarian lull to allow relief agencies to recover casualties and distribute food but does not allow new aid through Gaza’s crossings on the Sabbath.

Of note: The IDF reports that ground troops have been facing extensive tunnel networks inside the Strip, especially in Gaza City, which the Palestinian factions are using to try to ambush soldiers. IDF sources and Israeli journalists embedded with IDF troops report recent incidents in which Palestinian fighters tried to lure troops into a boobytrapped building in al-Zaytun; left a weapons cache rigged with explosives where the IDF would find it (the booby trap did not detonate); and sent a suicide bomber on a failed attempt to attack a group of soldiers. The IDF also acknowledges that it has rounded up and interrogated scores of Palestinians to gain knowledge of local Hamas positions and tactics. Israeli intelligence officers acknowledge phoning Gazans, sometimes overtly and sometimes pretending to be sympathetic Arabs fr. abroad, to gain information about conditions and locations of Palestinian forces on the ground. (AP, BBC, IDF, REU 1/10; IDF, NYT, WP, WT 1/11; MM, QA, WP 1/12; al-Akhbar, MM 1/13; NYT 1/14; PCHR 1/15; WJW 1/16; ITIC 1/19; JPI 1/23)

The IDF fires live ammunition at Palestinians demonstrating against OCL in Bayt Awa nr. Hebron, seriously wounding a 13-yr.-old boy; fires live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians holding a similar protest in Sa’ir nr. Hebron, wounding 3 Palestinians; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, nr. Hebron. (PCHR 1/15)

An IDF soldier is lightly injured by a roadside bomb placed along the Gaza border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit into Nablus in 2 vehicles with Palestinian license plates to ambush a carload of AMB mbrs., assassinating AMB mbr. ‘Inab Abu Kishik, wounding 2 others; sends an undercover unit in a taxi with Palestinian license plates into al-Til where they ambush, assassinate local AMB leader Muhammad Hamad, wounding 1 bystander; fatally shoots a 13-yr.-old Palestinian girl who strays close to the separation wall nr. Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Allar and al-Til nr. Tulkarm, ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Bethlehem, Nablus. Jewish settlers leave the Homesh settlement site after camping there overnight. Jewish settlers fr. Emmanuel bulldoze Palestinian land in Qalqilya to expand the settlement. Fatah-Hamas clashes continue across Gaza throughout the day (involving automatic weapons fire, mortars, RPGs), leaving 6 Palestinians dead, at least 22 wounded: an ESF mbr. is shot dead, 11 Palestinians are wounded in an hr.-long exchange with Fatah mbrs. outside al-Shifa hospital; 2 Fatah mbrs. are killed and 9 wounded in an ambush in Gaza City; 2 Fatah mbrs. are kidnapped, killed and a Hamas mbr. is fatally shot elsewhere in Gaza. In the evening, Egyptian mediators in Gaza bring together Interior M Siyam with the heads of the Fatah-dominated PA security forces to broker a new cease-fire agmt. that goes into effect immediately; the sides also agree to form a joint operating center to coordinate all of the security forces. A Palestinian wounded in the 12/14 IDF assassination of AMB mbr. Zaytawi in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. dies. (NYT, WT 12/20; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)

The IDF conducts arrest raids in Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Nablus; raids, searches, interrogates the employees of a flour mill in al-Qarara; fires on residential areas of Rafah. Some 40,000s Jewish settlers gather in Gaza’s Neve Dekalim settlement to protest Sharon’s disengagement plan; during the rally, Palestinians fire 2 rockets, 3 mortars toward the settlement, lightly wounding 2 IDF soldiers. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron uproot 300 Palestinian olive trees nr. the settlement. (JAZ, XIN 4/27; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 4/28; VOP 4/28 in WNC 4/28; WP 4/29; OCHA, PCHR 5/5)

