The Palestine Chronology

In Gaza, the IDF continues operations in Khuza‘a, wounding 8 Palestinians (including at least 4 civilians), bulldozing areas of agricultural land. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in a car with Palestinian license plates into Jenin to assassinate Islamic Jihad cmdr. Mujahid alSabi‘, also firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 1; raids Kafr Dan, firing on residential areas, wounding 1 Palestinian; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Askar r.c. and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarm. (PCHR, WP 9/7; PCHR 9/14)

Israel announces that, in a deal brokered by the UN, it will remove its air and naval blockade on Lebanon as of 6:00 P.M. local time on 9/7 as British, French, German, Greek, Italian forces take over naval patrols and assist the Lebanese army in border patrol, but says it will reserve the right to attack any smugglers it detects crossing the Syrian border. (IFM 9/6; NYT, WP, WT 9/7)

The IDF pulls troops back fr. Gaza City ending a 5-day incursion that left at least 19 Palestinians (including 7 civilians) dead, saying troops found 2 smugglers tunnels nr. Qarni crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots AMB field cmdr. Fadi Qaffisha, wounds 6 others (including 2 medics trying to aid Qaffisha) in Nablus in what may be an assassination; sends undercover units into Tulkarm r.c. in a car with Palestinian license plates, arresting 1 wanted Palestinian, shooting and wounding 2 bystanders; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm. Also in Gaza, unidentified gunmen ambush, assassinate Popular Resistance Committee (PRC) district cmdr. Ra’id Nahal in Shatti r.c.; the PRCs blame Israel, but other Palestinian sources say the killing could be the result of intra-Palestinian rivalries. Palestinians fire 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In Tel Aviv, 10,000s of Israelis rally for the release of 3 IDF soldiers captured by Hamas, Hizballah. (NYT, WP 9/1; OCHA 9/6; PCHR 9/7)

The IDF turns over a small, 12-sq.-mi. border area of s. Lebanon nr. Metula to UNIFIL, Lebanese army troops in a symbolic gesture of withdrawal. (WP, WT 9/1)

In Gaza, the IDF allows EU monitors to open the Rafah crossing in both directions for a day for the 1st time since 8/11. Some 30 Palestinian journalists protest in Gaza City against the 8/14 kidnapping of 2 Fox News journalists, demanding their immediate release; Islamic Jihad also denounces the unknown kidnappers for having “silenced the voice of freedom and justice.” In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn raid on the Ramallah home of Palestinian Authority (PA) Dep. PM and Education M Nasir al-Sha‘ir (Hamas affiliated), arresting him without charge; patrols in al-Til nr. Nablus, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 4; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jericho and nr. Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Ramallah; raids an Islamist charity nr. Hebron, confiscating a computer and some files, vandalizing the offices. At a checkpoint outside Nablus, an armed Palestinian fatally shoots an IDF soldier, is shot dead; the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) claims responsibility. In Gaza, 100s of PA security officers storm banks, burn tires, demanding that banks return fees deducted fr. cash advances received on their unpaid wages. (NYT, WP, WT 8/20; WP 8/21; OCHA 8/23; PCHR 8/24)

In an action the UN deems the 1st violation of the 8/14 truce, the IDF stages an overnight helicopter raid on Budai nr. Baalbek, sending 2 helicopters to drop 2 Humvees and more than 100 IDF Sayaret Matkal commandos dressed in Lebanese army uniforms to raid the village, under the cover of sonic booms fr. Israeli warplanes, in an apparent attempt to assassinate or capture senior Hizballah leader Shaykh Muhammad Yazbek, a Budai resident, or to free 2 captured IDF soldiers; the unit attempts to run a Hizballah checkpoint outside the village but Hizballah mbrs. engage them, forcing a retreat, killing 1 IDF soldier, wounding 2. (Lebanese security reports 3 Hizballah mbrs. are killed; Hizballah does not confirm.) Israel claims that the attack was a defensive action to prevent arms smuggling fr. Syria to Hizballah, that it will continue to conduct such raids until “proper monitoring bodies are established on the Lebanese borders.” Lebanon calls the action a “flagrant violation” of the truce, threatens to halt deployment of the army to the south. (AP, al-Manar TV, Voice of Lebanon 8/19; NYT, WP, WT 8/20; NYT 8/21; WT 8/23)

