The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Mukhmas. Israeli forces shoot and kill a 13-year-old Palestinian boy and injure 2 others during a raid in Qabatiya. Israeli forces also shoot and injure 2 Palestinians during a raid in Tubas. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 23 Palestinians in the Old City near the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Nuseirat refugee camp, Maghazi, and Dayr al-Balah, killing at least 82 people. Israeli forces also open fire at Palestinians waiting to receive aid at the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City, killing at least 17. Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to raid and besiege al-Shifa Hospital. In Sakhnin, Deir Hanna, and Kafr Kanna, thousands of Palestinian citizens of Israel mark Land Day under the slogan “Stop the war on Gaza.” In Tel Aviv, Israeli police violently disperse Israeli anti-government protesters. In Lebanon, a UNIFIL peacekeeping foot patrol is bombed, wounding 4 UN personnel from Chile, Norway, Australia, and Lebanon; Israel denies responsibility. Israeli forces bomb Naqoura, Taybeh, Hanin, Tayr Harfa, Yarin, and Dhayra. Hezbollah forces attack an Israeli military base in Ya’ara with a drone and fire missiles at Kafrchouba, Khirbet Maar, and Raheb. In Jordan, police violently disperse protesters outside of the Israeli embassy for the seventh day in a row. In Yemen, U.S. forces bomb 2 aerial surveillance systems. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/30; AJ, NYT 3/31; HA 4/1; UNOCHA 4/3)

More than 32,705 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 75,190 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 445 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 112 children. More than 4,700 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, 253 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,520 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. 78 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (WAFA 3/30; UNOCHA 4/3)

The Gaza Media Office reports that Israeli forces have killed more than 400 people and destroyed and damaged more than 1,050 homes in and around al-Shifa Hospital during the 13-day siege of the hospital. (AJ 3/30)

The Alliance of Palestinian Forces, which includes Hamas and Islamic Jihad, releases a statement opposing a reported Israeli plan to establish an Arab military force in Gaza. (AJ 3/30; HA 4/1)

Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziad al-Nakhalah meets with Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, telling reporters that he promises that “we will be the victors in the war.” (AP 3/30)

Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, and French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne call for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” after a meeting in Cairo. Sejourne also says his government will put forward a draft resolution at the UN Security Council setting out a political settlement of the war in Gaza. (WAFA 3/30; AJ 3/31)

The Arab Parliament of the Arab League issues a statement marking Land Day, saying Israel is waging “a war of genocide and forced displacement.” (AJ 3/30)

Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel demands in a tweet on X that Israel ends “the genocide” in Gaza. (AJ, WAFA 3/31)

A video circulating online shows U.S. representative Tim Walberg (R-MI) saying that no aid should be provided to Palestinians and that Gaza “should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima” referring to the U.S. nuclear bombings of the 2 Japanese cities during World War II. (AJ, NYT 3/31)

The Guardian reports that the UK government has received legal advice that Israel is breaking international law in Gaza. (AJ, GDN 3/30; AJ, HA, HA 3/31)

50 members of the UK House of Lords and parliament call on the government to reinstate UNRWA funding. (AJ, HA 3/30)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalize a home and throw stones at vehicles in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya. 1 Israeli soldier is shot and killed and 7 others are injured, including both settlers and soldiers, near the Dolev settlement. Israeli forces subsequently kill the alleged Palestinian perpetrator near Deir Ibzi using missiles fired from a helicopter. In East Jerusalem, 120,000 worshipers pray at the Haram al-Sharif compound on the second Friday of Ramadan; Palestinians from the West Bank are largely prevented from entering East Jerusalem. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Dayr al-Balah, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, and Beit Lahiya, killing at least 82 people. Israeli forces also attack and besiege al-Shifa Hospital for the fifth day in a row. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Khaim, Ayta ash Shab, Kfar Kila, Hula, and Taybeh. Hezbollah forces attack an Israeli military building in Zarit and Israeli positions in Metulla and Kfarchouba. In Yemen, U.S. and UK forces carry out airstrikes on 6 sites in Sanaa. (AJ, HA, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/22; AJ, AP, REU 3/23; UNOCHA 3/25)

More than 32,072 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 74,298 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 440 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 111 children. More than 4,665 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, 250 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,489 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. 177 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/22; UNOCHA 3/25)

Israel seizes 8,000 dunams (1,976) acres of land in the Jordan Valley for settlement expansion around the Yafit settlement near Fasayil and fast-track planning and construction of settler roads west of Ramallah. The seizure brings the total amount of seized land in the West Bank in 2024 to 10,640 (2,629 acres), more than the last 10 years combined. The PA calls the decision part of an “official policy racing against time to annex the West Bank and eliminate the possibility of creating a Palestinian state.” The Arab League condemns the decision. The EU calls on Israel to reverse the decision and says it “will not recognize changes to the 1967 borders unless agreed by the parties.”  (AJ, AJ, PCN, REU, WAFA, WAFA 3/22; AJ, WAFA 3/23; AJ 3/24; PCN 3/25)

CIA director Bill Burns and Mossad director David Barnea arrive in Doha for ceasefire negotiations. (AX 3/21)

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh speaks with Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, discussing the situation in Gaza. Amir-Abdollahian also speaks with Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziyad al-Nakhalah. (AJ 3/22)

At the UN Security Council, Russia, China, and Algeria vote against a U.S. ceasefire resolution while Guyana abstains. Hamas thanks Russia, China, and Algeria for voting against the ceasefire that “gave [Israel] cover and legitimacy for the war of extermination.” PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour calls the U.S. resolution “one-sided.” Chinese ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun says the resolution “sets up conditions for a ceasefire, which is no different from giving a green light to continued killings.” French ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Riviere says the U.S. resolution is “not strong enough” as it does not as it does not call for an unconditional and immediate ceasefire and does not draw a “red line” for the potential Israeli invasion of Rafah. Guyanese ambassador to the UN Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett explains her country’s abstention in the vote, saying the resolution does not say directly address Israeli responsibility. French president Emmanuel Macron says he will work with Jordan and the UAE to draft a resolution that would gain support from all council members. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 3/22; AP 3/23)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken. Blinken warns Netanyahu that Israel is losing international support and reiterated U.S. opposition to a ground invasion of Rafah. Netanyahu says after the meeting that Israel “will do it on our own” if the U.S. opposes its Rafah plans. Blinken also participates in a war cabinet meeting and meets President Isaac Herzog. (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU 3/22)

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE call on Israel to open all crossings to Gaza to allow aid to enter. (AJ 3/22)

Ireland, Spain, Malta, and Slovenia agree to work toward recognizing the State of Palestine after a meeting between the countries’ prime ministers on the sidelines of the European Council meeting. (AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 3/22)

The U.S. House of Representatives passes a funding bill 286 votes to 135 to avoid a partial government shutdown, banning funding for UNRWA until March 2025. The Senate subsequently also passes the bill. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) votes against the bill, saying the “Netanyahu government should not receive another penny from U.S. taxpayers.” 17 Democratic senators urge the Biden administration to reject Israel assurances that it is complying with international humanitarian law in Gaza. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) calls on the U.S. government to suspend arms transfers to Israel, calling Israeli actions in Gaza “genocide.” (HA 3/21; AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, NYT 3/22; HA, HA 3/23)

