The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers open fire at Palestinian homes, uproot 10 olive trees, and bring their livestock to graze on farmland in Badia Umm Qissa in the Massafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also place mobile homes on Palestinian-owned land in Wadi Rahal. Israeli forces raid 2 printing houses in Ramallah and Beitunia, destroying equipment. Israeli forces also issue a notice that Israel will seize 18 dunams (4.5 acres) of land in Deir Dibwan. Elsewhere, Israeli forces erect a metal gate at the entrance to Burin, obstructing movement to the village. Israeli forces arrest 20 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian-owned parking lot located next to the Yusufiya Cemetery at the walls of the Old City. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, and Gaza City, killing at least 87 people. Israeli forces also storm the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis after besieging it for 25 days. 1 Israeli soldier is killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Naqoura, Labbouneh, Tayr Harfa, and Yarin. Hezbollah fires rockets at Birkhat Risha, Kiryat Shmona, and the Zarit military base. In the Red Sea, the Houthi movement says its forces attacked a UK bulk carrier. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/15; AJ, HA, HA 2/16)

More than 28,663 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 68,396 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 389 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, 230 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. 20 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza (UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/15; UNOCHA 2/16)

Hamas denies Israeli claims that it has a presence at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, saying on several occasions it has asked international organizations to inspect hospitals to debunk the Israeli claims that it uses them. Hamas calls the storming of the hospital “a continuation of the war of extermination.” (AJ 2/15; AJ 2/16)

The Committee to Project Journalists releases its annual report, saying 72 out of 99 journalists killed in 2023 were Palestinians reporting on Israel’s war on Gaza. (AJ 2/15)

The UN Conference on Trade and Development says the postwar reconstruction of Gaza will cost around $20 billion. (HA, REU 2/15)

The Washington Post reports that Egypt is building a wall along the Gaza-Egypt border in preparation for a scenario where Palestinians are forced to flee to Egypt due to an Israeli invasion of Rafah. (AJ, HA, WP 2/15; HA, HA, NYT, REU 2/16)

Peace Now releases its annual report, saying a record 26 new settlement outposts were erected in 2023 and a record 12,349 settlement housing units were advanced. (PCN 2/15)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas tells al-Sharq al-Awsat that U.S. officials have only offered him empty assurances regarding the 2-state solution that they never followed through with and that Hamas could join the PLO if they commit to its political platform and approve agreements signed with international bodies. (HA 2/15)

The Arab League meets to discuss the situation in Gaza. Arab League secretary-general Ahmed Aboul Gheit calls “on all parties that understand the gravity of the situation to act immediately in order to stop these crazy [Israeli] plans” to invade Rafah. (AJ, WAFA 2/15)

U.S. investigators from the embassy in Jerusalem visit the family and the scene of the killing of Palestinian American Mohammad Khdour, who was killed on 2/10. U.S. investigators have also visited the family of Palestinian American child Tawfic Abdel Jabber, who was killed last month. (AP 2/15)

President Joe Biden speaks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling him that Israel should not proceed with plans to invade Rafah “without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the civilians.” In a tweet on X, Netanyahu says Israel “continue[s] to oppose the unilateral recognition of a Palestinians state.” U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby tells reporters “I wish I could tell you that flour was moving [into Gaza] but I cannot do that right now.” During a phone call, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak urges Netanyahu to fully open the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing to allow more aid to enter. (AJ, AX, HA, REU, REU 2/15; AJ, HA, HA, REU 2/16)

The prime ministers of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand issue a joint statement calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and voicing concern over Israel’s planned ground invasion of Rafah. (HA 2/14; AJ, AJ, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/15)

Ireland says it will donate $21.5 million to UNRWA. (AJ, REU 2/15)

In the West Bank, Palestinians protest outside the UNRWA headquarters in Ramallah against the countries that have suspended funding to the agency. Israeli settlers assault Palestinians in Khillet al-Farra in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces raid Nur Shams refugee camp, killing 3 Palestinians and injuring 1, uprooting streets, and destroying property. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian during a raid in Wadi al-Fara’a. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolish a home under construction in Bayt Jala. Israeli forces also arrest 25 Palestinians during raids in Jenin, Hebron, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Khan Yunis, and Gaza City, killing at least 123 people, including 13 people collecting water from a truck distributing aid in Gaza City. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a paramedic and injure 2 others while they are evacuating injured people in Gaza City and open fire at al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis, injuring 2. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and kill a woman trying to collect water for the Nasser Hospital. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinian fishermen northwest of Rafah. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Khiam, killing 1 civilian and wounding 2 others. Israeli forces also bomb Marwahin and Bani Haiyyan. In Iraq, U.S. forces kill at least 3 people, including a senior member of Kataib Hezbollah, in an airstrike on Baghdad. (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/7; AJ, UNOCHA 2/8)

More than 27,708 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 67,147 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 379 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 96 children. More than 4,426 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, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 225 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,304 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. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 169 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The Gaza Ministry of Health says 11,000 sick and wounded Palestinians need evacuation for treatment. The Gaza Media Office says Israeli has burned 3,000 housing units in Gaza during its ground invasion. The UN says Israel has prevented 51 out of 61 planned aid missions to northern Gaza. Israelis continue to block the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing for the second day in a row. (AJ, AP, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/7; AJ, UNOCHA 2/8)

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says that there are 3,484 Palestinians held in administrative detention, including 40 children and 11 women. (WAFA 2/7)

An Israeli soldier dies of a fungal infection after being exposed 7 weeks ago in Gaza. (HA 2/7)