In Gaza, the IDF fatally shoots a deaf Palestinian working a field nr. the Gaza border e. of al-Bureij r.c.; shells residential areas of Bayt Hanun; conducts air strikes on a workshop in Gaza City, destroying it, damaging 2 nearby homes, wounding 2 bystanders. In the West Bank, the IDF issues military orders confiscating 10s of dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of Palestinian land s. of Tulkarm. Late in the evening in the West Bank, the IDF closes all crossings to Jerusalem; raids al-Ubidiyya nr. Bethlehem, fatally shoots wanted Islamic Jihad mbrs. ‘Uqla Shanayta,Khalid Shanayta in an apparent assassination; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Askar r.c., neighboring Nablus, Yatta nr. Hebron. (PCHR 8/24)

Early in the morning, the IDF begins withdrawing fr. areas of s. Lebanon, giving UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) control. (The IDF does not confirm how many troops are in Lebanon, though at the peak, observers estimated there were as many as 30,000.) Soon after, the Lebanese army begins deploying troops s. of the Litani. In Naqura, 2 Lebanese children are killed when they accidentally detonate unexploded bomblets fr. an Israeli cluster bomb; UN deminers say they have identified 10 locations in s. Lebanon where the IDF used cluster bombs and may pose similar hazards for civilians, saying the 10 sites could be the “tip of the iceberg.” Beirut airport received its 1st commercial flight since it was bombed on 7/13; hopes to be able to resume normal service within a wk. (NYT, WP, WT 8/17; NYT, WP, WT 8/18)

IDF troops inside Israel fire across the border into Gaza at Palestinian farmers working their fields nr. Bureij r.c., wounding a Palestinian woman and 12-yr.-old child. The IDF also shells residential areas of al-Shuka, destroying 1 Palestinian home. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into the industrial zone nr. Hebron, searches 20 industrial facilities, holding workers for several hrs.; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Nablus and nr. Hebron, Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinian homes in Hebron for a 2d day. Nr. Jenin r.c., Palestinian gunmen fatally shoot a Palestinian whom they accuse of being a collaborator; no group takes responsibility. (PCHR 8/17)

The Israeli cabinet accepts (24–0, with 1 abstention) UN Res. 1701, but separately Israeli DM Peretz warns that “there is no situation in which Hizballah fires at [Israeli] forces that we will not retaliate,” and Israeli officials warn that the IDF will continue to destroy Hizballah assets in areas it controls until those areas are handed over to the Lebanese army or UNIFIL. In anticipation of the 8/14 truce, both Israel and Hizballah intensify attacks. The IDF escalates air and artillery strikes, particularly on s. Beirut (leveling an area of several 100 sq. yds., including 8 apartment buildings); also hits 50 villages and towns across s. Lebanon, focusing on areas around Tyre (targeting gas stations), Ali al-Nahri in the Biqa‘ Valley, Tiri in s. Lebanon; expands ground offensives in an attempt to take control of as much land as possible by the truce deadline, engaging in major clashes outside Tyre, in Aita alSha‘b, Bint Jubayl, and Rashaf in central s. Lebanon, and in Dayr Sirin, al-Ghanduriyya, Khiyam, Qantara further northwest; shoots down 2 Hizballah drones heading for Israel. At least 20 Lebanese civilians, 2 Lebanese soldiers, 5 IDF soldiers are killed, and 25 IDF soldiers are wounded. Hizballah fires 220–250 rockets into n. Israel, the most in 1 day to date, mostly targeting Haifa (killing 1 Israeli civilian) but also hitting Kiryat Shimona, Yaara. (IFM 8/13; NYT, WP, WT 8/14; NYT 8/15)