Finland resumes funding of UNRWA. (AJ, HA, REU 3/22)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to wounds sustained from Israeli forces during a raid in Jenin on 2/29. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian child in Huwwara. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Balata refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces uproot around 400 olive tree saplings in Wadi Fukin. Israeli forces also punitively demolish a home in Kafr Dan. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolish an agricultural structure in Shuqba. Israeli forces also assault 2 Palestinians during a raid near Tubas. Separately, Israeli forces shoot and kill a cow during a raid in al-Halawa in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces also arrest 22 Palestinians during raids in and around Kober, Ramallah, al-Bireh, Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Jericho, including a woman who was exchanged for Israeli captives during the prisoner exchange deal in November 2023. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, and Khan Yunis, killing at least 97 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Hula, Jabal al-Batam, Majdal Zoun, and Kafra, killing 3 people, including a child, in Hula. Hezbollah attacks Kiryat Shmona, causing damage. In Yemen, U.S. forces attack 3 missile launch sites. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/5; AJ, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/6)

More than 30,631 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 72,043 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 415 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 108 children. More than 4,606 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, 244 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,453 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. 182 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The U.S., Jordan, Egypt, and France airdrop 36,800 meals in northern Gaza. (AJ, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/5; UNOCHA 3/6)

Hamas says the “ball is in the Israeli court” after concluding 3 days of ceasefire negotiations in Cairo. (AJ, HA 3/5; NYT 3/6)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. Erdogan says during a news conference that “Netanyahu and his accomplices in murder will surely be held accountable for every drop spilled before the law and public conscience,” calling the Israeli actions in Gaza “blatant genocide.” PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh meets with Dutch foreign minister Hanke Bruins Slot in Ramallah. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/5; WAFA 3/6)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issues a statement saying the number of worshippers allowed to enter the Haram al-Sharif compound during the first week of Ramadan will be similar to 2023. (AJ, HA, REU 3/5; NYT 3/6)

Foreign ministers of OIC countries convene in Jeddah for an extraordinary meeting on the situation in Gaza. The organization calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. (WAFA, WAFA 3/5; WAFA 3/6)

U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz in Washington D.C. Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan meet with Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, discussing ceasefire negotiations. Blinken calls the situation in Gaza “simply unacceptable.” (AJ, HA, REU 3/5; HA 3/6)

The U.S. Department of Treasury sanctions former Israeli official Tal Dilian for his involvement in selling spyware that is used on Americans. Dilian is the co-owner of Intellexa, which produces the Predator spyware. (AJ, HA 3/5)

AP and Canadian media report that Canada will resume UNRWA funding after seeing the interim report into the Israeli allegations that UNRWA staff took part in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has not made a final decision. (AJ, AP, HA 3/6; AJ, HA, REU 3/7)

Chile bans Israeli companies from taking part in the International Air and Space Fair in Santiago in April. (AJ 3/6)

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says when asked if he approves of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, “[y]ou have got to finish the problem.” A poll commissioned by the Center for Economic and Policy Research show that 52% of Americans think the U.S. should halt arms shipments to Israel, including 62% of Democrats. (AJ, AJ 3/6)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to wounds sustained from Israeli forces in Nur Shams refugee camp on 10/19/2023. An Israeli settler shoots and kill a Palestinian man after he shoots and kills 2 Israeli settlers at a gas station near the Eli settlement. Israeli settlers also throw stones at Palestinians at the Za’atra checkpoint, injuring a man. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers ram a Palestinian man in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, causing minor injuries. Israeli settlers also raid Arab al-Milehat, throwing stones at homes. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers disassemble and steal 2 agricultural structures in Kisan. Israeli forces shoot and kill 2 Palestinians and injure another while they are picking gundelia flowers near Bayt Awa. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a Palestinian child during a raid in Beit Furik. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Jalazone refugee camp. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian man in Jenin. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolish a home and 2 agricultural structures during a raid in Ein ad-Duyuk al-Tahta. Israeli forces also arrest 20 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, and Bethlehem. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, and Beit Hanun, killing at least 81 people. Israeli forces also open fire at an aid convoy where thousands of Palestinians are seeking to gather aid. Eyewitnesses report that Israel used live ammunition, tank shells, and drone-fired missiles to attack the crowd, at least 112 people are killed and 760 are injured. Israeli tanks also run over the bodies of the dead and injured. The attack is dubbed the Flour Massacre. 4 children die of starvation at the Kamal Adwan Hospital. Israeli settlers storm the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing, attempting to create a settlement in Gaza. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires 2 rockets at Goren. In Yemen, U.S. forces attack a missile launch site and shoot down a drone. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/29; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 3/1)

More than 30,147 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,230 children and 8,860 women, and around 71,217 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 409 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 103 children. More than 4,606 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 1,431 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. The Red Crescent says its medical clinic in Jabalia is receiving 100-150 cases of patients with Hepatitis A daily. (AJ, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA 2/29)

22-year-old Palestinian prisoner Assef al-Rifai dies in an Israeli prison, becoming the 11^th Palestinian to die in Israeli prison since 10/7. Al-Rifai, who had been imprisoned since 2022, suffered from cancer. (WAFA 2/29)

In response to the Flour Massacre (see above), Israel’s military first says Palestinians were killed in a stampede trying to get aid, blaming the aid truck drivers, then later said that Israeli soldiers had opened fire due to fear of the crowds but that most of the Palestinians had been killed in a human stampede and by the aid trucks. In its defense, Israel releases edited drone footage which appears to show hundreds of Palestinians taking cover from Israeli bullets. The PA calls the incident an “ugly massacre” and Hamas calls the attack an “unprecedented war crime.” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres labels the incident appalling and calls for an independent investigation. EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell calls it “totally unacceptable,” Colombia denounces Israel’s genocide, suspending weapons purchases from Israel. French president Emmanuel Macron expresses “[d]eep indignation at the images coming from Gaza where civilians have been targeted by Israeli soldiers. I express my strongest condemnation of these shootings and call for truth, justice, and respect for international law.” Spain, Belgium, Turkey, Portugal, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, China, Canada, Yemen, Australia, and other countries express shock and contempt for the Israeli actions. The U.S. blocks an Algerian statement at the UN Security Council that assigns blame to Israel for the incident, saying it needs to be “thoroughly investigated.” The Israeli newspaper Haaretz for the first time calls on Israel to end its war, citing the incident. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 2/29; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 3/1) 

Representatives from Hamas, Fatah, and many other Palestinian parties meet in Moscow for reconciliation talks and about forming a technocratic consensus government that will lead the PA. Palestinian National Initiative secretary-general Mustafa Barghouti says, “I have never seen the atmosphere so close to unity as it is today.” Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov tells the Palestinian representatives at the meeting that if they can announce a unity position on the basis of the PLO those who use the lack of Palestine unity to prevent “the settlement in the Middle East, will lose their winning cards.” Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh meets with Chinese ambassador to Qatar Zhou Jian, discussing “ways to stop the war” in Gaza. President Mahmoud Abbas meets with UN senior coordinator for humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza Sigrid Kaag and USAID administrator Samantha Power in Ramallah. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/29; AJ 3/1)

The Israeli Civil Administration declares 2,640 dunams (652 acres) of land in Abu Dis and al-Eizariya Israeli state land. 120 Palestinian families live on the land. The area declared state land connects the Ma’ale Adumim settlement and the Keidar settlement. (AJ, REU, WAFA 2/29; HA 3/1)

Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store says the PA has received $114 million from Israel as part of the tax revenue payments and that more money will be dispersed in “the coming days.” (REU 2/29)

UNRWA says it has not received $89 million from the European Commission that was due on 2/29. 17 rights and aid organizations, including Save the Children and Oxfam, call on the EU to disperse the funds. The UN says Israel has not provided evidence about its claims against 12 UNRWA staffers for the independent investigation by the UN. Germany says it will increase aid to Gaza by $21.6 million and that its military will start taking part in aid airdrops if enough aid cannot be dispersed by land. (AP, AP, REU 2/29)

Israel claims it has killed more than 13,000 militants in Gaza since its ground invasion. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls Hamas’s demands for a ceasefire “delusional,” saying he will not accept them and that he rejects international calls for a ceasefire. The Israeli negotiators who had been in Qatar this week return to Israel. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls for a “massive” settlement expansion in response to the killing of 2 Israeli settlers near the Eli settlement. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says aid to Gaza must stop as it endangers Israeli soldiers, citing the Flour Massacre where no Israeli soldiers were injured while more than a 100 Palestinians were killed. The Israeli government says it is still reviewing whether it will severely limit the number of Muslim worshippers it will allow to enter the Haram al-Sharif compound during Ramadan. (AJ, REU 2/29; AJ 3/1)

U.S. president Joe Biden walks back his comment that a ceasefire will happen by 3/4 but says that he is still hopeful. Biden also issues a statement calling on Republicans to pass a bill providing aid to Israel to “help ensure Israel can defend itself against Hamas and other threats.” Biden speaks with Qatar emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, discussing the need for aid and a ceasefire in Gaza. Secretary of State Blinken speaks with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, discussing the same issues. White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton says the U.S. is deeply concerned that it has not received an Israeli plan for how it will provide security for Palestinians in Rafah if the Israeli military invades the city. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) calls on Israel to end its military operations in Gaza, citing the Flour Massacre. (AJ, AX, HA, NYT, REU, REU 2/29; AJ, HA 3/1)

UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk condemns Israel’s war on Gaza, calling it “carnage” at the UN Human Rights Council and says that war crimes have been committed by both Israel and Hamas, calling for accountability for the perpetrators. (AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 2/29)

New Zealand says it will impose travel bans on “a number” of violent Israeli settlers. New Zealand also designates the entirety of Hamas as a “terrorist group.” (AJ, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/29)

British politician George Galloway of the Workers Party of Britain wins a seat in the UK parliament in the by-election in Rochdale, telling Labour Party leader “Kier Starmer, this is for Gaza.” The Labour Party held the seat in Rochdale until last month when MP Tony Lloyd died. (NYT, NYT 2/29; AJ, AJ, HA 3/1)

Haaretz reports that AIPAC has spent $4.5 million in attack ads against Dave Min in the Democratic primary for a congressional seat in California. (HA 2/29)

The heads of 36 international news outlets sign a letter in support of journalists in Gaza, calling for their protection. (AJ, AP 2/29)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to injuries sustained in an Israeli drone strike on Jenin on 2/22. Israeli settlers raid Taybeh, kidnapping 3 elderly Palestinian farmers who are later released from a military base in Tarqumiyah. Israeli forces seize a bulldozer during a raid in Nabi Salih. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, and al-Bureij refugee camp, killing at least 90 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb near Baalbek, killing 2 people and injuring 6 others. Israeli forces also bomb al-Sarira, Ayta ash Shab, Majadel, and Wadi al-Dalafa, killing at least 2 people in Majadil. Islamic Jihad says 2 of its fighters are killed in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah shoots down an Israeli drone using a surface-to-air missile and fires 60 Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military site. In Yemen, U.S. forces attack 6 sites. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; AP 2/27; UNOCHA 2/28)

More than 29,782 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 70,043 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 400 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 4,575 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, 238 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,396 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. 138 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. Israel allows 10 trucks carrying aid to enter northern Gaza. Jordan and France airdrop aid to Gaza from 4 C-130 planes at 11 sites. The Red Crescent says it has suspended medical missions for the next 48 hours as it is unable to ensure the safety of its staff. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; AP, UNOCHA 2/27)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh resigns on behalf of himself and the rest of the cabinet during the weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah, saying “the next stage and its challenges require new governmental and political arrangements that take into account the new reality in Gaza and the need for a Palestinian-Palestinian consensus based on Palestinian unity.” Shtayyeh says he submitted his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas on 2/20 but formally submitted his resignation in writing today. Abbas accepts the resignation of Shtayyeh and the rest of the cabinet, asking him and the rest of the ministers to stay on as caretakers until a new government is formed. Shtayyeh, who has been prime minister since March 2019, also cites the genocide in Gaza and the “unprecedent escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem” as reasons for resigning. Before Shtayyeh’s resignation, over the weekend it was rumored that the Palestinian government would resign in order to facilitate the formation of a technocratic government to be led by the PA as requested by the U.S. (HA 2/25; AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; AP, HA 2/27)

The New York Times reports that Israel has agreed to release 15 high-profile Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 5 female Israeli soldiers as part of the potential ceasefire deal. U.S. president Joe Biden says he hopes a ceasefire agreement can be reached by 3/4. Axios reports that Israeli military chief of staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet director Ronen Bar traveled to Egypt last week to assure the Egyptian government that Israel will take measures to prevent Palestinians from fleeing to Egypt during its planned invasion of Rafah. A delegation of Israeli officials arrive in Qatar for ceasefire talks. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Palestinians will not be allowed to return to northern Gaza until all Israeli captives are released. Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi and U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken discuss the ceasefire negotiations. (AJ, AP, AX, AX, HA, NYT, REU, REU 2/26; AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU 2/27)

Israeli industry minister Nir Barkat meets with Saudi minister of commerce Majid bin Abdullah Alkassabi on the sidelines of a World Trade Organization meeting in the UAE, saying the 2 countries can “make history together.” (AJ 2/26)

During the sixth and final day of the ICJ hearings on the legality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the Arab League calls the occupation an “affront to international justice” and says Israel perpetrates “racial domination and apartheid” against Palestinians. Turkey, Zambia, Spain, Fiji, the Maldives, the African Union, and the OIC also present arguments. During the 6 days of hearings, only the U.S., Fiji, Hungary, and the UK spoke in favor of Israel’s argument that the court should not make a decision on the occupation while 50 other countries and organizations argued, to varying degrees, that the occupation is illegal and has to end. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; WAFA 2/27)

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres says the UN Security Council’s “lack of unity on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and on Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October, has severely—perhaps fatally—undermined its authority,” calling for reform of the council. Arab diplomats meet with Guterres, warning him about Israeli plans to severely limit the number of worshippers allowed at the Haram al-Sharif compound during Ramadan. (AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA 2/26)

USAID administrator Samantha Power visits a World Food Programme warehouse in Jordan, saying only around 85 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza a day while around 500 are needed. (AJ, HA 2/26)

President Biden reiterates in an interview his previous claim that without Israel, Jews living throughout the world would not be safe. (AJ 2/27)