Details of Hamas’s counterproposal to the Israeli, U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian ceasefire proposal are unveiled. The Hamas proposal includes 3 stages of 45 days. In the first stage, Israel and Hamas would exchange the remaining female, child, and elderly Israeli captives for 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, see 500 trucks of aid enter Gaza daily, allow Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza, allow the entry of 60,000 temporary homes and 200,000 tents, and stop Israeli settlers from entering the Haram al-Sharif compound. In the second stage, male captives would be exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners. In the third phase, the bodies of those killed would be exchanged. The proposal also calls for securing the reconstruction of Gaza and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces. Hamas political bureau member Mohammad Nazzal says the Hamas proposal has clear deadlines which the original proposal lacked, that Qatar, Egypt, Russia, Turkey, and the UN will be guarantors for maintaining the ceasefire, and that the proposal is final. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the counterproposal “delusional,” saying Israel will not end its war on Gaza and will continue until “total victory.” (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU 2/7; NYT, NYT 2/8)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with PA president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, discussing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel’s withholding of PA tax funds, and settler violence. Abbas also expresses the importance of the U.S. recognizing the state of Palestine. Blinken also meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu, military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and President Issac Herzog. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reports that Netanyahu promises Blinken that Israel will not invade Egypt at the Philadelphi Corridor without coordination with Egypt. Blinken says at a press conference that Hamas will not play a role in the future governance of Gaza, that the death toll in Gaza remains too high, and that Israel should open the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing to allow more aid to enter Gaza. Blinken also says that the Hamas response to the ceasefire deal has “clear non-starters,” but that he thinks there is space for an agreement to be reached. Lastly, Blinken says that Israel cannot use the events of 10/7/2023 as a “license to dehumanize others.” Netanyahu says he complained to Blinken about the U.S. executive order allowing the U.S. sanction Israeli settlers, calling the order “inappropriate” and “highly problematic.”  (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, AX, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/7; HA, HA, NYT, REU 2/8)

Hamas says a delegation led by political bureau deputy leader Khalil al-Hayya will travel to Egypt for continued ceasefire talks with officials from Egypt and Qatar. (AJ 2/7)

PA health minister Mai al-Kaila sends a letter to UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, calling on him to ensure that medical personnel in Gaza are protected as 340 doctors and health workers have been killed by Israeli forces. Al-Mezan says in a letter to Guterres that the UN Office on Genocide Prevention has failed in its mandate, calling it “double standards.” (AJ, WAFA 2/7)

The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry issues a statement saying “in light of what has been attributed to the U.S. National Security Spokesperson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been steadfast on the Palestinian issue . . . The Kingdom has communicated its formal position to the U.S. administration that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and all Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip.” In the statement, Saudi Arabia also calls on UN Security Council members to recognize the state of Palestine. The PLO and PA welcome the Saudi statement. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/7)

Argentinian president Javier Milei meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem, saying Argentina will designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. On 2/6, Milei said he would move the Argentinian embassy to East Jerusalem. The Arab League and OIC condemn Milei’s promise to move the embassy. (AJ, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA 2/7)

The U.S. Senate rejects a $118 billion bill that would fund Israel’s war on Gaza, send military aid to Ukraine, and fund the U.S.-Mexico border. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VA) says he voted against the bill because the military aid to Israel is “unconscionable” given the Israel’s “horrific war against the Palestinian people,” and because of the provisions in the bill that would prevent UNRWA funding. (AJ, AJ, HA 2/7)

The American Civil Liberties Union writes a letter to U.S. secretary of education Miguel Cardona, calling on him to reject the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s working definition of anti-Semitism, saying it conflates anti-Semitism with political speech. (AJ 2/7)

Canadian immigration minister Marc Miller says Egyptian and Israeli authorities have not allowed 1,000 Palestinians who have been granted permission to come to Canada to be evacuated. (AJ 2/7)

Norway transfers $26 million to UNRWA, saying millions of people should not be collectively punished for the alleged wrongdoing of 12 staff members. (AJ 2/7)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian child succumbed to wounds sustained by Israeli forces during a raid in Jenin on 10/9. Masked and armed Israeli settlers, with military escort, killed 1 Palestinian man after abducting him, shot and injured 3 others and set fire to homes and vehicles during a raid in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Israeli settlers also raided Madama, setting fire to a home and a vehicle. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds in Deir Balut. Israeli forces shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy they claimed was approaching a checkpoint near Tell, carrying a knife. Israeli forces also shot and injured 9 Palestinians, including a 7-year-old boy who was shot in the neck and 2 other children, in Awarta, Jaba’, Beit Umar, and Beita. Elsewhere, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from working their lands and seized a vehicle in Wadi Jahish in the Masafer Yatta area. 12 Palestinians were arrested during raid in and around Tulkarm, Nablus, Tubas, Jenin, Hebron, and Qalqilya. In Gaza, more than 200 Palestinians were killed, including at least 160 in 2 attacks on the Shuja’iya neighborhood of Gaza City and in Jabalia refugee camp. Israel said it hit more than 400 targets today, including 50 in Khan Yunis. Israeli forces dropped leaflets in Khan Yunis telling residents to leave to Rafah and told residents of the eastern part of Gaza City and Jabalia to flee towards west. Israel said it had assassinated the commander of Hamas’ Shuja’iya Brigades Wisam Farhat. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. Rockets were launched from Gaza at Israel, reportedly injuring 1. In Lebanon, Israel attacked several places and rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israel. In Syria, Israeli forces killed 2 Iranian military advisors in airstrikes. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, 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 12/2; HA, HA, REU 12/3)

More than 15,380 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 6,150 children and 4,000 women, and around 37,000 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 245 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 65 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. 77 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 Israel 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. 100 trucks carrying aid, including fuel, and 7 Saudi donated ambulances arrived in Gaza. 903 people were evacuated to Egypt, including 13 injured Palestinians. (AJ, AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 12/2)

