The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 4 Palestinian children in al-Juwaya in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also open fire at Palestinians traveling between ‘Asira al-Qibliya and ‘Urif; no injuries are reported. Israeli forces injure a man in a drone strike in Jenin before raiding the city and its refugee camps, uprooting streets and causing damage to homes. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Qusra, others suffer tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure 2 Palestinians during a raid in Qalqilya. Israeli forces also demolish 3 homes in al-Walaja, displacing 16 people. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolish 2 structures in Jalbun and declare the village a closed military zone. Israeli forces also arrest 35 Palestinians during raids in and around Yatta, Bethlehem, Jenin, and Ramallah. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, killing at least 76 people. Israeli forces also fire tank shells at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, causing damage. 10 children die of hunger at al-Shifa and Kamal Adwan hospitals. Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia refugee camp, the last functional hospital in northern Gaza, suspends operations due to a lack of fuel and medical supplies. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Kafra, killing 2 civilians. Israeli forces also bomb Siddikine, Majdal Zoun, Khreibeh, Ibl al-Saqi, Bint Jbeil, and Ainata. Hezbollah attacks Birkat Risha, Ramtha, and Samaqa in Shebaa Farms. Hamas forces fire rockets at Israeli military bases in Kiryat Shmona. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb Damascus, causing damage. (AJ, AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/28; AJ, UNOCHA 2/29)

More than 29,954 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 70,325 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 404 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 102 children. More than 4,592 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, 240 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,429 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. 112 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (UNOCHA 2/28; UNOCHA 2/29)

Hamas official Basem Naim says there is still a wide gap between the Hamas position and the ceasefire proposal it has received, adding that Hamas’s non-negotiable demands are a final lasting ceasefire and not a pause, a total withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the freedom of movement for Palestinians in Gaza. Political leader Ismail Haniyeh calls on Muslims to march to the Haram al-Sharif compound on the first day of Ramadan. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU 2/28)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini in Ramallah. Abbas also sends letters to various heads of state rejecting Israel’s post-war plans for Gaza and calling for intervention to save Palestinians in Gaza. Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki says Palestinian factions will discuss the establishment of a new technocratic PA government during a meeting in Moscow on 2/29 and that he thinks Hamas understands that if the party is included in the technocratic government it would be boycotted internationally. Al-Maliki also says that the resignation of the PA government on 2/26 was done to show the PA’s readiness to engage with international partners on the future of the PA. Al-Maliki also meets UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk in Geneva, Switzerland. (AJ, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/28; HA 2/29)

Israel’s Channel 12 reports that the Israeli war cabinet has removed National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s power to manage the Haram al-Sharif compound and will not severely restrict Muslim worshippers from praying there during Ramadan. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says that the U.S. encourages Israel to allow Muslim worshippers to enter the Haram al-Sharif compound during Ramadan. Energy Minister Eli Cohen says Israel should not normalize relations with Saudi Arabia if it means the establishment of a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with UN senior coordinator for humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza Sigrid Kaag, discussing aid deliveries to Gaza. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks with U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin, discussing aid to Gaza, Israel, and ceasefire negotiations.  (AJ, HA 2/28; AJ 2/29)

Axios reports that the U.S. is considering airdropping humanitarian aid to Gaza as the Israeli invasion has hindered aid reaching northern Gaza and severely limited the amount that can reach the south. USAID administrator Samantha Power says at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing that the U.S. has urged Israel to open more crossings to facilitate aid deliveries. Canada says it is considering airdropping aid in Gaza. President of Refugees International Jeremy Konydyk says aid delivered by air is negligible and helps Israel’s strategy of blockading Gaza. CNN reports that the Biden administration is concerned that Israel will invade Lebanon by the end of spring or early in the summer. (AJ, AX 2/28; AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU 2/29)