During the day, the IDF fires on the funeral procession for the Abu Mustafa brothers killed late on 10/23, wounding a 15- yr.-old Palestinian; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Anata, Askar r.c., al-Bureij, Hebron, Yatta. Late in the evening, the IDF launches a massive raid on Khan Yunis, citing some 30 mortar attacks on nearby Jewish settlements since the 10/21 Gul assassination; fires missiles fr. pilotless drones at 2 groups of Palestinians, killing 2 PA policemen, wounding 6; conducts several air strikes, killing 5 armed Palestinians and 1 unarmed Palestinian, wounding 5 armed Palestinians and 4 bystanders; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes. A car bomb explodes nr. an IDF jeep in Nablus, causing damage but no injuries; no group claims responsibility. Jewish settlers in Hebron vandalize a Palestinian elementary school nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs. (VOI, VOP 10/24, 10/25 in WNC 10/26; NYT, PRCS, WP 10/25; PCHR 10/28)

The IDF enters, fires on residential areas of Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Nablus. Palestinians fire a mortar at Gush Katif, damaging 1 house. While Palestinians across the territories observe a day of solidarity with hungerstriking Palestinian prisoners by fasting, staging sit-ins, and demonstrating, some 800 Palestinian prisoners at Israel’s Ashkelon prison, 350 administrative detainees in Shiqma prison temporarily suspend their strike after Israeli officials agree to halt strip searches, allow some physical contact during family visits. (HA, MM 8/27; VOP 8/27, HA 8/28 in WNC 8/31; PCHR 9/2)

The Palestinian Resistance Comms. (PRCs) fire a new Nasser 3 rocket, with a longer range than the Qassam 2, at Sederot, causing minor damage to a wall, garden shed; also fire 2 mortars at Gaza’s Kefar Darom settlement, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF fires missiles at 2 metal workshops (suspected Hamas weapons factories) in Gaza City, destroying the buildings but causing no injuries. The IDF also bulldozes 77 dunams of agricultural land in Bayt Hanun, 37 dunams nr. Khan Yunis; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in al-Qarara, 1 in Rafah; fires on residential areas of, conducts arrest raids in Askar r.c., then fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 4; raids residential areas nr. Dayr al-Balah, firing on homes, arresting several Palestinians, occupying and partially demolishing 1 house, destroying a fence and gas pipelines to a fuel station; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Jenin, nr. Nablus. (HA, MA, MM, REU 6/18; VOI, VOP 6/18, VOI 6/19 in WNC 6/22; WP 6/20; PCHR 6/24)

The IDF sends troops into Rafah to search for smugglers’ tunnels, completely demolishes 22 Palestinian homes, a mosque along the Rafah border with Egypt, heavily damages another 16 homes, leaving 400 Palestinians homeless; raids 2 Palestinian charities in Ramallah, confiscating computers, files; fires stun grenades, tear gas into a high school in Nablus; fires on residential areas of Rafah, wounding 3. The IDF also expels a West Bank Palestinian administrative detainee to Gaza; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Askar r.c., Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Salfit, Ramallah; bulldozes 5 dunams of land in Bayt Lahia, 2 dunams nr. Kefar Darom; arrests 4 herders nr. Bayt Hanun. IDF soldiers scuffle with Jewish settlers who protest the removal of a synagogue built by supporters of deceased right-wing Rabbi Meir Kahane, the only permanent structure at the unauthorized settlement outpost of West Tapuach; soldiers do not attempt to remove trailer homes at the site. Palestinians fire 3 mortars at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. (AP, HA, MM, PCHR, PRCS 1/20; NYT, PR, WP 1/21; LAW, MM, PCHR 1/22; JPI 1/30)

Israel retaliates for Hizballah’s 1/19 shelling of an IDF bulldozer inside s. Lebanon by sending warplanes to strike Hizballah targets in s. Lebanon. In Washington, U.S. Secy. of State Colin Powell accuses Hizballah of deliberately taking action to escalate hostilities with Israel. (HA 1/20; LBC, MNR 1/20 in WNC 1/22; NYT, PR, WP, WT 1/21; WJW 1/22; MNR 1/22 in WNC 1/24)

