In retaliation for the 12/11 Hamas–Fatah Hawks attack, the IDF seals the Rafah crossing, fires on residential areas of Rafah (killing 1 Palestinian outside his home), conducts air strikes on 5...
The IDF continues operations in Jenin, fatally shooting a wanted Palestinian in an exchange of fire during an arrest raid, firing on stone-throwing Palestinian youths. The IDF closes the Rafah...
After Palestinians fire several Qassam rockets toward Sederot (causing no damage or injuries) and a mortar at Gush Katif (damaging a building), the IDF closes the Rafah crossing linking Egypt and...
IDF undercover units assassinate local AMB mbrs. Hani Awayda, Mahdi Tanbur in Tulkarm, opening fire on them as they sit in an outdoor caf´e, also killing 4 bystanders, wounding a 3d AMB mbr. IDF...
The IDF closes the Rafah crossing to Egypt indefinitely, citing security concerns; conducts an overnight raid into Saida nr. Tulkarm, firing on residential areas, rounding up residents for...
A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates a car bomb at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, killing only himself, lightly injuring 2 IDF soldiers. The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian, wounds a 2d...
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In retaliation for the 12/11 Hamas–Fatah Hawks attack, the IDF seals the Rafah crossing, fires on residential areas of Rafah (killing 1 Palestinian outside his home), conducts air strikes on 5 targets in Gaza City (destroying at least 1 metal workshop, 1 Palestinian home). The IDF also shells residential areas of Khan Yunis, injuring 7 Palestinian students in their classroom; tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement in the Ramallah area; begins bulldozing agricultural land in Husan w. of Bethlehem for construction of the separation wall. Palestinians fire 4 mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Ariel settlement throw stones at, chase off Palestinian farmers working their fields in neighboring Isqaqa village. (BBC 12/12; JAZ, VOI, VOP 12/12 in WNC 12/14; MM, NYT, WP, WT 12/13; VOP 12/13 in WNC 12/15; PCHR 12/16)
The IDF continues operations in Jenin, fatally shooting a wanted Palestinian in an exchange of fire during an arrest raid, firing on stone-throwing Palestinian youths. The IDF closes the Rafah crossing to Egypt; fires on residential and agricultural areas nr. Netzarim, seriously wounding a 52-yr.-old farmer in his field; bulldozes 15 d., shells residential areas nr. Rafah; bulldozes 4 d. outside Einav settlement nr. Tulkarm; raids 20 homes, a mosque during evening prayers in Hebron, holds those in the mosque for 3 hrs. of interrogation; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dura. In Hebron, 2 Palestinians are killed in a mysterious explosion. The AMB distributes leaflets across the territories warning the Palestinian leadership not to give up armed struggle or compromise on Palestinian national rights now that Arafat is in Paris for treatment. (PRCS 10/31; WT 11/2; PCHR 11/4)
After Palestinians fire several Qassam rockets toward Sederot (causing no damage or injuries) and a mortar at Gush Katif (damaging a building), the IDF closes the Rafah crossing linking Egypt and Gaza; shuts main roads in Gaza to Palestinian traffic, dividing the Strip into thirds; attempts to assassinate for a 2d time (the 1st was on 5/15/00) Islamic Jihad military cmdr. Muhammad Khalil by firing rockets at his Rafah home, wounding him and 5 family mbrs., killing 1 Palestinian neighbor. Senior AMB mbr. Shadi Awamir is killed, 2 Palestinians are injured in a mysterious explosion in his home in Gaza City in what may be an assassination. The IDF demolishes 12 Palestinian homes, fires on residential areas in Rafah; conducts a major raid on Nablus, firing on the Old City fr. helicopters, searching and occupying Palestinian homes as gun posts, clashing with local Palestinians, wounding at least 15 (including 5 children); fires on Palestinians waiting to cross Gaza’s Abu Huli crossing, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Dajan nr. Nablus, Hebron, Ramallah. (VOI 8/26 in WNC 8/28; NYT, WP 8/27; HA, VOI 8/27 in WNC 8/31; PCHR 9/2)