Israel submits a report on progress it has made since the ICJ issued provisional measures to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza as part of the South African genocide case against Israel. Human Rights Watch says Israel has ignored the ICJ provisional measures and “in some ways even intensified its repression, including further blocking lifesaving aid.” Amnesty International also says Israel has failed to comply with the measures. (Airwars, AJ, HA, HA, WAFA 2/26; NYT 2/27)

EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell criticizes European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in an interview with El Pais, saying her trip to Israel in October 2023 “with such a completely pro-Israeli position, without representing anyone but herself in a matter of international politics, has carried a high geopolitical cost for Europe.” Borrell also says Israeli prime minister Benjamin “Netanyahu’s plans for Gaza are unacceptable. The seeds of hatred are being sown for generations. It is an open secret that the Israelis funded Hamas and played at dividing the Palestinians.” (AJ, EP 2/26)

19,012 artists sign an open letter calling on Israel to be banned from the Venice Biennale, saying there should not be a “genocide pavilion at the Venice Biennale.” Italian minister of culture Gennaro Sanguiliano rejects the call, saying the letter is “shameful.” The Biennale later issues a statement saying it would “not take into consideration any petition or call to exclude” countries. (AJ, ANGA, HA 2/26; AJ, AJ, REU 2/27; AP, NYT 2/28)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Arab al-Milehat, stealing nearly 30 sheep. Israeli forces uproot 50 trees in Sarta while preparing to build a settler road. Israeli forces also raid Jenin, assaulting 2 Palestinians. Israeli forces arrest 15 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Nablus, Jericho, Jenin, and Ramallah. In Jerusalem, Israelis raid and vandalize a Muslim shrine, declaring it a Jewish holy site. Israeli forces install a watchtower fitted with surveillance camaras at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, and Beit Lahiya, killing at least 86 people. Israeli forces also kill 10 Palestinians waiting to receive aid in Gaza City. The Red Crescent evacuates 24 people from al-Amal Hospital and delivers water and food to the hospital. In Lebanon, Hezbollah attacks Israeli forces in Manara and Malkia. Israeli forces kill 2 Hezbollah members near the Syrian border. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/25; AJ, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26)

More than 29,692 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 69,879 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 399 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 4,545 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, 237 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,396 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. 94 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (WAFA 2/25; UNOCHA, UNOCHA 2/26)

The Israeli military says it has withdrawn from the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. (AJ 2/25)

The Gaza Media Office accuses Israel of 19 different war crimes, including deliberate killings, torture, forced displacement, hostage-taking, using hunger as a weapon of war, bombing homes, schools, and places of worship, targeting heritage sites, and targeting medical centers. (AJ 2/25)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets Jordanian king Abdullah II in Amman. (WAFA 2/25)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells CBS News that the Israeli invasion of Rafah will happen regardless of a ceasefire deal, saying a deal would only delay the invasion. The war cabinet discusses the plans for the ground invasion of Rafah and ceasefire negotiations. An Israeli delegation is said to be traveling to Doha for continued talks next week. Israel’s Channel 12 News reports that Netanyahu added a new demand to the recently concluded U.S., Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari ceasefire talks, stipulating that high-profile prisoners released in the exchange are deported to Qatar. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel will continue attacking Lebanon even if a ceasefire deal is reached in Gaza. (AP, NYT 2/24; AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU 2/25; AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA 2/26)

Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty soldier from the U.S. Air Force wearing his uniform self-immolates outside of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. In a livestream, Bushnell says that he “no longer will be complicit in genocide” and that he is doing an extreme act of protest which he says is not extreme in comparison to what people are experiencing in Palestine “at the hands of the colonizers.” As he burns, he chants “free Palestine.” Bushnell later dies in hospital. Bushnell is the second person to self-immolate outside of an Israeli diplomatic post in the U.S. An unidentified woman holding a Palestinian flag self-immolated outside of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta in December 2023. (AJ, HA, NYT 2/25; AJ, AJ, AP, WAFA 2/26; AP 2/27)

UN General Assembly president Dennis Francis calls on UN members to provide “sustainable and predictable financial and political support” to UNRWA. UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini says food aid has not been delivered to northern Gaza since 1/23. (AJ, WAFA 2/25; AJ 2/26

The information ministers of the OIC hold an extraordinary session in Turkey, condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza and calling for an unconditional ceasefire. (WAFA 2/24; AJ, WAFA 2/25)

Haaretz reports that the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority is refusing to grant visas to employees of international NGOs operating in the West Bank and Gaza. (HA 2/25)

The New York Times says it is reviewing Israeli freelance journalist Anat Schwartz, who has contributed to the Times’ coverage of Hamas, for liking a tweet on X calling for turning Gaza “into a slaughterhouse.” (AJ 2/25)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers spray racist graffiti on walls and set vehicles on fire in Turmus ‘Ayya. Israeli forces shoot and kill 2 Palestinians and injure 3 others during a raid in Tulkarm refugee camp, an Israeli soldier is injured during the raid. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a member of the PA security forces near Beit Furik. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces seal off the family home in Shu’fat of a Palestinian who was shot dead on 2/16 after allegedly killing 2 Israelis. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Nuseirat refugee camp, and Beit Lahiya, killing at least 126 people. Israeli forces also fire tank shells at al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis. Israeli attacks render the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis inoperative as an eighth patient dies due to the lack of power at the hospital. 1 Israeli soldier is killed in combat. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires an anti-tank missile at a building in Kibbutz Yir’on, causing damage. In the Red Sea, Houthi forces fire a missile at a UK-owned ship, causing damage. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/18; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/19; AP 2/20)

More than 28,985 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 68,883 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 393 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, 232 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. 38 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (WAFA 2/18; UNOCHA, UNOCHA 2/19)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh addresses the Munich Security Conference, saying the PA and Egypt will not allow Israel to push Palestinians into the Sinai. Shtayyeh also says the PA is prepared to cooperate with Hamas to achieve national unity. EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell highlights the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank during a speech at the conference. (AJ, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/18)

The Israeli High Court of Justice dismisses a request for Israel to disclose the whereabouts of 62 Palestinians from Gaza who have been taken to Israel by Israeli forces and for them to be allowed to meet a lawyer. (HA 2/18)

The Israeli cabinet unanimously approves a declaratory decision to reject any unilateral recognition of the state of Palestine. Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz says Israel will limit the number of people entering the Haram al-Sharif compound during Ramadan. Channel 13 reports that the proposal was made by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The PA calls the decision “racist incitement against Palestinians.” The Supreme Fatwa Council of Palestine warns Israel of a “religious war” if Muslims are denied access to the compound during Ramadan. The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee says Ben-Gvir is organizing his own war against Palestinian citizens of Israel. (AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU 2/18; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/19; HA, HA, REU 2/20)

Norway says an agreement has been reached on the transfer of PA tax funds from Israel to the PA via Norway. Norway will withhold the part of the tax revenue Israel considers is for Gaza. Prime Minister Shtayyeh says after a meeting with Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide that the funds will not be transferred to the PA. (WAFA 2/18; AP, REU 2/19; WAFA 2/20)

Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva addresses the African Union Summit, calling Israel’s war on Gaza “genocide” and compares the attacks to the Holocaust, saying it has happened before “when [Adolf] Hitler decided to kill the Jews.” Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz summons the Brazilian ambassador. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/18)

UK Labour party leader Kier Starmer calls for a lasting ceasefire. (AJ, HA, REU 2/18; AJ 2/19)