French president Emmanuel Macron arrived in Qatar to help efforts for a new ceasefire. Macron said that Israel will not gain lasting security by killing Palestinian civilians. Israel said it had pulled its team of negotiators from the Mossad back to Israel from Qatar. Hamas deputy leader of the political bureau Salah al-Arouri said Hamas would not negotiate about releasing the remaining captives while Israel continues its attacks on Gaza. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, REU, REU 12/2)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan in Ramallah urging him to investigate Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Several Palestinian human rights groups refused to meet with Khan, calling him unprofessional. Khan had toured Israel since 11/30. (HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 12/2; AP 12/3)

U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin said during a speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum that he had “repeatedly made clear to Israel’s leaders that protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral responsibility and a strategic imperative.” Austin also said he had urged them to “prevent violence by settlers in the West Bank, and to dramatically expand access to humanitarian aid.” Vice President Kamala Harris said that “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed . . . . Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering, and the images and videos coming from Gaza, are devastating.” (HA, REU, REU 12/2)

The UK said it will fly a surveillance aircraft over Gaza to locate captives. (HA 12/2)

In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler was lightly injured by glass shards from his vehicle after his car was hit by live ammunition near Huwwara. Israeli settlers set up tents on Palestinian-owned land near Yatta. Hundreds of Palestinians took part in a funeral procession from Ramallah to Nabi Salih for the 2-year-old Palestinian boy who was critically injured by Israeli forces on 6/1 and died of his wounds on 6/5. Israeli forces attacked Palestinians in Nabi Salih after the funeral, injuring 1 with live ammunition, 1 with a baton round, and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beit Umar, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces uprooted 50 olive trees in Hizma. Israeli forces also temporarily seized, for 3 days, parts of a 3-story house in Zeita for a military outpost. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolished 1 house in al-Mazra’a al-Gharbiya. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Tammun, Tulkarm, Qabatiya, Nablus, and Beit Fajjar. In East Jerusalem, 5 Palestinian families demolished their own homes in Wadi Qaddum, displacing more than 30 Palestinians. Israeli authorities also demolished 1 home in Wadi al-Juz, displacing 8. 3 Palestinians were arrested in Isawiya. (AJ, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/6; PCHR 6/8; UNOCHA 6/18)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a phone conversation about the killing of 3 Israeli soldiers by an Egyptian police officer on 6/3. The 2 sides have promised a joint investigation into the incident. (HA, REU 6/6)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers used pepper spray on 3 Palestinians at the Wadi Qana nature reserve near Salfit and vandalized 5 vehicles. Israeli forces closed all the entrances to Dayr Nidham, closed roads leading to Ya‘bad with concrete blocks and set up a metal gate, and closed access to 7 villages near Salfit. 17 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Kafr Dan, Qabatiya, Ya‘bad, Nablus, Balata refugee camp, al-Twana, Tulkarm, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Shaykh Jarrah, injuring 1 with a sound bomb. Israel began allowing Jewish worshipers at the Haram al-Sharif compound for the 1st time since the beginning of Ramadan on 4/12; some 250 Jewish worshipers with military escort visited the compound; 9 Palestinians were arrested for protesting the settler incursion. 10 other Palestinians were arrested during raids in Bayt Hanina, al-Tur, and the Old City. In Israel, 1 Israeli woman succumbed to injuries sustained in a fall while seeking shelter on 5/15, raising the Israeli death toll from the Hamas-Israel escalation to 13. (AJ, AP, HA, MEMO, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/23; PCHR 5/27)

PA presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh warned that Israel’s lockdown of Shaykh Jarrah and continued attacks on the Haram al-Sharif compound could lead to an end of the ceasefire, which went into effect on 5/21, and asked the U.S. to intervene to keep the calm. (WAFA 5/23)

Leader of Hamas’s politburo Ismail Haniyeh met with Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, thanking him for Qatar’s support of Palestine. (MEMO 5/24)

Israeli police released a statement saying it had arrested 1,550 people since 5/9 who have taken part in violent and non-violent protest throughout Israel. Over 70% of the people arrested were Palestinian citizens of Israel, prompting Adalah to call it a “war” against Palestinian demonstrators. Israeli police have named the mass arrest campaign “Operation Law and Order.” (AJ, INT, MDW, NYT, WAFA 5/24)

The Jordanian foreign ministry condemned Israel’s continued violations of status quo agreements in East Jerusalem, specifically the continued raids on the Haram al-Sharif compound and policy reversal in allowing Jewish worshipers at the compound. (WAFA 5/23)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said that the Biden administration is committed to “giving Israel the means to defend itself,” despite growing calls among democrats and activists to condition U.S. military aid to Israel. (AJ 5/23)

The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories Lynn Hastings said that the UN would launch an urgent appeal to countries to help rebuild Gaza after Israeli air strikes caused massive destruction during the latest escalation, which ended on 5/21. U.S. president Joe Biden said his administration would work with the UN to send humanitarian aid to Gaza in a way that prevents Hamas from benefiting. Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz said he will condition any aid that is not for humanitarian relief on the release of Israeli prisoners and the bodies of 2 Israelis to Israel. Defense minister Gantz also said that Gaza should be kept on the “basic humanitarian threshold.” (AJ, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 5/23; HA 5/24)

Kuwait said it will send 40 tons of aid to the Palestinian Red Crescent to help with its response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. (MEMO 5/24)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 1 minor who was hit by a stun grenade; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 3 with rubber-coated bullets and others suffered tear-gas related injuries. 4 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested during a late-night raid in Wadi al-Juz. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at agricultural lands east of al-Fukhari; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/26; PCHR 4/1)

Israel handed over the body of 1 Palestinian man who was shot and killed by Israeli settlers on 2/5 to his family. (WAFA 3/26)