Qatar and France issue a joint statement calling on Israel to open all crossings to Gaza to allow aid to enter, saying the 2 countries reject the “killing and starvation suffered by the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.” (AJ 2/28)

More than 50 international journalists sign an open letter calling on Egypt and Israel to allow journalists “free and unfettered access to Gaza.” (AJ, HA 2/28; HA 2/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uproot 450 olive and almond tree saplings in Deir Sharaf. Israeli forces shoot and injure 4 Palestinians with live ammunition during raids in Tubas, Kafr al-Labad, and Hebron. Israeli forces also seize 3 vehicles in al-Zawiya. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raze 5 dunams of land planted with grape vines, uprooting 300 trees in Battir. Israeli forces also arrest 41 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Tubas, Arrabah, Ein as-Sultan refugee camp, Bethlehem, Salem, Bayt Ibia, and Yatta. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, killing at least 118 people. Israeli forces also continue to raid al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires rockets at a radar station in Shebaa Farms. Israeli forces bomb Tayr Harfa. In Yemen, U.S. forces bomb a “UAV ground control station” and shoot down a drone over the Gulf of Aden. (HA 1/31; AJ, AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/1; UNOCHA 2/2)

More than 27,019 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 10,600 children and 7,200 women, and around 66,139 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 374 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 94 children. More than 4,391 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, 222 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,293 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. 200 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. Israelis block trucks carrying aid to Gaza arriving at Ashdod port. The New York Times says its analysis found that Israeli forces have destroyed hundreds of buildings in Gaza in at least 33 controlled demolitions, including schools, mosques, and entire sections of residential neighborhoods. UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzerini says UNRWA could be forced to shut down all its operations if funding does not resume. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/1; UNOCHA 2/5)

Israel releases 114 Palestinian detainees, taken from Gaza to Israel, via the Karem Abu Salem crossing. (HA 2/1

PA president Mahmoud Abbas speaks to Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in a phone call, discussing the situation in Palestine. (AJ, WAFA 2/1)

Hamas official Osama Hamdan says Hamas is studying the proposed ceasefire deal. (AJ, HA, REU 2/1)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant says Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade has been disbanded and that Israeli forces will push toward Rafah. Gallant also calls UNRWA “Hamas with a facelift.” (AJ, AP 2/1; AJ, NYT, REU 2/2)

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the Israeli military to examine if it could distribute aid in Gaza instead of UNRWA. Channel 7 reports that Foreign Minister Israel Katz called UNRWA a “part of Hamas’s murder machine.” (AJ, HA 2/1)

U.S. president Joe Biden signs an executive order allowing the U.S. to sanction people participating in acts of violence against civilians in the West Bank. The Department of the Treasury subsequently sanctions 4 settlers, David Chai Chasdai, Yinon Levi, Einan Tanjil, and Shalom Zicherman. In response to the sanctions, Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir calls on the U.S. to rethink its policy in the West Bank and calls the settlers “heroic.” Finance Minister Smotrich calls the decision “anti-Semitic.” Axios reports that the Biden administration considered adding Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to the list. (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/1; HA, HA, NYT 2/2; HA 2/4)

UK foreign secretary David Cameron tells AP that UK recognition of the state of Palestine “cannot come at the start of the [peace negotiation] process, but it does not have to be the very end of the process,” saying “[w]hat we need to do is give the Palestinian people a horizon towards a better future, the future of having a state of their own.” Cameron also says that for the UK to recognize the state of Palestine Hamas leaders will have to leave Gaza. Cameron also meets with Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati in Beirut. Israeli diaspora minister Amichai Chikli compares Cameron’s statement on recognition of Palestine to UK appeasement of Nazi Germany prior to World War II. (AJ, AP 2/1; AJ, HA, REU 2/2)

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar tells reporters that Ireland wants the EU to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the basis that Israel may be breaching the agreement’s clause on human rights. (REU 2/1)

