The Palestine Chronology

In the morning, the Israeli air force drops leaflets over Gaza warning residents that they will be shot if they approach closer than 300 m to the Gaza border fence; a map showing the no-go zones places the southern villages of Abasan and Khuza within the no-go area. Claiming retaliation for the 1/5 IDF air strike that killed 2 of its mbrs., the PRCs fire at least 10 mortars toward the Kerem Shalom crossing (3 land inside Gaza), causing no damage or injuries. Israel shuts the Kerem Shalom crossing through 1/9 in response. Later, unidentified Palestinians fire an antitank weapon across the border at an IDF patrol operating inside Israel e. of Jabaliya, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF directs artillery fire (6 shells) at the launch site causing no injuries. Late in the day, unidentified Palestinians fire a manufactured Grad-type rocket that lands nr. Ashqelon, causing no damage or injuries. (IFM, YA 1/7; JP, NYT, WP 1/8; OCHA 1/13; PCHR 1/14)

Overnight, the IDF carries out air strikes on smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border in retaliation for the PFLP’s 12/31 Grad strikes, lightly injuring 4 Palestinians. Later in the day, after the Popular Resistance Committees (PRCs) fire at least 2 mortars toward the Kerem Shalom crossing (the IDF records 2, while the PRCs claim 5; only 1 lands inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries), the IDF carries out air strikes on an open area e. of Jabaliya in n. Gaza and on a farm in al-Qarara in s. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. Of note: Israel permanently closes the Nahal Oz crossing, meaning that with the exception of the grain belt operating at Qarni crossing, Kerem Shalom will be the sole transit point for goods coming in and out of Gaza; all fuel shipments will also henceforth go through Kerem Shalom. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians and nonviolent international (and, in the case of Bil‘in, Israeli) activists taking part in protests against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 1 Palestinian) and Ni‘lin (injuring 2 Palestinians); prevents Palestinian and international activists fr. planting trees on Palestinian land declared a closed military zone by the IDF, confiscating the trees; patrols in al-‘Arub r.c. in the evening, stopping and questioning a group of Palestinian children, arresting 3 teenagers; conducts synchronized late-night house searches in 3 villages southwest of Jenin, making no arrests; later makes a raid on a 4th village in the same area, also making no arrests. Jewish settlers fr. Yakir nr. Salfit stone a Palestinian car driving on the road to Qalqilya, injuring 2 Palestinians. (YA 1/1; HA 1/2; OCHA, PCHR 1/6)

Overnight, the IDF sends tanks and troops into Abasan to search homes (reportedly using some Palestinians as human shields), exchanging fire (including tank shells) with local gunmen (killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 1), detaining 21 (releasing them in the evening), and bulldozing 225 d. of agricultural land, a greenhouse, an irrigation system before withdrawing late at night. The IDF also makes an air strike on Rafah, assassinating Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades cmdr. Nafiz Mansur, who allegedly had a role in the capture of IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, as he walks through town, seriously wounding a 15-yr.-old bystander, damaging several surrounding homes. IDF soldiers at the Kerem Shalom crossing fire on Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence, causing no reported injuries. Palestinians fire 30 rockets, mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c., Tulkarm and nr. Hebron. In Gaza City, mbrs. of a PRC faction raid and steal office equipment fr. the offices of a rival PRC faction. (NYT 5/2; OCHA 5/7; PCHR 5/8)

Under cover of morning fog and mortar fire, 3 Hamas suicide bombers driving explosive-laden vehicles (an old PA armored vehicle, 2 trucks painted to resemble IDF jeeps) break through the perimeter fence at the Kerem Shalom crossing, detonating the cars as IDF soldiers approach, wounding 13 soldiers (3 moderately, 10 lightly); the IDF makes a helicopter air strike on a civilian car it claims is connected to the attack, killing 1 Palestinian civilian, wounding 4. Half an hour later,IDF tanks reportedly fire on another vehicle that approaches another Gaza crossing, causing no injuries. During the day, the IDF also conducts air strikes on Jabaliya, killing 4 armed Palestinians and a Hamas-affiliated police officer, wounding 2 armed Palestinians; shells, destroys an empty armored vehicle in Abasan previously belonging to the PA police but seized by Hamas in the 7/07 fighting, wounding 3 bystanders, including a child. In Rafah, an Islamic Jihad mbr. is injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. An Islamic Jihad mbr. injured in a similar incident on 4/17 dies. In the West Bank, the IDF raids a mall in Hebron, giving store owners notice that their properties will be confiscated in 2 days (a children’s library and clinic associated with the ICA are located in the mall). In Hebron, an 8-yr.-old Palestinian boy being chased by a group of Jewish settlers falls and breaks his arm. (NYT, WP 4/20; OCHA 4/23; PCHR 4/24)