Haaretz reported that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ignoring a request made by Jordan to have Israel supply water, as Jordan is experiencing a water shortage. Israel provides Jordan with water as agreed in the 2 countries’ peace agreement and Israel sometimes provides Jordan with extra water when Jordan is experiencing droughts. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to ignore Jordan’s request is reportedly in retaliation for Jordan’s decision to close its airspace to him for a planned trip to the UAE after Israel complicated a planned visit by Jordan’s crown prince to the Haram al-Sharif compound on 3/10, which the crown prince ultimately canceled. (HA 3/26; HA, HA 3/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 13 Palestinian-owned vehicles, puncturing tires and spraying racist graffiti, in Luban al-Sharqiyya. Elsewhere, near Burin, Israeli settlers set fire to olive trees. Israeli settlers also set up mobile homes, creating a settlement outpost in al-Sawiya. Israeli forces seized 2 Palestinian-owned bulldozers, 1 in Qalqilya and 1 near Ramallah. Israeli forces also uprooted some 200 olive trees in Yasuf. Elsewhere, Israeli forces delivered a notice for seizure of 3.5 dunams (0.8 acres) of Palestinian-owned land to expand a checkpoint near Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished 1 house in Silwan and 1 store in Wadi al-Juz. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/8; HA, PCHR, WAFA 7/9)

The EU announced $25.1 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. (WAFA 7/8)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian man in Susiya. Israeli forces made Jiftlik a temporary military zone and seized an irrigation system, 2 bulldozers, 1 tractor, and 1 water tank. 21 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Bayt Umar, Hebron, al-Fawar refugee camp, Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus, and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested. The Israeli Jerusalem municipality ordered some 200 Palestinian-owned industrial buildings in Wadi al-Juz to be evicted and demolished. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions to level land. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/1; JP, WAFA 6/2; PCHR 6/4)

Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz said he had instructed the Israeli army’s chief of staff to accelerate the army’s preparations for “the upcoming diplomatic changes in the Palestinian area.” Defense Minister Gantz was referring to the potential fallout from Israel’s upcoming plans to annex parts of the West Bank. (HA, REU 6/1)

UAE’s minister of foreign affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted that “[c]ontinued Israeli talk of annexing Palestinian lands must stop. Any unilateral Israeli move will be a serious setback for the peace process, undermine Palestinian self determination & constitute a rejection of the international & Arab consensus towards stability & peace.” The tweet comes after the PA on 5/21 rejected COVID-19-related aid flown directly from the UAE to Tel Aviv. The direct flight was seen as another step toward normalizing ties between the UAE and Israel. (AJ, HA, REU 6/1)

U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a podcast that the U.S. government would make announcements this week “push[ing] back against what the ICC is up to.” The ICC is currently investigating possible war crimes committed by the U.S. in Afghanistan and by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. (HA 6/2)

The World Bank warned that the Palestinian economy could shrink up to 11 percent in the coming year, citing COVID-19’s impact on the tourism industry and PA-enhanced spending on health. (HA 6/1)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian school in ‘Ayn Bus was set on fire, damaging classrooms, and racist Hebrew graffiti was painted on the building. Israeli forces seized tracts of land north of Hebron to expand an Israeli settlement. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Biddu, Bethlehem Tubas, Tulkarm, Hebron, and Jenin. During a raid in Jenin, Israeli forces confiscated a vehicle and cash. Palestinians protested the U.S. administration’s version of a peace plan in several places throughout the West Bank; at least 12 Palestinians were reported injured. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian-owned store in Wadi al-Juz. 8 Palestinians were arrested, including 3 during raids in Silwan and the Old City, and 5 at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Palestinians also protested the U.S. administration’s peace plan. (AJ, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/28; PCHR 1/30)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted in the 3 corruption cases against him. Prime Minister Netanyahu had earlier on that day, before the indictment, withdrawn his request for immunity from prosecution. (AJ, HA 1/28)

U.S. president Donald Trump, flanked by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, presented the U.S. administration’s version of a peace plan, which on all contentious issues took maximalist Israeli positions. The plan presented a vision for 2 states; however, the map of these 2 “states” presented with the plan showed a carved-up West Bank where the majority of Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley were annexed by Israel. A swath of land in Israel, where some 250,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel live, would be annexed to the Palestinian “state.” Some land in Israel along the Egyptian border would also be part of the Palestinian state. Jerusalem would become part of Israel and the Palestinian capitol would be east of Jerusalem on the West Bank side of the separation border. Gaza and the West Bank would be connected by a bridge or a tunnel. The Palestinian state would be demilitarized, including disarming Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine (PIJ). Israel would control all of Palestine’s international borders. There would be no right of return for Palestinians as “[t]heir Arab brothers have the moral responsibility to integrate them into their countries as the Jews were integrated into the State of Israel.” Furthermore, the peace plan would allow Jews to pray on Haram al-Sharif and the PA would have to stop paying stipends to families of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Palestinians, according to the plan, would have 4 years after the “peace deal” was signed to achieve the right to their own state. (BBC, NPR, NYT, REU 1/28; AJ, HA 1/29; HA 1/30)

The Palestinian leadership’s response to the U.S. administration’s vision of a peace plan was condemnation. PA president Mahmoud Abbas said that “Trump and Netanyahu declared the slap of the century, not the deal. And we will respond with slaps.” At President Abbas’s speech were representatives from Hamas and PIJ. Hamas said Abbas had spoken with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and that the 2 had agreed to stand together in unity on the matter. Abbas also called for an urgent session at the Arab League to discuss the U.S. peace plan. (AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 1/28)