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Biden administration is looking at ways to give direct financial support to the PA to prevent it from running out of funds. (HA, WSJ 2/18)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man, claiming he tried to attack soldiers near the Beit Furik checkpoint. Israeli forces also demolish a home, issue demolition notices for 6 others in al-Nuweimah, and demolish a retaining wall in Bani Na’im. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces demolish part of a Palestinian home in Silwan. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Jabalia refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, and Gaza City, killing at least 107 people, including the director of the Palestinian Information Center in the Gaza Strip Rizq al-Gharabli. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attack Jabel Blat and Khula. Hezbollah says it hit “spy equipment” in Shuba Hills. Anti-tank fire injures 2 Israeli soldiers near Mitzpe Adi. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb Homs, killing and injuring several people. In the Red Sea, Houthi forces say they attacked a UK and a U.S. ship with naval missiles. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/6; AJ, AP, AP, HA 2/7)

More than 27,585 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 66,835 have been injured since 10/7. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 376 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 95 children. More than 4,417 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, 224 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. 103 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Israelis block the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, preventing the entry of 132 trucks. UNOCHA says the Israeli evacuation order in Gaza now covers 66% of the area. (AJ, AP, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/6; AJ 2/7; UNOCHA 2/8)

Israel’s public defender’s office issues a report based on visits to the Carmel, Damon, and Eshel prisons and the Russian Compound, saying conditions for all prisoners are deteriorating and noting that half of all prisoners have less than 29.5 square feet of space while around 3,400 prisoners are sleeping on mattresses on the floor. The report says that prisoners are experiencing “[i]ntolerable overcrowding; poor sanitary conditions; hygiene problems and infestations; poor ventilations; a lack of basic equipment.” (HA 2/7)

Hamas responds to the Israeli, U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian ceasefire proposal. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad says Hamas is seeking to have as many Palestinian prisoners released as possible.   Hamas also says its response was delayed due to many issues in the proposal being “unclear and ambiguous.” Qatar calls the response “mostly positive.” Israel says it is “thoroughly” evaluating the response. U.S. president Joe Biden calls the Hamas response “a little over the top.” (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU 2/6; AJ 2/7)

The PA says it will pay civil servants 60% of their December salaries this week as Israel continues to withhold the PA’s tax revenue. (HA, REU 2/6)

The Israeli military opens an investigation into allegation its forces killed Israelis on 10/7/2023. The military also says that it believes that 32 additional captives out of the 136 remaining captives held in Gaza have been killed. Haaretz reports that the Israeli military has begun investigating dozens of incidents in Gaza that are suspected to have violated international law, including killings of civilians and targeting of hospitals, schools, and government institutions. The New York Times releases an investigation showing Israeli soldiers posting videos on social media of themselves gleefully destroying civilian property. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU 2/6; NYT 2/7)

Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz meets with the UN envoy for humanitarian aid to Gaza Sigrid Kaag, saying the UN must find a way to bypass UNRWA in delivering aid. (AJ 2/6)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, and later travels to Israel. At a press conference with Al Thani, Blinken says the U.S. will be promoting steps toward a Palestinian state and Israeli normalization deals after the war in Gaza. He also calls the notion that Hezbollah and the Houthi Movement are acting in solidarity with Palestinians “absolutely wrong,” saying their actions are “fundamentally about Iran’s quest for power.” Al Thani says suspending UNRWA funding would “have catastrophic consequences.” (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU 2/6; AJ, NYT 2/7)

The U.S. House of Representatives rejects a standalone bill for $17.6 billion in assistance to Israel, unlike the Senate bill which includes Ukraine, Taiwan, and border funding. President Joe Biden previously said he would veto the House bill. Congressperson Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) calls Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “genocidal maniac.” (HA, NYT, REU 2/6; AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, NYT 2/7)

The ICJ elects Ugandan judge Julia Sebutinde as its vice president for a 3-year period. Sebutinde was the only judge on the 17-member panel to vote against all provisional measures in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in January. Lebanese judge Nawaf Salam is elected president of the ICJ. (AJ 2/7)

Lebanese foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib says after a meeting with his French counterpart Stephane Sojourne that he was warned that Israel might launch a war on Lebanon. (AJ 2/6)

Newly elected far-right Argentinian president Javier Milei arrives in Israel, telling Foreign Minister Katz upon his arrival that his plan is to move the Argentinian embassy to East Jerusalem. Milei also meets with President Isaac Herzog. (AJ, AP, HA, HA 2/6; AJ, HA, NYT 2/7)

The regional government of Wallonia in Belgium suspends its 2 ammunition export licenses to Israel. (AJ 2/6)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 2 Palestinian children in Susiya in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian man with their rifles south of Hebron. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers demolish a tent and uproot 20 olive trees in the Fatih Sidra area of Masafer Yatta. Israeli settlers also ram Palestinian-owned sheep in al-Muarajat, killing and injuring several. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers attack Palestinian shepherds in Shaab al-Butum, forcing them to flee. Israeli forces open fire at a Palestinian vehicle before assaulting Palestinians in the car and seizing it in Tuqu’. Israeli forces also demolish a Palestinian home in Tarqumiyah. 15 Palestinians are arrested during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Nablus, Bethlehem, Qalandia refugee camp, and Kharbatha Bani Harith. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Beit Hanun, Jabalia refugee camp, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 150 people. Israeli forces also shoot and kill 12 people at al-Amal Hospital. An Israeli soldier is killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Blida, Hanine, at Tiri, Aitaroun, Naqoura, al-Dhahira, Majdalzon, and Labouneh, killing a person and destroying an ambulance. Hezbollah says it attacked 3 Israeli military sites. In Yemen, U.S. forces bomb a missile launch site. (AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/31; AJ, NYT 1/2)

More than 26,900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 10,600 children and 7,200 women, and around 65,946 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 4,387 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. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/31)

The PA calls for the formation of an international field committee to investigate Israeli crimes in Gaza, referring to the 30 bodies that were found in Beit Lahiya on 1/30 who appear to have been killed and dumped in a mass grave while blindfolded and with their hands tied. (WAFA 1/31)

The UN Security Council meets to discuss the ICJ ruling on provisional measures. PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour says a ceasefire is needed to implement the provisional measures instituted by the ICJ on 1/26. UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordination Martin Griffiths calls the relief entering Gaza “grossly inadequate.” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres calls UNRWA the “backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza” and iterates his call for countries that have suspended funding for the agency to reverse their decisions. EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borell calls UNRWA’s role in Gaza “irreplaceable” and critical to preserve. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/31; NYT 1/2)

Israeli Channel 12 reports that Mossad director David Barnea briefed the Israeli cabinet on the ceasefire negotiations held over the weekend. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu writes on X that his “red lines” on an agreement are that Israel will not end the war and will not release “thousands of terrorists,” refering to Palestinian prisoners. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir writes a letter to Netanyahu calling on him to block aid from entering Gaza. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer meets with U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan at the White House. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 1/31)

South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor says Israel is ignoring the ICJ ruling on provisional measures. Pandor also says she asked ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan why he was able to issue an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin but not for Prime Minister Netanyahu. (AP, AP, HA 1/31)