For unclear reasons, IDF soldiers at the Erez crossing fire on 700 Palestinians returning from the Hajj in coordination with Israel and the PA, killing 1 Palestinian woman, wounding at least 1. Meanwhile, Palestinian pilgrims who left Gaza under a deal brokered by Hamas (see 12/5) begin to return via Egypt, where Egypt, under pressure fr. Israel, bars their passage through the Rafah crossing, saying they must go via the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing; the pilgrims refuse, believing they would be arrested for their Hamas connections. Meanwhile, the IDF fires on Hamas mbrs. laying a roadside bomb nr. the s. Gaza border fence, killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding a bystander. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore. Hamas mbrs. fire 3 mortars fr. Rafah toward the IDF post at Kerem Shalom; the IDF responds with heavy gunfire; no injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron (including arresting a 10-yr.-old boy, heavily damaging 1 home), nr. Jenin. Jewish settlers throw stones, bottles at Palestinian cars traveling a main road linking Hebron and Bethlehem, damaging 1 car; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Hamas-affiliated police raid an area of Bayt Hanun to arrest a wanted Fatah mbr., fire in the air to disperse angry residents who confront them, wounding 2 (see 12/28). A similar confrontation takes place in Khan Yunis, with heavy fire but no injuries reported. Suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on a police patrol in Rafah, causing no injuries. (NYT 12/31; OCHA 1/2; PCHR 1/3)

The IDF makes an air strike on Jabaliya r.c., assassinating 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs. as they leave a mosque after morning prayers; 5 bystanders are wounded. Later, Islamic Jihad fires rockets and mortars at the Kerem Shalom crossing in response, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF makes a 2d air strike on a Hamas-affiliated police post in s. Gaza, killing 2 Hamas mbrs. The IDF also levels land inside the Gaza border e. of al-Maghazi r.c. In Gaza City, 1,000s of Palestinians attend the funeral for Islamic Jihad mbrs. assassinated on 12/17. (AP, WT 12/18; NYT, OCHA, WT 12/19; PCHR 12/27)

In Gaza, IDF bulldozers, tanks level land at al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis. Palestinians nr. al-Bureij r.c. fire 4 mortars toward Israel, but all fall inside the Gaza border. Palestinians nr. Rafah fire 3 mortars toward Kerem Shalom crossing, causing no damage. In both cases, the IDF responds with heavy machine gun fire, causing no reported damage or injuries. Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. an IDF patrol inside the Israeli border nr. Kissufim base, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Qalqilya, Ramallah. (OCHA 11/21; PCHR 11/22)

Overnight in Gaza, the IDF launches arrest raids, house searches in al-Nazaz nr. Bayt Hanun, firing on residential areas (wounding 1 Palestinian), demolishing 1 Palestinian home, damaging 7 others, bulldozing 12 d. of agricultural land, temporarily detaining 7 Palestinians for questioning, withdrawing fr. the area in the evening; sends troops into al-Fakhari in s. Gaza to conduct arrest raids, house searches. Palestinians fire several mortars at the IDF post at Kerem Shalom crossing, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds by firing 2 surface-to-surface missiles at 2 mortar-launching sites, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Balata r.c., where they ambush, fatally shoot wanted AMB mbr. Yusif al-Assi in an apparent assassination (Assi’s name was not included in lists of AMB mbrs. given amnesty by Israel last quarter; see Quarterly Update in JPS 145); exchanges fire with Palestinian gunmen in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a and neighboring Nablus, wounding 1 armed Palestinian; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron (also presenting a PA security officer with an order to surrender for questioning with Israeli intelligence). A Jewish settler in Hebron seriously injures a 7-yr.-old Palestinian boy in a deliberate hit-and-run. (OCHA 9/19; PCHR 9/20)

The UNRWA announces that because of Israel’s continued closure of the Gaza crossing to all but limited humanitarian aid, it must halt about $93 m. of construction projects in Gaza (including schools, water and sewage treatment facilities, health centers) that employ 121,000 Palestinians for lack of construction materials; also warns that UNRWA food stocks are running low. Hamas says it is willing to allow the PA presidential guard to monitor the crossings, but Israel says it will not deal with the presidential guard if they operate under Hamas command. Hamas demands that Egypt, Israel allow some 6,000 Palestinians stranded on the Rafah border without aid or shelter to enter Gaza; Egyptsays it will allow them through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing as a 1-time solution, but Hamas rejects this as an affront to Palestinian sovereignty; Hamas mbrs. fire mortars at Kerem Shalom in protest, causing light damage but no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Jericho, raiding a billiard club, shooting, wounding, arresting 2 Palestinians; sends undercover units into Burkin nr. Jenin in a civilian vehicle with Palestinian plates to raid a caf´e, arresting 13 Palestinians; conducts other arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Bethlehem, Hebron. (NYT, WT 7/10; OCHA 7/11; PCHR 7/12)