Shortly after the U.S. peace plan was released, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he would convene the Israeli cabinet on 2/1 to start annexing Israeli settlements, the Jordan Valley, and the northern Dead Sea. Jared Kushner, senior advisor to President Trump, said shortly after Netanyahu’s announcement that he did not believe that Israel would start annexing West Bank settlements on 2/1, contradicting the Israeli prime minister. (HA, HA, HA 1/29)

Israeli forces shell a group of Palestinians near Jabaliya refugee camp who were reportedly launching incendiary kites and balloons into Israel; 2 Palestinians are injured. For a third day in a row, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians gathering near al-Bureij refugee camp to continue the Great March of Return; 1 Palestinian is injured. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, unidentified assailants launch an incendiary kite onto an Israeli settler vineyard outside Ariel, sparking a minor fire. It is reportedly the second time Palestinians in the West Bank have deployed incendiary kites. Israeli forces demolish 2 Palestinian homes near Hebron. IDF troops arrest 7 Palestinians and issue 1 arrest summons during late-night raids near Ramallah, Salfit, Jenin, Hebron, and Nablus; and patrol near Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Salfit, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest and assault 3 Palestinians during raids in Wadi al-Juz and Abu Dis. (MNA, TOI, WAFA 8/6; PCHR 8/9)

Thousands of Palestinians gather along Gaza’s border to continue the Great March of Return. IDF troops violently disperse the demonstrations near Khan Yunis, Rafah, al-Bureij refugee camp, Gaza City, and Jabaliya refugee camp; 2 Palestinians are killed and at least 90 are injured. Their deaths bring the Great March of Return death toll to 137. In response to shots allegedly fired at IDF border patrols in the evening, Israeli forces strike a Hamas observation post near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing damage.

In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces enter Haram al-Sharif after Friday prayers and fire sound bombs at Palestinian worshippers, clearing them from the sanctuary; 7 Palestinians and 4 Israeli police officers are injured, and 24 Palestinians are arrested. Some witnesses say that the Israelis entered the sanctuary after children threw firecrackers at them. After the clashes, Israeli forces seal the entrances to the sanctuary. The Islamic Waqf then organizes a sit-in protest outside, and the Israeli authorities order the entrances reopened hours later. Separately, Israeli forces arrest 5 Palestinians during late-night raids in Silwan and Wadi al-Juz. In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian home under construction and surrounding wheat fields near Nablus, causing extensive damage. The IDF seals off the entrance to Kobar village near Ramallah, the hometown of the Palestinian who allegedly stabbed 3 Israeli settlers on 7/26. IDF troops conduct raids in the village throughout the day, sparking intermittent clashes; 5 Palestinians are injured (1 critically). Israeli soldiers also violently disperse Friday protests at Kafr Qaddum near Qalqilya; 5 Palestinians are injured. Dozens of Palestinians gather outside Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin village near Jerusalem, to protest the impending Israeli evacuation and demolition of the village. Throughout the day, the IDF patrols near Hebron, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, and Jenin. (EI, HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 7/27; EI, MNA 7/28; PCHR 8/2)

Israeli DM Lieberman pledges to advance the construction of 400 new housing units in the Adam settlement near Ramallah, justifying the settlement growth in response to the stabbing attack on 7/26. The “best response to terrorism is increased settlement,” Lieberman tweets. The 400 units are reportedly part of an existing plan to build 1,000 new units in the settlement. (HA, MNA, TOI 7/27)

IDF troops open fire on a Palestinian vehicle driving outside Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, killing 1 Palestinian youth and seriously injuring the other 3 occupants (1 of the youths will succumb to his injuries on 4/10). IDF troops then shut down a major checkpoint nearby and violently disperse Palestinians from the camp gathering to protest the shooting; there are no serious injuries. Elsewhere in the West Bank, the IDF shuts down several checkpoints in n. Hebron in response to stone throwing in the area. Israeli forces raid and damage the contents of 2 Palestinian printing shops in Tulkarm, and arrest 5 Palestinians during raids nr. Salfit and in Hebron; and patrol nr. Nablus and Hebron. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces arrest 2 Palestinian fishermen and confiscate their boat nr. Gaza City. Later, they open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Jabaliya r.c., causing no damage or injuries. In East Jerusalem, an Israeli police officer assaults and injures several Palestinians in Wadi al-Juz after 1 of them reportedly rammed him with a car. (HA, MNA, WAFA 3/23; EI, MNA 3/24; PCHR 3/30)

Concluding 4 days of talks in Washington, Israeli and U.S. officials release a joint statement saying that the Israeli govt. intends to take the Trump admin.’s concerns regarding settlement activity in the oPt “into consideration.” They do not reach a broader agreement on the subject. The talks were focused on “concrete, nr.-term measures to improve the overall climate in order to advance the prospects for a genuine and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” including steps Israel could take to improve the economic situation in the oPt and the need to bring humanitarian relief to Gaza. (NYT, WP 3/23; HA 3/24; HA 3/26)

The U.S. Senate confirms Friedman as the new amb. to Israel in 52–46 vote. Only 2 Democrats vote in favor of U.S. pres. Trump’s nominee: Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV). (CNN, HA, JP, TOI 3/23)