The U.S. House of Representatives passes H.R. 6679, preventing entry to the U.S. of members of the PLO, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad in a 422-2 vote. The bill would need to be approved by both the Senate and the president. PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh calls the bill a “dangerous decision” and demands a response from the Biden administration. The PA presidency condemns and denounces the bill for banning the entry of PLO members. (AA, WAFA, WAFA 2/1; WAFA 2/2)

Haaretz reports that Israeli commanders have instructed soldiers to set fire to Palestinian homes in Gaza and that in the past months hundreds of homes have been destroyed by Israeli soldiers setting fire to them. A photo of a note left behind by Israeli soldiers reads “[w]e are not burning the house so you can enjoy it, and when you leave – you will know what to do.” (HA 1/31)

Haaretz also reports that in the aftermath of 10/7/2023, Zaka community emergency response volunteers staged scenes in Israeli villages that were attacked to attract donations for the organization instead of properly handling bodies of deceased Israelis and spread accounts of atrocities that never happened to garner media attention. The Israeli military decided from 10/7/2023 to let Zaka handle the bodies of the dead instead of using its unit trained in the identification and collection of human remains. (HA 1/31)

Ynet reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu told the UN envoys from Malta, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Slovenia, and Sierra Leone that UNRWA must be replaced during a meeting in Jerusalem. (AJ, AP, REU 1/31)

Axios reports that U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken has instructed the State Department to review and present policy options on U.S. and international recognition of a Palestinian state. A senior U.S. official tells Axios that some people in the Biden administration think that recognition of a Palestinian state should be the first step toward ending the Israeli occupation rather than the last. (AX, REU 1/31)

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the U.S. is looking for an extended pause in fighting in Gaza. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says the U.S. has warned Israel about reducing the size of Gaza. (AJ, HA 1/31)

A federal judge in Oakland, California, dismisses a lawsuit brought by Palestinian Americans seeking to end U.S. support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza on the basis of genocide, saying he would have issued an injunction but is legally not able to do so due to a lack of jurisdiction. The judge, Jeffrey White, instead implores the Biden administration to “examine the results of their unflagging support” of Israel on the basis that “it is plausible that Israel’s conduct amounts to genocide.” (NYT 1/31; AJ, INT, HA 2/1)

The city of Chicago follows a number of other U.S. cities in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Some 70 cities in the U.S., including Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, Detroit, and St. Louis, have passed resolutions on the Israeli attacks on Gaza with most calling for a ceasefire. (AJ, HA, NYT, REU 1/31; AJ, NYT 2/1)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces assault 4 Palestinians, including a medic, during a raid in Fahma. Israeli forces deliver demolition notices for 11 residential and agricultural structures in the Abu Nawar Bedouin community near ‘Anata. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces prevent Palestinians from reaching the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, Beit Lahiya, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 183 people. Israeli forces also open fire at Palestinians fleeing from Khan Yunis to Rafah and fire tank shells at al-Amal Hospital. The Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis suffers a complete electricity blackout as it is besieged by Israeli forces for the fifth day in a row. In Lebanon, Israeli forces strike Bayt Lif and Deir Aames, killing 2 people and injuring 4 in Bayt Lif. Hezbollah says it attacked 2 Israeli bases near the Blue Line. In the Red Sea, the Houthi movement says its forces attacked a UK-owned oil tanker.  (AJ, AP, AP, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/26)

More than 26,083 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 10,600 children and 7,200 women, and around 64,110 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 365 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 92 children. More than 4,354 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 1,269 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. 68 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Israelis block the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing for the third day in a row, forcing aid trucks to reroute to Egypt. The UN says the assessment mission to northern Gaza, announced by U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken on 1/9, has not been carried out. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/26; AJ 1/27)

Israel orders Palestinians in several neighborhoods of Khan Yunis to flee to al-Mawasi. (AJ 1/26)

The ICJ rules that there is a basis to further investigate the South African genocide case against Israel and that the ICJ has jurisdiction to hear the case. The court issues 6 provisional measures: 1) Israel must take all possible measures to prevent acts as outlined in Article 2 of the Genocide Convention, including not killing members of a particular group [Palestinians], not causing physical or psychological harm to members of that group, not inflicting living conditions which are calculated to bring about the end of the existence of a people, and not carrying out acts to precent the births within the group. 2) Israel must ensure its military does not carry out any of the actions outlined in measure 1. 3) Israel must prevent and punish incitement to commit genocide. 4) Israel must ensure the delivery of basic services and essential humanitarian aid. 5) Israel must prevent the destruction of evidence of war crimes and allow fact-finding missions access. 6) Israel must submit a report on all steps taken to abide by the measures within 1 month. 4 of the orders are approved by 15 of the 17 judges, while 2 of the measures are approved by 16 of the 17 judges. The only judge to vote against all measures is Judge Julia Sebutinde of Uganda. Aharon Barak, the judge representing Israel, votes for measures 3 and 4. The measures issued by the court fall short of South Africa’s demand for a ceasefire. Hamas welcomes the ICJ orders and calls on the international community to force Israel to implement the decisions. PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour calls the measures against Israel “historic.” South Africa calls the ruling a “decisive victory.” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructs his ministers not to comment on the ICJ decision and calls the ruling “outrageous.” The U.S. State Department says the ICJ did not “make a finding about genocide” despite the court specifically saying that it is continuing its trial of Israel on charges of genocide. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Malaysia, Qatar, Spain, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium, and the AU welcome the ICJ ruling. Turkey and Egypt express disappointment that the court did not call for a ceasefire. (AP, NYT 1/25; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/26; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/27; AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA 1/28; HA 1/29)

PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh calls on the international community and the UN Security Council to stop Israeli efforts to create a new buffer zone in Israel, saying Israel is razing homes and agricultural lands in 20% of Gaza. (AJ, WAFA 1/26)

Israel alleges that 12 UNRWA employees took part in or aided the attack on 10/7/2023 based on Shin Bet interrogations of Palestinian detainees and phone tracking. UNRWA announces an investigation and says it has terminated the contracts of the 9 of the staffers, with further investigations into 2 other staffers. 1 staff has been killed. The U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Finland, Australia, Italy, and the UK say they have paused additional funding to UNRWA while they are reviewing the allegations and UN’s steps to address them. The PA calls on the countries that suspended funding to reverse their decisions. Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf calls the suspension of funding for UNRWA collective punishment. UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini calls the aid suspensions “shocking,” saying they are based on the “alleged behavior of a few individuals.” Ireland and Norway express support for UNRWA. (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT 1/26; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA 1/27; HA, HA, NYT, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/28; AP, REU, REU, REU 1/29)

Hamas releases a video of 3 captives who call on the Israeli government to stop the war on Gaza and secure their release, saying other captives held with them have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. (AJ, HA, HA 1/26)

U.S. president Joe Biden speaks with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani about another temporary ceasefire in Gaza. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the White House is doing “everything we can to facilitate another hostage deal,” and that National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk returns to the U.S. after discussions with Qatar and Egypt. Axios reports that on 1/19 Biden said in a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu that he wants Israel to end its war on Gaza soon. A Biden advisor tells Axios that the White House is concerned about losing young voters who are opposed to Biden’s policy on the war. (AJ, AX, HA 1/26)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raze Palestinian-owned land in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces fatally shoot a Palestinian man during a raid in Jaba’. Israeli forces seize several Palestinian-owned vehicles in Hebron and Dahariya. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israel forces bomb Rafah, Khan Yunis, Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Maghazi, killing at least 112 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb an ambulance, killing 2 medics in Hanine. Hezbollah attacks Kiryat Shmona and Birket Riche. In Yemen, the U.S. and the UK launch airstrikes in several places, killing 6 Yemenis and damaging 4 airports and a Houthi military base. Off the coast of Oman, hijackers, reportedly from Iran, seize a commercial vessel carrying oil changing its course toward Iran. (AJ, AP, AX, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/11; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, WAFA 1/12; HA, HA 1/14)