IDF troops raid Askar r.c., accompanied by 4 armored personnel carriers, 14 military jeeps, 2 armored bulldozers, and 2 helicopters; surround the apartment building where wanted Hamas mbrs. Hamis Abu Salam, Fayiz al-Sadar live, sparking a fire fight that leaves at least 1 of the Palestinians, 1 IDF soldier dead; shell the 4-story building by helicopter, destroying it; the body of the 2d Palestinian is found in the rubble. The attack, which Hamas considers an assassination, sparks demonstrations in Askar; the IDF fires live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas at the crowds, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 6; a Palestinian, overcome by teargas, dies at a hospital. Nr. Jenin, 3 Palestinian gunmen fire on an IDF outpost, are wounded and arrested. Israel indicts 2 Jewish settlers, arrested on 7/17, on charges of transporting explosives, membership in a “Jewish terror cell.” (AFP, BBC, HA, MM 8/8; VOI, XIN 8/8, MENA, al-Quds 8/10 in WNC 8/12; NYT, WP, WT 8/9; AYM 8/10 in WNC 8/14; PCHR 8/14)

Hizballah, retaliating for the 8/2 car bombing, fires mortars, antitank rockets at an IDF post in the disputed Shaba‘ Farms area of the Golan. Israel responds by shelling Hizballah positions by plane, artillery. No injuries are reported in the exchange. (BBC, HA, MM 8/8; NYT, WP, WT 8/9; Islamic Republic News Agency 8/10 in WNC 8/12)

The IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Askar r.c., Balata r.c.; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Rafah, 1 in Issawiyya; bulldozes 26 dunams of land in Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Dahaysha r.c., Nablus, Qabatiyya, Qalqilya, Tulkarm; searches homes in Dayr al-Balah, occupying 1 as an IDF post; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Ramallah. Palestinians reportedly fire an antitank missile at an IDF post in Gaza, injuring 1 soldier, a civilian worker; fire 3 mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. IDF F-16s break the sound barrier over the Gaza Strip throughout the day. Late in the evening, at least 1 Palestinian gunman fires on an Israeli vehicle just inside the Israeli border nr. Qalqilya, killing a 7-yr.-old Israeli girl, wounding 3; the AMB, PFLP-GC each claim responsibility. Israeli police detain Mufti of Jerusalem Ikrima Sabri for questioning as part of the investigation into whether the Islamic Movement laundered money for Hamas. The IDF says it has drawn up a list of another 19 unauthorized outposts to be dismantled; of the original list, 10 uninhabited outposts have been removed, while 5 inhabited ones are slated for removal in the next few days. (AFP, AP, HA, HP 6/17; VOI, YA 6/17 in WNC 6/19; HA, MM, NYT, PR, WP, WT 6/18; HA, LAW, NYT, PCHR 6/19; JPI 6/27)

Before dawn, IDF helicopters fire 5 missiles at a school in Khan Yunis, extensively damaging it; fatally shoots a Palestinian drummer going alley-to-alley in Askar r.c. nr. Nablus despite the curfew to declare the start of the day’s Ramadan fast (Ramadan began on 11/6), bars an ambulance fr. reaching him, allowing him to bleed to death. During the day, the IDF fatally shoots 1 Palestinian driving in Bethlehem; holds a Palestinian woman in labor at a Bethlehem checkpoint for 2 hrs., causing her baby to die; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Nablus; raids an emergency clinic in Hebron, vandalizing patient files. A PFLP suicide bomber detonates a car bomb nr. an IDF post in Gaza, killing himself but causing no other injuries. Palestinians fire 5 mortars at Gush Katif settlement, causing no damage or injuries. (LAW, PCHR, PM, UPMRC, WT 11/27; HA, WP 11/28)

Israel’s Interior M Eli Yishai announces his decision to strip Israeli Arab Qays Obeid, now residing in Lebanon, of his Israeli citizenship for allegedly spying for Hizballah, marking the 2d time Yishai has stripped an Israeli Arab of his citizenship. (HA 11/27)

The IDF redeploys fr. 2 Palestinian neighborhoods in Hebron; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; confiscates 2,600 dunams of Palestinian land in Izbat Salman and Izbat Jilad for construction of the security fence; bulldozes 200 olive trees in Qalqilya for the security fence, 31 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah, 7 dunams in al-Mughraga in s. Gaza (also destroying 3 cars, partially demolishing 2 Palestinian homes); raid the al-Sultan Cultural Center in Hebron, arresting 1 employee, photocopying the center’s files; bars Palestinian fire trucks fr. fighting a blaze nr. Askar r.c. The IDF clashes with some 1,000 Jewish settlers who refuse to evacuate Havat Gilad, leaving 8 soldiers injured; troops clear the area, dismantle trailers, but 100s of settlers return after dark to reoccupy the site. In Gaza, Palestinians reportedly fire 2 antitank grenades at an IDF convoy nr. Netzarim, several mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, MM, NYT, WT 10/21; MA 10/21 in WNC 10/22; LAW, PCHR 10/23)