Outside the Beit El settlement nr. Ramallah, IDF troops shoot and kill a Palestinian driver at a checkpoint after he shoots and injures 3 Israeli soldiers (1 seriously). The Palestinian, later identified as a police officer, opened fire when an Israeli soldier approached his driver’s side window to perform a security check. After the incident, the IDF imposes a partial closure on the Ramallah area, setting up mobile checkpoints, shutting down many roads, and barring nonresidents from entering the city (more restrictions will be implemented by 2/1). Later, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian driver nr. Ramallah as he allegedly attempts to ram them (none of whom are injured); violently disperse Palestinian youths throwing stones and protesting the closure of a nearby checkpoint (1 Palestinian is arrested and there are no serious injuries). Meanwhile, IDF troops conduct raids and house searches in 1 village nr. Ramallah, Nablus and 1 nearby village, Hebron and 1 village nearby, and Tulkarm, arresting 11 Palestinians, assaulting 1, and issuing an arrest summons to 1; patrol in al-Fawar r.c. and 3 villages nr. Hebron, as well as 1 village nr. Salfit. Israeli forces confiscate construction materials and equipment from a site nr. Hebron. Israeli settlers shoot at and damage a Palestinian home nr. Salfit late at night. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a home in Sur al-Bahir late at night; assault a Palestinian in Ras al-Amud, moderately injuring him; arrest 5 Palestinians on raids and at checkpoints in alThawri, Wadi al-Juz, Silwan, Shaykh Jarrah, and in the Old City. Also, a 2d Palestinian youth turns himself in to the Israeli police in connection with the 1/30 stabbing outside the Old City. (HA, JP, MNA, WAFA, YA 1/31; PCHR 2/4)

The Israeli govt. approves a plan to create a new area at the Western Wall for genderdesegregated prayer, responding to years of complaints from Jewish feminists and other non-Orthodox Israelis about the discriminatory nature of the existing prayer spaces. (HA, NYT 1/31)

In Gaza, unknown assailants open fire on trucks at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, causing light damage to 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and raids in Qalqilya, 1 village nr. Ramallah, Tulkarm r.c. and 1 village nr. Tulkarm, as well as al-‘Arub r.c. and 1 village nr. Hebron, arresting 18 Palestinians; patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin, 1 each nr. Qalqilya and Hebron, and ‘Aqabat Jabir r.c. nr. Jericho. Meanwhile, a group of armed men from the Balata r.c. shut down a main road in Nablus in protest of the PASF crackdown on the camp. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces confiscate the contents of a store in Hizma and demolish a residential building under construction in Wadi al-Juz. They also conduct raids in Silwan, assaulting 2 Palestinians and arresting 3. Meanwhile, the Jordan-funded Islamic Waqf begins renovations at Haram al-Sharif, and Israeli minister Uri Ariel calls for the project to be halted. In the Galilee, Palestinians in Kafr Kanna conduct a general strike in protest of the demolition in the village on 4/12. (MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 4/13; MNA 4/14; PCHR, WAFA 4/16)

PA Pres. Abbas meets with Russian pres. Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss Russian-Palestinian relations, the Middle East peace negotiations, and other issues. (AFP 4/9; AFP, HA, TOI 4/13; REU 4/14)

U.S. Pres. Obama meets with several U.S. Jewish groups to discuss the “key parameters” announced on 4/2 by the P5+1 and Iran, and their concerns about Israel’s security. The groups include the AJC, ADL, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Federations of N. America, AIPAC, and J Street. (HA 4/13; HA, TOI 4/14; JP 4/23)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces deliver stopwork notices to Palestinian homes and structures in 3 villages nr. Hebron. The IDF conducts raids and house searches in 3 villages nr. Ramallah, arresting 1 Palestinian; patrols in 1 village each nr. Hebron and Tulkarm. Israeli settlers destroy 1,200 almond and olive trees outside Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces conduct raids in Wadi al-Juz, arresting 1 Palestinian. (MNA, WAFA 3/26; MNA 3/28; PCHR 4/2)

Reps. of the Joint List and Palestinian activists begin a 4-day protest march from unrecognized bedouin villages in the Negev to the Israeli president’s residence in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the Joint List requests 4 seats on the Knesset Finance Comm. in exchange for its allotted seats on the foreign affairs and defense comms., hoping to improve the position of Palestinian citizens of Israel. (HA 3/25; AFP, HA 3/26; HA 3/27)

U.S. Secy. of State Kerry and U.S. Energy Secy. Moniz meet with Iranian FM Zarif and Iran’s atomic energy chief Salehi in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the 1st of 8 days of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program ahead of their 3/31 deadline for reaching a political accord. Afterward, Kerry calls Israeli PM Netanyahu to update him on the negotiations. (AP, HA, TOI 3/26; HA, REU 3/27)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian infant faints while his family waits in line at the Allenby border crossing. He is taken by helicopter to a Jerusalem hospital. The IDF detains 7 Palestinians, including 6 from 1 family, at a mobile checkpoint nr. Bethlehem, then closes a checkpoint outside a village n. of Jerusalem, effectively barring its residents from leaving. Israeli troops also conduct house searches and raids in a village n. of Hebron; patrol nr. Jericho, Ramallah, Salfit, al-Fawar r.c., Hebron, Jenin, and Tulkarm. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers destroy 8 dunams of agricultural land s. of Yatta village. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces clash with stone-throwing Palestinian youth in Wadi al-Juz, arresting 1 Palestinian; conduct house searches and arrest raids in Silwan and al-Tur. (HA, MNA, WAFA 12/27; PCHR 12/31)

Hamas leader Mishal travels to Turkey to appear alongside PM Ahmet Davutoğlu at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) annual congress in Konya. Mishal commends the Turkish govt. for its support of the Palestinian people. (HA, YA 12/27; TOI 12/28)

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu in Jerusalem and says that Congress plans to place restrictions on UN funding if the UNSC passes a res. setting a timetable for ending the Israeli occupation. (TOI 12/27)

Off the coast of the Gaza Strip nr. Rafah, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishermen, causing damage but no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 2 villages each nr. Hebron and Salfit; patrols in 2 villages each nr. Jericho and Ramallah, in Tulkarm and 1 nearby village, and in 1 village each nr. Hebron and Salfit. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces shoot and wound 2 Palestinians in separate incidents during protests and clashes in Wadi al-Juz and Shu‘fat. (PCHR 10/30)