More than 23,469 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 16,350 women and children, and around 59,604 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 336 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 84 children. More than 4,148 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, 184 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,085 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. 145 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. The World Food Programme says it has delivered food aid to Gaza City for the first time in several weeks. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/11)

Israel issues evacuation orders for al-Mawasi, telling Palestinians to flee to Dayr al-Balah. (UNOCHA 1/11)

Oxfam releases a report saying Israel’s war on Gaza is the deadliest in recent years with an average of 250 Palestinians killed per day. Oxfam compares the daily casualty numbers to 96 in Syria, 52 in Sudan, 51 in Iraq, and 44 in Ukraine. (AJ, AJ 1/11)

PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh meets with Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, discussing the situation in Palestine. (AJ 1/11)

Hamas and Islamic Jihad condemn the U.S. and UK attacks on Yemen. Russia calls an emergency meeting at the UN Security Council in response to the attack. Saudi Arabia calls for restraint. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Korea sign a joint statement with the U.S. and the UK in support of the attacks. France and Italy reportedly refuse to sign the statement. U.S. president Joe Biden cites the impact of the attacks in the Red Sea on global oil prices when asked about the attacks on Yemen. Biden also calls the Houthis “terrorists.” (AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU 1/12)

South Africa presents its case for an injunction against Israel’s war in Gaza at the ICJ, saying Israel is committing genocide. U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel says, “the allegations that Israel is committing genocide are unfounded.” U.S. congresspeople Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Cori Bush (D-MO) issue a statement in support of the case. Iraq also issues a statement in support of South Africa’s case. Amnesty International calls the case “a vital step for the protection of Palestinian lives.” Several Israeli ministers accuse South Africa of hypocrisy for not bringing similar cases against other countries and the Israeli Foreign Ministry calls South Africa the “legal arm” of Hamas. The PA thanks South Africa for trying to hold Israel accountable and calls on other countries to support South Africa’s case. (HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, WAFA 1/10; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/11; AJ, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU 1/12)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken tells reporters after a meeting with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Egypt that Israel’s integration into the Middle East and a path to Palestinian statehood would isolate Iran. Blinken also says the PA has agreed to “pursue meaningful reform.” Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Adviser for Energy and Investment Amos Hochstein tells reporters, after meeting Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati and other senior officials, that both Israel and Lebanon prefer a diplomatic solution to end the escalation between the 2 countries. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the U.S. is not “satisfied with the level [of aid entering Gaza] right now.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT 1/11)

A poll conducted by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies shows that among 8,000 people in 16 Arab countries 91% of respondents express solidarity with Palestinians and 92% say their plight should be a concern for all Arabs. 94% express a negative view of U.S. policy toward Israel’s war on Gaza. (AJ 1/11)

The Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University reportedly cancels an exhibition of Samia Halaby’s work because of her posts on social media in support of Palestinians in Gaza. (NYT 1/11)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers open fire at Palestinian farmers in as-Samu; no injuries are reported. Israeli settlers also set up a mobile home in al-Rakiz in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces bomb a house with a drone strike in Tulkarm refugee camp, injuring 9, demolish a memorial for Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, and cause vast damage using bulldozers. Israeli forces also shoot and injure 14 Palestinians and demolish a home, displacing 12 people, during a raid in Askar refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces fatally shoot a Palestinian at the Ein Siniya checkpoint, claiming he had attempted to stab a soldier. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian man working his land in al-Jalama. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces punitively demolish the family home of 2 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in November in Sur Baher. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, and Gaza City, killing at least 126 people. An Israeli soldier is killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israel says it has assassinated Hezbollah commander Ali Hussein Burji. Hezbollah denies the claim. 3 Hezbollah members are reportedly killed in a drone strike in Ghanduriyah. Hezbollah attacks an Israeli military base in Safed with a suicide drone; no damage or injuries are caused. In the Red Sea, the U.S. says it has shot down 18 suicide drones, 2 anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Yemen. (AJ, AP, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/9; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT 1/10; UNOCHA 1/11)

More than 23,210 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 59,167 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 334 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 84 children. More than 4,042 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, 183 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,065 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. 131 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/9)

Israel approves the expansion of the Givat Shaked settlement in East Jerusalem with 695 housing units. Israeli forces evacuate an Israeli settlement outpost south of Jerusalem. National Security Advisor Itamar Ben-Gvir criticizes Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the evacuation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently instructs the Israeli military not to evacuate more outposts until the end of Israel’s war on Gaza. (AJ, HA 1/9)

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh calls on Muslim countries to supply arms to Palestinian militants. (AJ 1/9)

The PA Ministry of Labor approves a $2.4 million package to support Palestinian workers from Gaza who are stuck in the West Bank after being expelled from Israel. (AJ, WAFA 1/10)

United Arab List chairperson Mansour Abbas calls on Israel to end its war on Gaza, saying the transfer of the population from Gaza is unacceptable and calling for a broad coalition to take control of Israel. (HA 1/9)

The UN General Assembly convenes to discuss the U.S. veto of a ceasefire resolution at the UN Security Council in December. During the session, the Maldives, Namibia, and Pakistan express support for South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ and PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour says the Israeli attacks must stop. (AJ, AJ 1/9; AP, WAFA 1/10)

Egyptian sources tell Reuters that Egypt has rejected Israel’s proposal to have Israeli forces control the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt. (REU 1/9)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with Israeli president Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Blinken says Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey have promised to help rebuild Gaza when Israel is done destroying it, calling on Netanyahu to avoid “further civilian harm” and adding normalization with Saudi Arabia is still on the table. Blinken also calls South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ “meritless” and announces that Israel has agreed to allow a UN “assessment mission” into northern Gaza. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the U.S. does not support a ceasefire but supports humanitarian pauses. (AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU 1/9; AJ 1/10)

Belgian deputy prime minister Petra De Sutter tweets that she will propose to the Belgian government that it supports South Africa’s efforts at the ICJ, saying “[w]e must act against the threat of genocide.” (AJ 1/9)