Belgian minister of development cooperation Caroline Gennez says she and Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib will summon the Israeli ambassador over the bombing of the Belgian development agency’s office in Gaza. (AJ 2/1; REU, WAFA 2/2)

The digital access group Access NOW says at least 30 people in Jordan, including journalists, lawyers, human rights activists, and political activists, have had their cellphones hacked using Pegasus spyware made by the Israeli company NSO Group. (AP 2/1)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers open fire at Palestinian homes in Jalud. Israeli settlers also begin construction of a settler road on Palestinian-owned land in Battir. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian child during a raid in Arrabah. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a 9-year-old Palestinian in Kobar. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian during a raid in Dura. Israeli forces also raid a home in al-Minya, vandalizing it and seizing money and a vehicle. Meanwhile, Israeli forces issue stop-work orders for 3 agricultural structures in Khallet al-Farn in the Masafer Yatta area. In Gaza, mobile phone services are cut off again after they were partially restored on 1/19, internet services have been cut off since 1/12. Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, Gaza City, and Rafah, killing at least 190 people, including more than 65 people in Khan Yunis. Israeli forces storm al-Khair Hospital in Khan Yunis, arresting medical staff. Israeli forces also surround the Red Crescent ambulance headquarters in Khan Yunis, preventing ambulances from rescuing wounded people. Meanwhile, Israeli forces exhume graves at a cemetery in Khan Yunis. Hamas says Israeli forces bombed their own tank after it is incapacitated by Hamas fighters, suggesting that Israeli soldiers were still in the tank when Israel bombed it. A water treatment plant in Gaza floods with sewage water after being hit by Israeli bombs. 21 Israeli soldiers placing mines in 10 homes near Maghazi are killed when Palestinian militants fire rocket-propelled grenades at a tank at the site, causing the mines to explode while the soldiers are in the building. 3 other Israeli soldiers are killed in combat. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli troops in Even Manachem and Shebaa Farms. Israeli forces attack several places, including Taybeh, Marwahin, Chihine, Tayr Harfa, Kafr Kila, and al-Adisa. In Yemen, U.S. and UK forces attack 8 Houthi-linked sites. The Houthis say their forces attacked a U.S. military cargo ship; the U.S. denies the claim. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/22; AJ, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA 1/23; HA 1/24)

More than 25,295 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 10,600 children and 7,200 women, and around 63,000 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 363 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 92 children. More than 4,310 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, 219 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,232 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 69,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 154 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. The WHO delivers fuel to al-Shifa Hospital. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/22; UNOCHA 1/23; UNOCHA 1/24)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh meets with UN humanitarian relief coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag, calling on her to pressure Israel to open all entry points to Gaza to get sufficient relief in. Shtayyeh also calls on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel during the weekly PA cabinet meeting. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA 1/22)

The Arab League holds an extraordinary meeting on the situation in Palestine, issuing a statement calling on Israel not to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza, allow more aid into Gaza, and discussing ways to end Israeli attacks. (WAFA 1/22)

20 relatives of Israeli captives held in Gaza storm a Knesset committee session, demanding that Israel does more to get their relatives back. The Israeli Labor Party brings forward a no confidence motion against the Israeli government which receives 18 out of 61 required votes in support. Coalition parties boycott the vote. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, REU 1/22; HA 1/23)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant tells French defense minister Sebastien Lacornu that Israel may continue striking Lebanon even if Hezbollah enters a unilateral ceasefire, saying Israel will secure a safe return of the northern Israeli communities. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says Israel must “dramatically increase the intensity of the war” on Gaza during a meeting of his Religious Zionist Party. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says at a meeting of his Jewish Power Party that if the government decides to stop the war on Gaza he will leave the coalition. (AJ, HA 1/22)

EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borell calls on Israel to tell the world what it envisions if it does not want a 2-state solution, saying “[w]hich are the other solution they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill off them?” A discussion paper sent to EU countries ahead of a meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict shows that the EU is planning to call for a “preparatory peace conference” to be organized by the EU, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Arab League. Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz shows EU foreign ministers a video of an envisioned artificial island off the coast of Gaza he suggests can be a place for Palestinians to live. Borell says Katz evaded talking about the pertinent issues and suggests he could use his time spent with EU foreign ministers better. EU foreign ministers also meet with PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, discussing the situation in Gaza. A spokesperson for UK prime minister Rishi Sunak calls Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a 2-state solution “disappointing.” (HA 1/21; AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/22; WAFA 1/23)

Axios reports that Israel has suggested a 2-month ceasefire that would see 130 Hamas-held captives released in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners. During the ceasefire period, Israeli forces would leave major population areas allowing some Palestinians to return to Gaza City and further north. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says negotiations on a ceasefire deal are ongoing as National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk arrives in Egypt for the talks. (AJ, AX, HA, REU, REU 1/22; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU 1/23)

The American pro-Israel lobby group J Street says “time has come for diplomacy” to end the war on Gaza. The U.S. labor union Service Employees International Union calls for a ceasefire. (AJ 1/22)

Columbia University bars several people from its campus who are alleged to have sprayed skunk water on pro-Palestine demonstrators on 1/19, calling the act a possible hate crime. (AJ 1/23)

Data collected by Morning Consult shows that out of 43 countries surveyed, 42 countries view Israel less favorable now than before 10/7/2023. According to the data, the net favorability globally dropped 18.5% between September and December 2023. (HA 1/22)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers razed 5 dunams (1.2 acres) of land and threw stones at Palestinians and Israeli activists in Khirbet al-Farisiyya. Israeli settlers also vandalized 15 vehicles in Umm Safa. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers wearing military uniforms raided Khirbet Zanuta, demolishing a residential structure, 2 agricultural structures, and part of an EU-funded school. Israeli forces shot and killed 5 Palestinians during raids in Qalqilya, Sa’ir, and Qalandia. Israeli forces also shot and injured 35 Palestinians, including 5 children, during raids in Bani Naim, Qalqilya, and Qalandia. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 6 agricultural structures in al-Ubeidiya. 60 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Dheisheh refugee camp, Jericho, Ramallah, Silwad, Jalazone refugee camp, and Abu Dis. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raided Kafr ‘Aqab, injuring 10 with live ammunition, 1 with a baton round, 3 with beatings, and others with tear gas. In Gaza, Paltel said telecommunications were cut off in all of Gaza. At least 349 people were killed and 750 injured in Israeli attacks, including 108 in Beit Lahiya and 40 in Khan Yunis and others in Gaza City and Khan Yunis. Israeli forces ordered Palestinians in the Dayr al-Balah district to evacuate south as Israel continued to heavily bomb the Rafah and Khan Yunis districts. Israeli forces also demolished Gaza’s main courthouse with explosives. 5 Israeli soldiers were killed in combat. Hamas’ military spokesperson Abu Obeida said Hamas had destroyed 28 Israeli military vehicles in the past 24 hours. Rockets were fired at Israel; no injuries were reported. In Lebanon, Israel conducted airstrikes, saying mortar shells were fired at Israel, injuring 3 soldiers. (AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/4; AJ, AX, HA, HA, UNOCHA 12/5)

More than 15,899 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 6,387 children and 4,257 women, and around 41,316 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 251 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 65 children. More than 3,313 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. 85 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.9 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. 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 around 13,000 gallons of fuel, entered Gaza. Aid was only distributed in Rafah for the second day in a row. 25 wounded Palestinians and 583 foreign nationals were evacuated to Egypt. The WHO said Israel had ordered the organization to remove its supplies from its medical warehouse in southern Gaza within 24 hours. (AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA 12/4; AJ, AJ 12/5)