In Gaza, IDF troops occupy the Dahaniyya airport, seal the Rafah crossing (reopened on 8/10), raze large areas of agricultural land, destroy several greenhouses and sites used by the PA security forces, blow up what it says is a smuggler’s tunnel. In the West Bank, the IDF raids 2 hospitals in Hebron, conducts random ID checks on the streets in search of wanted Palestinians, but makes no arrests; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Azun, Jenin; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinian homes in Hebron. Unidentified gunmen shoot, wound a PA General Intelligence officer in Gaza City. (OCHA 8/16; PCHR 8/17)

Hizballah, the Lebanese government endorse UN Res. 1701, Hizballah says it will maintain its “natural right to resist” in keeping with international law as long as IDF troops “are practicing an occupation and acts of aggression” inside Lebanon. Meanwhile, the IDF continues heavy air and artillery strikes across Lebanon, mostly targeting infrastructure and roads, including destroying electricity plants nr. Sidon, a Lebanese army base in the Biqa‘ Valley, 2 homes nr. Bint Jubayl (killing at least 15 Lebanese civilians); air strikes are concentrated around Sidon and Tyre (cutting electricity to Tyre), in the north btwn. Akkar and Arida, and in central s. Lebanon nr. Bint Jubayl. The IDF also rapidly expands ground offensives in the south, sending in additional troops and artillery, with heavy clashes reported in the Bint Jubayl area, in Ghanduriyya and Dayr Sirin s. and w. of Marja’uyun, and s. of Tyre. Hizballah continues to fire rockets into n. Israel (hitting targets in Kiryat Shimona, Ma’alot, Safad and nearby Amirim) and downs an IDF helicopter, killing 5 IDF soldiers (including Israel’s 1st female combat fatality). The casualty toll during the day includes 24 IDF soldiers dead (2 when an IDF tank rolls over them) and 70 wounded, and at least 26 Lebanese civilians, 1 Lebanese soldier killed; the IDF claims to have killed 50 Hizballah mbrs. in the previous 24 hrs. (al-Manar TV 8/12; NYT, WP, WT 8/13)

IDF gunboats off the Gaza coast shell the fmr. settlement areas of Ganei Tal, Netzer Hazani in s. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and in Abu Dis, Hebron. The IDF also bars Palestinians under age 40 fr. Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque. (OCHA 8/16; PCHR 8/17)

In the afternoon, after seeing a draft UN res. on halting violence that he says he cannot accept, Olmert authorizes the IDF to expand ground operations in s. Lebanon. The IDF quickly begins moving additional troops, armor into s. Lebanon, while troops already in Lebanon prepare to move toward the Litani. During the day, the IDF continues air and artillery strikes, hitting targets in s. Beirut, areas of n. Lebanon (including Abu Diya, Akkar), s. of Sidon, and in the Biqa‘ Valley (including strafing some 1,300 cars evacuating some 3,000 residents of Marja’uyun, occupied by the IDF on 8/10, who chose to follow a convoy of 350 UNIFIL and Lebanese army troops evacuating the area in coordination with the IDF; 6 Lebanese civilians, 1 Lebanese soldier are killed and 36 are wounded). Ground operations continue in Labuna in the east, Aita al-Sha‘b in central s. Lebanon, and Khiyam, Markaba, Qantara, Qlei‘a further to the northeast. Hizballah fires 124 rockets into n. Israel, injuring 5 Israelis and targeting sites in Acre, Carmiel, Ma’alot, Nahariya, Safad, Shlomi. (AP, WP 8/11; NYT, WP, WT 8/12; NYT, WP 8/13; WP 8/24)

Late in the evening, the UN Security Council unanimously passes Res. 1701, calling for Israel and Hizballah to halt violence in place as of 8:00 A.M. on 8/14 local time (1:00 A.M. ET), demanding that Hizballah cease all attacks and that Israel stop offensive operations (allowing “defensive” responses if they perceive a threat). (IFM, NYT, WP, WT 8/12; NYT 8/14; NYT 8/15) 