In Washington, U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry and VP Joe Biden meet with senior Arab officials including the Bahraini, Egyptian, Jordanian and Qatari FMs, and representatives from the PA, Arab League, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia for talks on the peace process. Qatari PM Shaykh Hamad Bin Jassem al-Thani, speaking on behalf of the Arab League delegation, cites the possibility of a border agreement that includes mutually agree and minor land swaps between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Kerry affirms the importance of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative that promised full normalization for Israel’s complete withdrawal from the occupied territories (including the Golan). (AP, REU 29/4)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 rocket from Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response to recent rocket fire (see also 4/27), Israel closes the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, further restricts movement through the Erez crossing to ‘‘humanitarian cases,’’ though it cancels visits for Gazan families of Palestinians jailed in Israel (VIPs were the only others allowed to cross Gaza). Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishermen off the south Gaza coast east of Rafah, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF soldiers evict several hundred Bedouin from Wadi al-Malih village in the Jordan Valley after declaring the area a live fire training zone (see 4/24). Meanwhile, Israel demolishes 4 Palestinian apartments in the al-Tur neighborhood of East Jerusalem, as well as a water well and utility room in the al-Fawar r.c. in Hebron. The IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Tulkarm in the morning, in 2 villages nr. Jenin in the afternoon. At night, IDF troops conduct house searches and arrest raids in Dahaysha r.c. in Bethlehem, in Hebron, in 5 villages nr. Hebron, in Nablus, and in 1 village nr. Ramallah. Jewish settlers attack Palestinians in Bayt Furik village nr. Nablus, injuring 2. (AFP, MNA REU 4/29; PCHR 5/2)

UN Secy.-Gen. Ban Ki-moon urges the Syrian government to allow experts into the country to investigate reports of alleged use of chemical weapons. Damascus wants any investigation limited to a 3/2013 incident nr. Aleppo while Ban wants to also include a 12/2012 incident in Homs. (see 4/24) (AP 4/29)

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF opens fire along the border fence nr. Wadi al-Salqa village in c. Gaza, wounding 1 Palestinian child. Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza coast nr. al-Waha, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF for a 2d time in 48 hours destroys tents being used for shelter by shepherds in the n. Jordan Valley community of al-Maleh; the IDF also prevents a convoy of humanitarian aid from reaching the village. The IDF arrests Palestinians and Israelis who were part of a group of farmers and activists attempting to access Palestinian-owned land alongside the unauthorized settler outpost of Mitzpeh Hair nr. Hebron. The IDF also patrols in 2 villages nr. Salfit in the morning, in 3 villages nr. Jenin in the afternoon, and in 1 village each nr. Hebron, Ramallah, and Tulkarm at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village each nr. Bethlehem and Hebron at night. (972mag, WAFA, XIN 1/19; PCHR 1/23)

Speaking ahead of elections, Israeli PM Netanyahu says that the country’s enemies want a ‘‘weak Israel’’ and that his priority in a next term in office will be to stop Iran’s nuclear program. (REU 1/19)

The day before a major economic conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the Arab League Ahmad Qattan says that the country will contribute $20 m. each mo. to the PA for as long as Israel continues to withhold Palestinian tax revenues. (MNA 1/19)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jericho, neighboring ‘Ayn al-Sultan r.c., and 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning; 2 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the afternoon; and 2 villages nr. Jenin and 1 nr. Ramallah late at night. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches, and interrogations in and around Qalqilya, and nr. Hebron, Jenin (arresting senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Usama Shalabi), and Tulkarm. Israeli municipal authorities in Jerusalem post notices signaling the planned implementation of a 9/2011 decision to confiscate 13 d. East Jerusalem property in Wadi al-Juz located between Hebrew University and the Palestine Archaeological Museum; the decision would displace 170 Palestinian stores employing some 700 workers. (OCHA, PCHR 1/5)

A bill proposed by MK Danny Danon passes in the Knesset requiring that any Palestinian prisoner granted early release by the president who commits another crime (misdemeanor or felony) be rearrested and made to serve the remainder of his or her original sentence. (JPI 1/13)

The IDF sends troops into Wadi al-Silqa in central Gaza, raiding and searching homes, occupying several as observation posts, imposing a curfew, firing on anyone on the streets (wounding 2 unarmed Palestinians), bulldozing a greenhouse and 1 d. of land. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya, Tulkarm. In Khan Yunis, suspected Fatah mbrs. detonate a bomb under an ESF vehicle outside an ESF post, causing no injuries. (OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/1)

The IDF tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement inside Gaza, declares the n. West Bank a closed military zone in preparation for disengagement; begins going door to door in the Gaza settlements, asking residents to leave within 48 hrs. In Aley Sinai, 56 of 59 families who had agreed to leave rescind their decision, vowing to resist evacuation until the Israeli government finds permanent living solutions for the community as a whole; the government had promised them space together in an Ashkelon hotel, but only today learned that not enough space was available. During the day, some 1,000 right-wing settlers in various locations in s. Gaza simultaneously begin marching toward Gush Katif to block troops, but are prevented fr. reaching the settlement bloc by IDF troops and border police. Other settler youths slash the tires of several army jeeps, spray liquid soap on windshields to limit visibility, spread nails on roads to delay convoys of movers. Jewish settlers fr. Neve Dekalim vandalize, attempt to set fire to several Palestinian homes in al-Mawasi. In Gan Or, local settlers who want the IDF’s help to evacuate scuffle with settler youths blocking soldiers fr. entering the settlement. In the West Bank, the last residents of Ganim (est. 1983, pop. 172) and Qadim (est. 1983, pop. 169) evacuate voluntarily by evening, while settlers in the other 2 West Bank settlement slated for removal, the hard-line enclaves of Homesh (est. 1980, pop. 228) and Sanur (est. 1982, pop. 105), refuse to accept their notices. The major Palestinian factions, including Hamas, agree to oversee jointly how the PA uses land evacuated by settlers and the IDF; the PA expects 5% of the land to revert to individual Palestinian owners, with the rest being state land that will fall under PA jurisdiction. In a signal to reassure Palestinians about how it will handle land use, the PA security forces demolish a house, cabana, pool built illegally on Gaza public land by 2 senior PA security officials; when a neighbor of one of the officials tells journalists that the demolitions were good because his neighbors “were criminals . . . a gang,” several PA security officers beat him, threaten to shoot him, before he retreats into his house. (BBC, HA, NYT 8/15; HA, NYT, WP, WT 8/16; PR 8/17; PCHR 8/18)