Israel announced that it had approved the Lower Aqueduct plan in East Jerusalem, the first major new settlement plan to be fully approved in East Jerusalem since 2012, according to Ir Amim. The final approval greenlit the construction of 1,792 housing units on 186 dunams (46 acres) of land, including on privately owned land belonging to Palestinians in Umm Tuba. Jordan condemned the approval. The PA Foreign Ministry called on the international community to stop the implementation of the plan. (AJ 12/4; AJ, TOI, WAFA 12/5; PCN 12/6)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with U.S. vice president Kamala Harris in a phone call, discussing the situation in Palestine and need for aid to enter Gaza. PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with a delegation from the EU parliament in Ramallah. Harris also spoke with Israeli president Isaac Herzog about plans for Gaza after Israel is done with its assault. (HA 12/3; NYT WAFA, WAFA 12/4)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Argentinian president-elect Javier Milei, thanking him for saying he will move the Argentinian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and inviting him to Israel. (HA 12/3; AJ, REU 12/4)

The corruption trial against Prime Minister Netanyahu resumed. Netanyahu did not attend the hearing. The judge presiding over the trial agreed to hold 2 hearings a week instead of 3 as happened before 10/7. (NYT 12/4; AJ, HA 12/5)

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Prime Minister Netanyahu will be tried as a war criminal for Israel’s attacks on Gaza. (HA, REU 12/4)

U.S. senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) called the proposed U.S. military aid package to Israel “absolutely irresponsible,” labelling Israel’s attacks on Gaza immoral and in violation of international law during a speech at the Senate. (AJ, HA 12/5)

Haaretz said that several stories about Hamas militants’ actions during Operation Al-Aqsa flood were unfounded, including that 40 babies were killed, some of which were said to be beheaded, a story recounted by U.S. president Biden. Other stories recounted by Prime Minister Netanyahu, such as children being bound together and burned, also appeared to be false. Netanyahu’s wife Sara also relayed a false story in a letter to Biden’s wife Jill, saying one of the captives held by Hamas was pregnant and had given birth in captivity. The woman, who has since been released, was not pregnant. (HA 12/4)

The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel is considering flooding the tunnels in Gaza with seawater. (HA, WSJ 12/4; HA, HA, REU 12/5)

3 human rights organizations in the Netherlands sued the Dutch state over its export of F-35 parts to Israel. (AJ, HA, HA 12/4)

Former State Department office of public and congressional affairs director Josh Paul, who resigned on 10/18 in protest over the Biden administration’s policy toward Israel’s attacks on Gaza, told CNN that Israel had raided the offices of Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI – Palestine) in 2021 after the State Department had shared credible evidence of a Palestinian child being raped at al-Mascobiyya Interrogation Center in Jerusalem with Israel. DCI – Palestine’s office was raided on 7/29/2021 and the organization declared a terrorist organization on 10/22/2021 along with 5 other groups. Paul suggested a link between the sharing of the DCI – Palestine investigation and the Israeli terrorist designation. (X 12/4)