The IDF continues operations in Rafah and al-Shuka, firing on and shelling residential areas, conducting house-to-house searches, forcing some 400 Palestinian families to flee their homes, killing 1 Palestinian civilian, wounding at least 13 civilians. The IDF also shells areas around Bayt Hanun, wounding at least 2 Palestinians; fires across the border fr. Israel at Palestinian farmers working their land nr. al-Maghazi r.c., wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF arrests PA parliament speaker ‘Aziz Dwayk (Change and Reform) in his Ramallah home on charges of being a mbr. of a terrorist organization (Hamas); conducts random ID checks in Dahaysha r.c. (firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, wounding 2), Tubas; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Jenin town and r.c., Nablus; burns 30 d. of agricultural land btwn. the separation wall and the Green Line nr. Tulkarm, barring fire engines fr. reaching the scene. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in the 7/16 IDF air strike on the PA FMin. offices in Gaza City. (NYT, PCHR 8/5; NYT, WP, WT 8/6; NYT 8/7; PCHR 8/10)

Overnight, the IDF makes air strikes outside a Palestinian r.c. s. of Tyre, wounding 1 person, lands 2 naval commando units (reportedly wearing Lebanese army uniforms) nearby, raids an apartment building housing Hizballah mbrs. allegedly involved in long-range rocket attacks on Israel, clashing with Hizballah mbrs. for 3 hrs., killing 4 suspected Hizballah mbrs., 1 Lebanese soldier at a nearby checkpoint, 2 bystanders before withdrawing. During the day, the IDF continues air strikes, hitting 170 targets in s. Beirut, and n. of Hermel; drops leaflets over Sidon, warning residents to leave prior to imminent strikes there; continues ground operations in some 20 villages in s. Lebanon, leaving 2 IDF soldiers dead, at least 9 wounded in clashes in Aita al-Sha‘b, Taybeh. Hizballah fires 160 rockets into n. Israel (140 of them in a 90 min. period in the evening), killing 3 Israeli Palestinians in Arab al-Aramshe, also hitting targets in Haifa, Kiryat Shimona, Ma’alot, Nahariya, Safad, Shlomi, Tiberias, wounding a total of 54 Israelis. (NYT 8/5; NYT, WP, WT 8/6)

In Gaza, the IDF shells residential areas of al-Shuka, wounding 3 Palestinians (ages 4, 6, 65), cutting electricity to parts of Rafah. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Jenin town and r.c.; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in al-Bireh, Qalqilya. A PSF officer is fatally shot by unknown Palestinian gunmen in Khan Yunis. (WP 8/2; PCHR 8/3; OCHA 8/9; PCHR 8/10)

Overnight, the 48-hr. easing of Israeli air strikes in s. Lebanon passes. IDF steps up ground operations, clashing with Hizballah mbrs. in 11 towns across s. Lebanon concentrated within 2–4 mi. of the border, leaving 1 IDF soldier dead and 9 wounded, mostly in Aita al-Sha‘b. The IDF also lands troops in Baalbek for a 2d day, where they clash with Hizballah, reportedly killing 10 Hizballah mbrs. and 25 Lebanese civilians, capturing 5 Hizballah mbrs. IDF air strikes across Lebanon also escalate, including targeting Lebanese army bases in Sarba (killing 1 Lebanese soldier) and nr. Sidon (killing 3 Lebanese soldiers). Hizballah fires some 230 rockets into Israel, killing 1 Israeli civilian, wounding at least 33, hitting sites in Kibbutz Saar, Ma’alot, Nahariya; a Khaybar-1 rocket lands outside Jenin, 43 mi fr. the border, causing no damage or injuries. (AP 8/2; NYT, WP, WT 8/3)

