The Palestine Chronology

In the Gaza Strip around midday, an armed Palestinian group launches 3 rockets into Israel that land in an open area nr. Beersheba, breaking the 24-hour extension to the previous 5-day cease-fire. The IDF responds with air strikes, hitting approximately 25 targets across Gaza, killing 2 Palestinians and injuring over 50. In 1 incident late at night, IDF troops launch 6 missiles at a house in Gaza City in an attempt to assassinate Mohammed Deif, Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades commander. Deif’s wife and 7-mo.-old son, as well as 3 other Palestinians, are killed in the attempt. The armed Palestinian groups fire over 50 projectiles into Israel, with 1 rocket hitting a highway nr. Tel Aviv and around 14 intercepted by Iron Dome batteries. At a hospital in Turkey, 1 Palestinian succumbs to injuries sustained earlier in the assault. Overnight in the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and raids in Dayr Istya, Hebron, 3 villages nr. Nablus, 1 village s. of Hebron, and 1 village n. of Tulkarm, arresting 13 Palestinians. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces raid a home and arrest 1 Palestinian. (AP, CNN, HA, MNA, WP 8/19; PCHR 8/21)

In the morning in Cairo, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, as well as Egyptian mediators, conduct talks on a long-term ceasefire agreement, specifically the Israeli demands for Hamas’s disarmament and the Palestinian demands for lifting the blockade. Head of the Palestinian delegation al-Ahmad says “maybe we will reach an agreement and maybe not.” Palestinian negotiator Qais Abdel Karim says the Israelis have proposed measures that would comprise “not removing the blockade but easing it.” Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum says, in an email to CNN, that “if Netanyahu does not understand our message and people’s demands in Gaza through political language, we know a way to make him understand.” After hostilities resume in Gaza, both Israel and the Palestinian factions accuse the other of violating the cease-fire and instruct their reps. to end the negotiations. (AP, Guardian, HA, MNA 8/19)

German, French, and British diplomats begin circulating a document containing principles for a new United Nations Security Council (UNSC) res. at the UN’s New York headquarters. The principles include a return of PA control to Gaza, reconstruction under international supervision, and a return to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. U.S. and Israeli diplomats have been briefed on the initiative. (HA 8/21)

The IDF continues its assault on the Gaza Strip by land, air, and sea, attacking over 90 targets and killing 104 Palestinians. One IDF strike on a UN-run school in Bayt Hanun kills at least 15, and wounds 200, mostly women and children seeking shelter. The Israeli army says it is investigating the incident and that “terrorists” opened fire at IDF personnel from the area of the school. Palestinians fire around 60 rockets into Israel, 15 of which are intercepted by Iron Dome, causing no damage or injuries (including 5 over Tel Aviv). On the ground in Gaza, al-Quds Brigades and al-Qassam Brigades claim to have killed 4 and 8 Israeli soldiers, respectively. In the West Bank, a reported 10,000 Palestinians gather in protest of the assault on Gaza and march from c. Ramallah to Qalandia checkpoint, where clashes with IDF troops break out. IDF troops kill 2 and injure more than 200 protesters, including 60 with live ammunition. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Nablus in the morning. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces set up checkpoints to restrict access to Haram al-Sharif, leading to clashes and the arrest of 12 Palestinian youth. (AFP, AP, HA, JP, MNA, REU, YA 7/24; PCHR 7/25)

Secy. of State Kerry meets with UN Secy.- Gen. Ban in Cairo once more. Meanwhile, in Amman, PA Pres. Abbas meets with Jordan’s King Abdallah and says “there is hope for a cease-fire” along the lines of “the Egyptian initiative” before fuller negotiations about wider demands. Kerry reaches out to Turkish and Qatari diplomats in an effort to garner support from Hamas’s regional allies for his cease-fire initiative. (AFP, AP, JP, MNA, REU, YA 7/24)

Rivlin is sworn in as the new pres. of Israel, succeeding Peres. (HA 7/24)

The IDF launches OPE, a major assault on the Gaza Strip. Israeli air strikes hit 150 targets across Gaza, killing 23 Palestinians and wounding more than 100. One attack in Khan Yunis kills 8 mbrs. of the same family when their home is bombed. Hamas fighters infiltrate Israel by sea nr. Kibbutz Zikim and are all killed, according to the IDF. Al-Qassam Brigades says the operation goes as planned. Palestiniansfire approximately 130 rockets into Israel, with Iron Dome batteries intercepting at least 23 of them. Some rockets reach c. Israel, though most fall in the s. Warning sirens are heard in Tel Aviv, where an Iron Dome battery intercepts 3 rockets. The rockets cause damage to 2 houses, and lightly injure 2 people. In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and injure 3 Palestinians during clashes nr. Qalandia checkpoint, and also shoot and injure 2 Palestinians in clashes in n. Bethlehem. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Nablus, 2 nearby villages, and Balata r.c. at night. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces detain 31 Palestinians in relation to the recent protests. (AFP, HA, JP, MNA, REU, YA 7/8; PCHR 7/10)

The Israeli govt. authorizes a call-up of some 40,000 reserve troops, in preparation for a possible ground invasion. Israeli DM Ya’alon says it is likely to be a protracted campaign that will “exact a very heavy price from Hamas.” Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Ubayda says that Israel must cease its offensive and commit to the 2012 cease-fire agreement. PA Pres. Abbas, meanwhile, demands that Israel immediately halt its offensive and asks the international community to intervene to halt the escalation. (AFP, AP, HA, JP, MNA, PCHR, REU, YA 7/8)