In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler shot and killed 1 Palestinian and injured 1 other when the 2 confronted a group of settlers attempting to set fire to their crops near al-Rihiya, south of Hebron; +972 reported that the settlers mutilated the body of the Palestinian man they had shot dead. 10 Palestinians were killed and 209 wounded by Israeli forces throughout the West Bank. The casualties included: 1, and 39 injured during a protest in Shwaika near Tulkarm; several others were reported injured; 1 protester, and 2 injured in Salem; 1 protester in Asira; 1 protester, and 4 injured in Beita; 1 protester, and 18 others injured by live ammunition in Ya‘bad; 1 protester in Marda; 1 protester in Iskaka; 1 protester, and 4 injured in ‘Urif; 1 protester in Jericho; 1 Palestinian at a checkpoint, who allegedly tried to ram Israeli soldiers near Silwad; 148 protesters injured by live ammunition and rubber-coated bullets during protests in and around Dayr Nidham, Bayt Dajan, Bayt Furik, al-Fawar refugee camp, al-Khadir, Salfit, Tayassir, Huwwara, Aqraba, Ni‘lin, Jenin, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, and Qusra. 13 Palestinians were arrested, including 6 during late-night raids in and around Qalandia refugee camp, Bayt Umar, and Sa‘ir; 7 were arrested during protests at the al-Jalama checkpoint near Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shot and injured 19 Palestinians using live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets, and sound bomb canisters during protests in and around Shaykh Jarrah, Bayt Hanina, Silwan, and the Old City. 7 Palestinians were arrested during raids in al-Tur, Silwan, and Sur Bahir. In Gaza, 22 Palestinians were killed, including 6 children, and dozens injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 114 to 136, including 33 children and 2 pregnant women. The casualties included: 9, including 3 children, and 73 injured, including 20 children, in air strikes on buildings in Bayt Lahiya and Bayt Hanun; 4 in an air strike on Gaza City, including 1 child; 3, including 1 child, in air strikes on Jabaliya; 1, and 16 injured, including 2 children, in air strikes on al-Bureij refugee camp; 1, and 1 wounded in an air strike on Abasan; 1 in an air strike while riding a motorbike in Rafah; 1 Palestinian was found dead in rubble from an air strike in Dayr al-Balah on 5/13; 1 Palestinian child succumbed to wounds sustained in an air strike on Gaza City on 5/12; 1 Palestinian succumbed to wounds sustained in an air strike on 5/12 in Bayt Lahiya. Israel also said it had assassinated 3 Hamas operatives, Shadi Abed Al-Hadi, Osama Shehadeh, and Zakaria Zarendah. Israeli air strikes also destroyed an interior ministry building west of Gaza City and 3 poultry farms near Rafah, killing more than 10,000 chickens. Israeli forces also struck the fishing ports in Gaza city and Khan Yunis. Damage to power lines in Gaza was reported, significantly reducing the amount of available electricity. In Israel, Israeli forces killed 2 people after several people crossed from Lebanon into Israel by Metula. Israel also said that 3 rockets were fired at Israel from Syria, with 2 landing in open land in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and 1 in Syria. 2 rockets from Gaza hit 2 houses in Sderot, causing damage and 1 injury. 1 rocket from Gaza lightly injured 1 Israeli driving near Beersheba. Israel barred people from outside of Lydda from entering the city from 4 p.m. and barred all its residents from leaving their homes after 9 p.m. 1 Palestinian-Israeli minor was seriously injured, and another minor lightly injured, after a firebomb was thrown at their house in Jaffa; Israeli police claimed without evidence that it was 2 Palestinian-Israeli men that had thrown the firebomb. Israeli forces were filmed kicking Palestinian-Israeli vehicles traveling in Umm al-Fahm and firing stun grenades at them for no apparent reason. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian-Israeli minor in Lydda, claiming he tried to throw a firebomb at them. 5 Palestinian-Israelis were arrested in Umm al-Fahm after a fire was ignited at the town’s city hall. 9 Palestinian-Israelis were arrested in ‘Akka. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian-Israeli protesters in Kafr Kana, injuring 28. Israel also told international news outlets that it would conduct a ground invasion of Gaza shortly and then later apologized to the news outlets for providing false information; analysts suspected that Israel used the media outlets to lure Hamas militants into tunnels before heavily bombarding said tunnels; Israel said that dozens were killed in the attack on the tunnels. Israel also shot down 1 drone sent from Gaza. 1 Israeli woman succumbed to injuries sustained after falling while running to a shelter in Neta’im on 5/11, raising the Israeli death toll to 9. In Jordan, some 500 protesters tried to enter the West Bank through the Allenby bridge, but were dispersed by Jordanian forces 3 miles from the border. In Amman, thousands of protesters called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and ending the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty. (AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, PCHR, PCHR, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/14; AJ, AP, AP, GDN, HA, HA, HA, PCHR, PCHR 5/15; TOI 5/16; HA 5/19; PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; NYT 5/26; +972 6/8; INT 7/15)