The IDF shells areas of n. Gaza, killing a 16-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding a 4-yr.- old outside their homes; detains 2 unarmed Palestinians attempting to sneak into Israel nr. al-Maghazi r.c. to find work. In the West Bank, the IDF bans Palestinians fr. entering Israel; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Tulkarm (searching Change and Reform offices and nearby Internet cafe, damaging computers; the Palestinian Media and Studies Center, confiscating computers, files; an Islamic women’s charity and sports club, vandalizing furniture, confiscating files). For a 2d day, a PSF officer is shot, wounded by unidentified armed Palestinians nr. Khan Yunis. (NYT 8/1; NYT 8/2; PCHR 8/3; OCHA 8/9)

Overnight, the 48-hour partial suspension of Israeli air strikes on s. Lebanon goes into effect (2:00 A.M. local time 7/31; 7:00 P.M. ET 7/30). Within hrs., the IDF launches air strikes in support of ground troops in Taybeh, at a Lebanese army jeep traveling nr. Qasmiyya n. of Tyre (based on false information that a senior Hizballah mbr. was in the car, killing 1 Lebanese soldier, wounding 3). The Israeli cabinet also approves plans to “expand and deepen” ground operations in s. Lebanon. With air strikes eased, Lebanese rescue workers begin combing bombed-out cars and destroyed buildings in villages in s. Lebanon, finding at least 49 bodies during the day, but relief agencies report that the IDF is still demanding that aid convoys coordinate their routes with the IDF on a case-by-case basis despite the 24-hr. window for humanitarian operations. The IDF also conducts some air strikes nr. the Syrian border and on Bint Jubayl; continues ground operations in Aita al-Sha‘b, Kafr Kila, Maroun al-Ras. Hizballah launches 3–4 mortars into Kiryat Shimona, but no rockets. The Lebanese government warns that the country has only a few days’ fuel supply remaining and once it runs out, provision of normal health care and relief aid will cease. (Israeli Prime Minister’s Office transcript 7/31; BBC 8/1; NYT, WP, WT 8/1)

In Gaza, the IDF closes the Nahal Oz pipeline; shells areas nr. Gaza City, killing at least 1 Palestinian militant, 1 Palestinian farmer working in her field; shells areas nr. Bayt Hanun (killing 1 Palestinian child outside his home, wounding 5 Palestinians), in al-Shuka; makes air strikes destroying 3 houses nr. Bayt Lahiya (killing 1 Palestinian bystander), in Bayt Hanun, Khan Yunis (also destroying 2 adjacent homes). In Jerusalem, a Palestinian gunman fires on Israeli police, wounding 2 before being shot dead. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Jenin r.c. in cars with Palestinian license plates, surrounds a home, opens fire (wounding a Palestinian bystander in an apartment building nearby), occupying several surrounding houses as sniper positions, evacuates and checks IDs of residents, arrests 1 Palestinian, fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 8 Palestinians (including 2 journalists covering the incident for al-Jazeera, Reuters); patrols in al-Bireh; begins construction of a new segment of the separation wall in Bayt Jala that will cut Palestinians off fr. 5,000 d. of agricultural land and cut off the access of Battir and Husan Nahalin villages to Bethlehem. The body of a Jewish settler fr. Yakir missing since early in the morning is found in a burnt-out vehicle nr. a West Bank Palestinian village; the AMB takes responsibility for kidnapping, killing him. In Israel, Israeli police free dual Israeli-Canadian citizen Falah after a Haifa District Court orders the police and/or Shin Bet to file formal charges against him or let him go (see 7/26). A Palestinian wounded during the 7/26 IDF raid on Kafr Qadim dies. A 2d Palestinian dies of injuries received during IDF operations in Nablus on 7/19. (OCHA 7/27; NYT 7/28; NYT 7/29; PCHR 8/3)