Meanwhile, the IDF continues arrest raids, house searches in villages around Tulkarm; launches arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and in Birzeit, alMawasi; searches homes in Kafr Qadim; occupies 5 Palestinian houses (2 nr. Gaza’s Dugit settlement, 1 in Mughraqa, 1 nr. Tulkarm, 1 in Wadi al-Silqa) as observation posts; fires on residential areas of Rafah. Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinian homes in Hebron. The ICRC resumes field activities in Gaza, which were suspended on 8/7 after shots were fired at its Khan Yunis offices. (IMEMC 8/15; NYT 8/16)

The IDF begins dismantling 1 of its main posts in Khan Yunis in preparation for disengagement; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c. and Wadi al-Silqa, around Hebron, nr. Qalqilya. Major Hamas-Fatah clashes erupt in Gaza City when PA preventive security force officers outside the force’s headquarters open fire on a car driven by an Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr. Within the hr., Hamas political leaders, senior PA officials hold a press conference appealing for calm, say they are ready to put aside all differences and hold talks on improving relations. Hrs. later unidentified gunmen (some reports say Hamas mbrs.) fire on the Gaza City homes of PA police cmdr. Abu Shibak (see 6/10), Fatah Gaza head Abdallah Franji, Fatah Revolutionary Council mbr. Majid Abu Shammala, Force 17 head Faisal Abu Sharkh, PA security forces Col. Nabil Tamus, and the offices of leading Fatah mbr. Samir Masharawi and the PA preventive security forces headquarters; exchange gunfire with Abu Shibak’s and Franji’s bodyguards, leaving at least 7 Palestinians (at least 2 Franji bodyguards, 2 Abu Shibak bodyguards, 1 attacker) injured. In Jericho and Ramallah, 10s of Palestinians, including some political leaders and heads of organizations, organized by the National and Islamic Higher Committee for the Follow-up of the Intifada (NIHC) stage marches to demand that the PA take action to end lawlessness, support rule of law. A PA police officer dies of injuries received during the IDF incursion into Tulkarm on 7/13. In s. Israel, 1,000s of Israeli protesters observe a 3d and final day of demonstrations against disengagement. (AFP, IMEMC, PCHR, PR, REU, XIN 7/20; AYM 7/20 in WNC 7/21; NYT, PCHR, WP 7/21; OCHA 7/27; PCHR 7/28)

The IDF continues massing tanks, armored vehicles on the n. Gaza border; Sharon instructs security officials to take “all measures, without restrictions, in order to stop the wave of terrorism,” though his advisers suggest that any push into Gaza likely would not happen until after Condoleezza Rice’s visit on 7/22. An IDF sniper (reportedly firing fr. a nearby Jewish settlement) assassinates senior Hamas cmdr. Sa‘id Siyam (not Shaykh Sa‘id Siyam, the Hamas spokesman) outside his home in Khan Yunis. The IDF also lifts the curfews on Tulkarm and surrounding areas imposed on 7/13; fires missiles at a Palestinian vehicle in Bayt Lahiya, injuring 1 Hamas mbr., injured 2 bystanders in an apparent assassination attempt; fires on stone-throwing youths in Tulkarm, wounding 1; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Ramallah and in ‘Azun, Hebron, Kafr Thuluth, Qalqilya, Saida nr. Tulkarm, Wadi al-Silqa. In retaliation, Hamas fires Qassam rockets into Neve Dekalim (hitting a house, injuring 6 settlers), Sederot (causing no injuries). Israel bars indefinitely all visits to Palestinian prisoners as punishment for the 7/12 Netanya bombing. A Palestinian injured in the IDF assassination of 3 Hamas mbrs. in Salfit on 7/15 dies. (HA, IMEMC, PRCS, XIN 7/17; VOI, VOP, YA 8/17, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation 7/18 in WNC 7/18; NYT, WP, WT 7/18; XIN 7/18 in WNC 7/19; OCHA, PR 7/20; PCHR 7/21)

In Bayt Hanun, the IDF shells residential areas, occupies a vacated Palestinian home as an observation post, clashes with suspected Hamas mbrs, wounding 2 and mortally wounding 1 Palestinian, bars ambulances fr. reaching him, allowing him to bleed to death. The IDF also fatally shoots a wanted AMB mbr. in a raid on Jenin; occupies a vacant Palestinian home in Shaykh Ajlin nr. Gaza City as an observation post, bulldozes 10 dunams of surrounding land; fires on residential areas of Nablus, Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah, and in Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, Wadi al-Silqa. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar steal a herd of sheep fr. local Palestinians; when Israeli police intervene to secure the sheep and return them to the Palestinians, the settlers attack and beat the Palestinians; Israeli police call in reinforcements, arrest 5 settlers. (VOI, VOP 6/9 in WNC 6/11; PCHR 6/10; VOI 6/10 in WNC 6/12; PCHR 6/17)