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said that 42% of the 119 people who have been killed in the Israeli attack on Gaza, at the time of reporting, were women and children. It also said 830 people had been injured. The UN estimated that 10,000 Palestinians have been internally displaced during the current escalation so far. (AJ, HA 5/14)

Spokesperson for PA president Mahmoud Abbas Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the silence of the U.S. administration was encouraging Israeli war crimes in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. (WAFA 5/14)

Morocco sent 40 tons of emergency aid to Palestine and denounced Israel’s aggression toward Palestinians. (HA 5/15)

The U.S. deputy assistant secretary for Israel and Palestinian affairs Hady Amr landed in Tel Aviv in an attempt by the U.S. administration to deescalate the situation. (AX, HA 5/14; HA 5/15)

A letter co-signed by 11 Jewish Democrats in the house of representatives, led by Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), urged the Biden administration to be more active in ending the escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas and to do more to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The 11 members of Congress also expressed concern about the violence in East Jerusalem and urged Israel to halt the “unjust eviction” of Palestinians from their homes in Shaykh Jarrah, and said that the U.S. must address the deepening occupation. (HA 5/15)

Democrats in the House also debated the attack on Gaza on the floor, with 1 group of 11 speaking in defense of Palestinians and 1 group of 10 defending Israel’s actions. (AJ, HA 5/14)

ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that she will continue with her inquiry into potential war crimes committed by Israelis and Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories despite Israel’s refusal to cooperate. Chief Prosecutor Bensouda also said that the investigation will include the current escalation of the conflict. (HA, REU 5/14)

The Italian trade union of port workers said that its members in Livorno had refused to load a shipment of weapons and explosives to be shipped to Israel, citing Israel’s attack on Gaza. (AA 5/15; WAFA 5/16; IN 5/17)

The IDF makes 7 air strikes on Gaza, targeting 2 Hamas rocket-launching sites in n. Gaza, killing 3 Palestinian shepherds, 1 Palestinian child; hitting a car driving in Gaza City, assassinating Hamas’s Muhiy al-Din al-Sirhi, also killing 2 civilians traveling with him; destroying the Gaza City home of Hamas mbr. Imad Dallul in an apparent assassination attempt, wounding him and 3 other Hamas mbrs.; destroying 4 alleged weapons factories in Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, and Nussayrat r.c., damaging nearby homes. The IDF also shells residential areas in Bayt Hanun, injuring a Palestinian woman, 4 children. In Gaza City, 3 Palestinians are injured by IDF UXO; 3 Hamas mbrs. are injured when explosives they are handling detonate prematurely. Hamas fires an RPG at an IDF bulldozer leveling land along the Gaza border fence, injuring 2 IDF soldiers; fires 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, starting a brush fire but causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Tel Rumeida in Hebron beat 2 international peace activists escorting Palestinian children nr. Beit Hadasah settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Itamar nr. Nablus burn Palestinian olive trees in nearby Bayt Furik. Meanwhile, at least 6 Palestinians are wounded in factional fighting in Gaza that includes a gun fight btwn. ESF and NSF mbrs. in Gaza City, a Hamas attack on a PSF base in Rafah, and Fatah’s kidnapping and malicious wounding of 2 Hamas mbrs. in Gaza City. NSF officers manning several checkpoints reportedly harass observant Muslims, ordering women to remove their head coverings and arresting bearded men on suspicion of being Hamas mbrs., raising public outrage against Fatah. Another Egyptian-brokered cease-fire (involving 3 phone conversations btwn. Abbas, Damascus-based Hamas leader Khalid Mishal) that was to go into effect at 3:00 P.M. local time is ignored by Hamas and Fatah. (NYT, WP 5/20; PCHR 5/21; OCHA 5/23; PCHR 5/24)