IDF undercover units assassinate local AMB mbrs. Hani Awayda, Mahdi Tanbur in Tulkarm, opening fire on them as they sit in an outdoor caf´e, also killing 4 bystanders, wounding a 3d AMB mbr. IDF helicopters rocket a Gaza City building (the IDF claims it is a Hamas workshop, Palestinians say it is the home of a Hamas mbr.) twice during the day, wounding 4 Palestinians, destroying the building. The IDF also expands operations in Bayt Hanun, searching homes and a medical clinic (temporarily detaining some patients and staff), bulldozing 300 dunams; fatally shoots a 50-yr.-old mentally handicapped Palestinian woman who enters a closed military zone nr. Rafah (the same woman was wounded in a similar incident in the area on 9/8/02); begins digging a trench around the Rafah border crossing; fires on residential areas of Bayt Rima, Khan Yunis; bulldozes 5 farm buildings, 5 dunams of land nr. Khan Yunis. Palestinians fire a mortar, an antitank rocket at Gaza’s Neve Dekalim settlement, slightly wounding 6 Israeli children. Jewish settler leaders rally 10,000s of Israelis (organizers say 200,000, police say 70,000; mostly settlers, ultra-Orthodox) to form a human chain stretching 56-mi. fr. Nisanit settlement in n. Gaza to the Western Wall in Jerusalem to protest plans for an Israeli withdrawal fr. Gaza. (JAZ, VOI, VOP, YA 7/25 in WNC 7/27; HA, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 7/26; VOP 7/26 in WNC 7/28; PR 7/28; PCHR 7/29)
The IDF closes the Rafah crossing to Egypt indefinitely, citing security concerns; conducts an overnight raid into Saida nr. Tulkarm, firing on residential areas, rounding up residents for questioning, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, killing 2 wanted Palestinians; conducts house searches in Bizariyya in the West Bank, causing a 57-yr.- old Palestinian woman to suffer a fatal heart attack; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Askar r.c., ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, Bayt Rima, al-Khadir, al-Mughraqa; fires on Palestinians waiting to cross a checkpoint in the al-Mawasi area of s. Gaza, wounding 5; fires on residential areas of Rafah; bulldozes large areas of agricultural land, demolishes 2 civilian cars in Bayt Hanun. A 4-yr.-old Palestiniandies of injuries received in Rafah on 7/7. (VOP 7/18 in WNC 7/21; PR 7/21; PCHR 7/22)
Outside the PC headquarters in Gaza, Fatah mbrs. continue to protest against Musa Arafat’s appointment. In the evening, some 150 armed AMB mbrs. attack the PA military intelligence headquarters in Rafah, using a bulldozer in an attempt to break into the complex, exchanging gunfire with security guards, leaving 18 Palestinians (including at least 3 AMB mbrs., several bystanders) wounded. AMB mbrs. also attack the PA military intelligence building in Khan Yunis, setting 2 offices ablaze, stealing weapons, freeing some detainees, wounding a security guard in an exchange of fire; staging marches in Nussayrat r.c. Navy security chief Juma Ghali, an Arafat loyalist, resigns his position to protest the Musa Arafat appointment. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 7/19; SA 7/19 in WNC 7/21; AYM 7/19 in WNC 7/24; PR 7/21; WP 7/22)
A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates a car bomb at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, killing only himself, lightly injuring 2 IDF soldiers. The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian, wounds a 2d nr. Dayr al-Balah; bulldozes tents and tin shacks housing 95 Palestinians nr. a settler bypass road leading to Gaza’s Gush Katif bloc; bulldozes 12 dunams of land in Wadi al-Silqa nr. Dayr al-Balah, 9 dunams nr. the Rafah crossing; fires on residential areas of Dayr al-Balah; imposes a curfew on, conducts house searches and arrest raids in Jaba‘ nr. Jenin; confiscates 5,500 m2 of agricultural land nr. Salfit, located btwn. the separation wall and the Green Line, that provides income for some 60 Palestinian families. In Hebron, 15 Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, escorted by IDF troops, attack Palestinian homes. A Palestinian dies of injuries received during the IDF raid on Rafah on 5/20. (VOP 5/28 in WNC 6/1; NYT 5/29; PCHR 6/3)