Israel’s security cabinet approves call-ups for up to 3 divisions of reservists (15,000–30,000 reserves) for the war on Lebanon. The IDF makes some 180 air and artillery strikes on targets across Lebanon, including hitting radio and TV relays in Amshit n. of Beirut, 3 trucks in the Biqa‘ Valley carrying emergency food supplies to Beirut. Ground clashes continue in Bint Jubayl, 2 residential apartment buildings nr. an Amal headquarters in Tyre; a Lebanese army base in n. Lebanon; roads, buildings in s. Lebanon and the Biqa‘ Valley, including al-Khiyam, Kafr, Nabatiyya, Sidon, Tuffah, Riyaq, Zahleh. The IDF broadcasts radio warnings to s. Lebanon residents that their villages would be “totally destroyed” if rockets are fired fr. them. Hizballah fires some 110 rockets into n. Israel, wounding 7 Israelis and hitting an empty factory in Haifa, also hitting sites in Carmiel, Nahariya Safad, Tiberias. (IFM 7/27; NYT, WP, WT 7/28)

The IDF withdraws troops fr. n. Gaza, leaving 60–130 Palestinian homes and a UNRWA clinic completely destroyed or uninhabitable; sends troops into al-Shuka village nr. Rafah, cutting electricity, bulldozing large areas of agricultural land, forcing 97 families (703 Palestinians) to flee their homes (UNRWA sets up 3 tent shelters in Jabaliya r.c. to house them); fires across the border into residential areas of Nussayrat r.c., wounding 1 Palestinian; shells and fires missiles fr. helicopters at areas in and around Abasan and nr. Khan Yunis; allows EU monitors to reopen the Rafah crossing for entry to Gaza; resumes shelling of n. Gaza late in the evening. Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Bethlehem, raiding an apartment building, checking residents’ IDs, detaining 1 Palestinian; raids, vandalizes an UNRWA office and a youth center in Aida r.c.; raids the Ramallah Governate offices and the nearby office of the Palestine News Agency (WAFA), vandalizing them, detaining 5 Palestinians, including 2 PA police officers; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin. Unidentified gunmen fire on the home of a senior PSF official, killing 1 bodyguard, wounding 2. (OCHA 7/18; NYT 7/19; PCHR 7/20; OCHA 7/27)

The IDF strikes at least 110 targets across Lebanon, hitting a Lebanese army base (killing 11 soldiers, wounding 35), a home in s. Lebanon (killing 9 Lebanese civilians), targets in Baalbek; targets trucks in what is seen as a new campaign aimed at preventing Hizballah from relocating rockets, though most trucks hit are civilian ones bearing essential goods to Lebanese towns, including destroying a convoy in the Biqa‘ Valley carrying medical supplies fr. the UAE; continuing to destroy roads and bridges. At least 20 Lebanese are killed during the day. The IDF confirms that small special forces teams have been conducting “pinpoint operations” in s. Lebanon, searching for arms caches and tunnels, withdrawing quickly; today some teams clash with Hizballah mbrs. reportedly leaving 2 IDF soldiers dead, 3 injured. Hizballah fires up to 130 rockets at some 10 cities in n. Israel, killing 1 Israeli, wounding around 20 in Nahariya, also hitting Haifa, Kiryat Shimona, Safad, Tiberias. The UN estimates that 500,000 Lebanese (out of a population of 4 million) have fled their homes to escape the violence. Lebanese begin to report shortages and rising costs of essential items, such as food and gas; begin withdrawing cash from banks and converting money into dollars in preparation for long-term deflation and economic hardship. (AP 7/18; AP, REU 7/19; NYT, WP, WT 7/19)

In Gaza, the IDF expands ground operations in Bayt Hanun under artillery fire, occupying the town, firing on residential areas (killing 2 Palestinians), bulldozing land and homes, occupying houses as military bases, forcing some residents to flee; fires 2 artillery shells at a group of Palestinian children playing soccer in al-Bureij r.c., wounding a 14-yr.-old; fires on residential areas of Abasan, wounding 1 Palestinian. Palestinians fire at least 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 2 Israelis. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a raid on Nablus, where Palestinian militants throw an explosive device at troops, killing 1 IDF soldier, wounding 6; sends undercover units into Bethlehem to detain a wanted AMB mbr.; conducts late-night arrest raids nr. Nablus, Qalqilya. For a 2d day (see 7/16), the IDF detains al-Jazeera satellite TV’s Jerusalem bureau chief for questioning regarding violating Israeli military censorship rules. (AP 7/17; WP 7/18; PCHR 7/20)