Across the U.S., evangelical Christian churches observe a day of prayer for Israel. (WP 10/21)

In Nablus, 9 schools hold classes in violation of the ongoing curfew; the IDF blocks 3 other schools fr. opening. In Yatta, a nail bomb explodes in the courtyard of an elementary school while classes are in session, lightly injuring 8 Palestinian children; a 2d bomb is found, defused by the IDF; the IDF believes Jewish settlers staged the attack. In Tulkarm, a 14-yr.-old Palestinian is killed in a mysterious explosion; the IDF claims he was making a bomb. The IDF demolishes 9 Palestinian foundries in Khan Yunis allegedly used to manufacture mortars; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Khan Yunis, Nablus; fires on a group of Palestinian children in Askar r.c., wounding 3 teenagers. (HA, REU 9/17; AP, JP, LAW, NYT, PCHR, PM, PR, WP, WT 9/18; AYM 9/20 in WNC 9/23)

The Quartet (the European Union [EU], Russia, UN, U.S.), reps. of Israel and the PA meet in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly opening session. The EU presents the Quartet with a draft “road map” for creation of a Palestinian state with provisional borders in 2003 and full Palestinian statehood by 6/05, the plausible target date mentioned by Bush in his 6/24/02 speech. (REU 9/17; MM, PR, WT 9/18; WJW 9/19; AYM, al-Quds 9/19 in WNC 9/20; AYM 9/20 in WNC 9/23; JT 9/24 in WNC 9/24; MEI 9/27)

The IDF conducts a predawn arrest raid in Nablus's Askar refugee camp, detaining at least 3 Palestinians, seizing 1 Palestinian apartment as an observation post, and exchanging gunfire with residents, leaving 1 soldier wounded. The IDF conducts another predawn arrest raid in Dayr al-Balah, shelling residential areas, occupying 2 Palestinian homes as observation posts. In Beersheba, 2 Hamas gunmen open fire outside an IDF base, killing 2 IDF soldiers, wounding 4 before being shot dead by troops. In response, the IDF F-16s drop bombs on a PSF headquarters in Gaza and Ansar 2 prison; helicopter gunships fire missiles on targets around Gaza City and Jabaliya, injuring 20 Palestinians, including employees of the UN Special Coordinator's Office (UNSCO), which is damaged in the attack. UNSCO protests. Later, Palestinians fire 2 objects fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no injuries; at least 1 of the devices leaves a 7-ft. hole, leading the IDF to suspect that it was a Qassam-2 rocket, rather than a mortar, which would mark the 1st time Palestinians have fired one of the homemade missiles. The IDF later reports it has confiscated 3 empty rocket launchers in Gaza. Jewish settlers severely beat a Palestinian teenager nr. Tal Rumayda; beat, rob another teenager nr. Nablus; bulldoze 12 dunams of olive groves nr. Antalia settlement. (MEZ, WP 2/10; XIN 2/10 in WNC 2/11; MM, NYT, WP 2/11; CSM 2/12; JT 2/12 in WNC 2/13; LAW, PCHR 2/13; MEI 2/22)

Sharon returns fr. the U.S., immediately calls for a mtg. of his inner cabinet to discuss how to respond to recent Palestinian attacks. (NYT 2/11)

The State Dept. confirms that Powell has received correspondence fr. Arafat regarding the Karine A affair, saying he was not involved but that as leader of the PA, he will take responsibility for the incident, punish those responsible. (WT 2/11; NYT 2/12, 2/14)

An IDF autopsy performed in the presence of a Palestinian doctor confirms that the 14-yr.-old Palestinian who died in Jerusalem on 2/8 was killed by an IDF bullet. (LAW 2/10, 2/13)