The IDF intensifies attacks on e. and n. Lebanon, hitting Lebanese army barracks in Tripoli and army bases in Baalbek (killing 9 Lebanese soldiers), homes of Hizballah officials in the east; conducting heavy bombing of s. Beirut to destroy underground bunkers where Nasrallah and Hizballah’s senior leadership may be hiding; hitting fuel depots at the Beirut airport for a 2d time. In total, at least 38 Lebanese (mostly civilians) are killed during the day, including 12 civilians killed when the IDF targets a minibus in s. Lebanon. Hizballah responds by firing at least 30 rockets on n. Israel, including hitting Haifa with 3 rockets, shearing the front of an apartment building, wounding 6 Israelis. Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, the U.S. begin evacuating their nationals. (NYT, WP 7/17; NYT, WP, WT 7/18) 

Overnight, the IDF makes air strikes destroying the PA FMin. building in Gaza City, wounding 13 bystanders (including 6 children); makes an air strike on Khan Yunis, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr., wounding a 2d; sends troops into al-Qarara, firing on residential and agricultural areas. During the day in Gaza, the IDF continues to shell n. Gaza, wounding at least 2 Palestinians; fires on residential areas nr. Sufa crossing, wounding a Palestinian child outside his home. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Salfit; uproots 50 Palestinian trees nr. the separation wall in Bayt Jala for “security reasons.” A Palestinian teenager wounded in a 7/10 IDF air strike on Bayt Hanun dies. (NYT, WP 7/13; PCHR 7/20)

Officially launching Operation Just Reward (ca. 7/18 renamed Operation Change of Direction), the IDF makes predawn air strikes on s. Lebanon that kill at least 44 Lebanese civilians, wound around 100. Hizballah responds by firing some 60 Katyusha rockets on n. Israel, hitting a home in Nahariya (killing 1 Israeli woman, wounding 29), wounding 11 in Safad, and hitting the northern towns of Carmiel, Majdal Qrum, Zarit. During the day, the IDF intensifies its attacks on Lebanon to cut Hizballah supply lines and prevent internal transportation of weapons and fighters, imposing a naval blockade on Lebanese ports north to Beirut and making air strikes on Beirut International Airport, the Lebanese army’s main Rayak air base nr. the Syrian border, a small military airport in Qulayat in n. Lebanon, Hizballah’s al-Manar TV station outside Beirut (wounding 6) and a relay tower in Baalbek (killing 1 Lebanese, wounding 4), a major oil depot in Jiyeh, numerous roads and bridges. AfterIsrael warns Lebanese to evacuate Hizballah-dominated areas of s. Beirut, Hizballah threatens to strike Haifa if Beirut is targeted. When the IDF conducts overflights of Beirut shortly afterward, Hizballah fires 2 Katyushas at Haifa, damaging a hotel but causing no injuries. Israeli-Hizballah exchanges continue late into the evening, with Hizballah firing around 90 rockets and mortars into Israel, hitting some 20 northern towns and killing a 2d Israeli, whileIsrael attacks 100s of targets across Lebanon (mostly in the south, but including hitting Beirut airport a 2d time, with artillery reportedly fired at a rate of 1 shell per minute throughout the day), killing at least another 10 Lebanese. Total casualties for the day are estimated at 54 Lebanese (overwhelmingly civilians) killed and 103 wounded, and 2 Israelis killed and 90 injured (1 seriously, two-thirds being treated for shock). Israel also warns UNIFIL that the IDF will target anyone moving nr. the Blue Line, including UNIFIL observers, prompting UNIFIL to confine its 2,500 troops (who are either unarmed or lightly armed for personal defense only) to barracks. (AP, HA, MSNBC, National Public Radio, REU 7/13; NYT, UNIS, WP, WT 7/14)