German foreign minister Anna Baerbock says at press conference in Egypt with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry that “a reformed” PA should play a crucial role in Gaza after Israel’s war. (AJ, REU 1/9)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers demolish an agricultural structure and stone walls in Tarqumiyah. Israeli settlers also attack Palestinian herders in al-Juwaya, forcing them to leave the area. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers steal olives from Palestinians in Awarta. Israeli forces fatally shoot 3 Palestinians and injure another during a raid in Iktaba. Israeli forces also shoot and injure 2 Palestinian men during raids in Tell and Qiffin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolish a home and an agricultural structure and uproot trees in Birin. Israeli forces also raid Beit Umar, seizing a vehicle. Meanwhile, Israeli forces assault 2 Palestinians during raids in Ya’bad and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, Maghazi, Rafah, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 249 Palestinians, including a 5-year-old in a bombing of a Doctors Without Borders shelter. 9 Israeli soldiers are killed in combat, including 6 who are killed by Israeli forces detonating a tunnel before they exit it. Rockets are fired at Israel; no damage is reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces assassinate senior commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan forces Wissam al-Tawil and one other person in a strike on the car they are traveling in in Khirbet Selm. Israeli forces also attack Marwahin and Ayta ash Shab. Hezbollah fires a rocket at a home in Shtula, lightly injuring an Israeli, and an anti-tank missile at an Israeli soldier near the Blue Line. In Syria, Israel says it has assassinated Hassan Halashah in Beit Jinn, claiming he was responsible for Hamas launching rockets from Syria at Israel. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/8; AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA 1/9; HA 1/10)

More than 23,084 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 58,926 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 333 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 84 children. More than 4,042 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, 183 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,042 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. 112 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. The WHO says Israel has denied its request to deliver medical supplies to al-Awda Hosptial in Jabalia refugee camp and the Central Drug Store in Gaza City. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/8)

B’Tselem reports Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians in Gaza, saying cultivated fields have been destroyed and bakeries bombed, leaving Gaza reliant on food aid that Israel largely prevents from entering. (BTS 1/8; AJ 1/10)

Islamic Jihad releases a video of an Israeli captive. Separately the group says it foiled an attempt by Israeli forces to rescue a captive in al-Bureij refugee camp. (AJ, HA, HA 1/8)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, discussing ways to end Israel’s war in Gaza and the surge in settler violence in the West Bank. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki meets with German foreign minister Anna Baerbock in Ramallah, calling on Germany to pressure Israel into a ceasefire. Baerbock also visits al-Mazra’a al-Qibliya with B’Tselem, meeting with Palestinians affected by settler violence. Baerbock says Israel has a duty to protect Palestinians in the West Bank. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA 1/8)

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari says in an interview that Israel’s campaign in Gaza has gradually started to shift to a more targeted stage. (AJ, HA, NYT 1/8)

Israeli heritage minister Amichai Eliyahu proposes displacing Palestinians from Gaza who “refuse to live in these conditions.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says Israel will not transfer the PA tax revenue to the PA and reiterates his call for the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza. (HA, HA 1/8)

70 Knesset members sign a motion to expel Hadash-Ta’al party MK Ofer Cassif for his support of the South African genocide case against Israel at the ICJ. It is unclear if Cassif will be expelled as the law to expel Knesset members only permits expulsion on the basis of racist incitement or support of armed struggle against Israel. (HA 1/9)

U.S. president Joe Biden says in a speech that he is “quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in al-Ula, saying after the meeting that bin Salman has expressed “clear interest” in trying to normalize ties with Israel on the condition that Israel ends its war on Gaza and agrees to take practical steps to establish a Palestinian state. In a statement after the meeting, bin Salman says he stressed the need to end the Israeli attacks on Gaza and for a path toward peace. Blinken also meets with UAE president Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller tweets that Palestinians must be able to return to their homes and must not be pressed to leave Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, WAFA 1/8; NYT 1/9)

The Israeli Supreme Court rules that international media cannot have access to Gaza via Israel without permission and without being escorted by the Israeli military, saying access could endanger Israeli forces. The Foreign Press Association had petitioned the Supreme Court to gain access to Gaza. (AJ, AP 1/8; HA 1/9)

Haaretz reports that Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has called on Benny Gantz, Gadi Eizenkot, and Gideon Saar to leave the emergency government because he deems Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unfit to lead Israel. (AJ, HA 1/8)

Sources tell Axios that Prime Minister Netanyahu had asked UAE president Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan if the UAE could pay stipends to Palestinians from the West Bank who were employed in Israel until Israel barred them from entering after 10/7. Bin Zayed reportedly sarcastically told Netanyahu to “ask [Ukrainian president Volodymyr] Zelenskyy for money.” (AX 1/8)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man from East Jerusalem driving with Israeli license plates on his car is shot and killed in a drive-by shooting near the Ofra settlement north of Ramallah; it is unclear who the assailants are. Israeli settlers uproot 250 olive trees in Khallet al-Nahlah. Israeli settlers also assault several farmers and steal agricultural equipment in Maeen in the Masafer Yatta area. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers raid al-Juwaya in the Masafer Yatta area and Shuwe’er in the Jordan Valley, assaulting Palestinians. Israeli forces raid Jenin, killing 7 Palestinians in a drone strike in Jenin; 1 Israeli soldier is killed and 3 others are injured when an explosive device hits their car during the raid. Israeli forces also shoot and kill 3 Palestinians, including a 3-year-old girl, at a checkpoint near Beit Iksa; Israel claims the 2 adults had rammed and injured an Israeli soldier and says the girl was accidentally shot and killed and was in a different car not related to the alleged ramming incident. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man and injure another during a raid in Abwein. Israeli forces also assault a Palestinian near Deir Sharaf. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Maghazi, Faluja, Jabalia refugee camp, Nuseirat refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, and Rafah, killing at least 85 people, including Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh’s son Hamza, who is also a journalist, and his colleague Mustafa Thuraya in an airstrike on their car in Khan Yunis. Israel has targeted Dahdouh and his family previously, killing his wife, 2 of his other children, and a grandchild among other relatives in October and injured Dahdouh in December. Medical Aid for Palestinians and the International Rescue Committee say their staff have been forced to evacuate al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital due to Israel declaring the area around the hospital a “red zone.” Rockets are fired at Sderot, Yakhini and Nirim, lightly injuring 1 in Yakhini. In Lebanon, Hezbollah militants fire a missile at an Israeli tank across the Blue Lin near Metula. Israeli forces attack Aita al-Shaab, Bint Jbeil, and Majdal Zoun. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/7; AJ, AP, WAFA 1/8)

More than 22,835 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 58,416 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 330 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 81 children. More than 4,042 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 174 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,023 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. As of 12/23, at least 65,000 housing units had been destroyed and 290,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 102 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/7)

WAFA reports that the Israeli-run Jerusalem municipality has approved the Silicon Valley settlement project, to be built on the Wadi al-Juz industrial area in East Jerusalem, and approved a landfill near Isawiya. (WAFA 1/7)

Save the Children says more than 1,000 Palestinian children in Gaza have had 1 or both legs amputated after being hit by Israeli bombs, many of the amputations are done without anesthetics. Save the Children notes that on average 10 children are subject to amputations every day. The WHO says it has canceled plans to bring medical supplies to northern Gaza because “[h]eavy bombardment, movement restrictions, and interrupted communications, makes it too dangerous. UNRWA says 142 of its staff have been killed since 10/7. (HA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/7; REU 1/8)

Authorities in Gaza call on Egypt to open the Rafah crossing further to allow more wounded Palestinians into Egypt, noting that 6,000 people are awaiting approval to cross to Egypt while 10-20 wounded people are evacuated daily. Hamas official Osama Hamdan says Israel has destroyed more than 200 heritage sites in Gaza and calls on the OIC, the Arab League, and the African Union to support South Africa’s filing at the ICJ. (AJ, HA 1/7; AJ 1/8)

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor releases a report based on testimonies from Palestinians abducted by Israeli forces in Gaza and taken to Israel, saying civilians were tortured in detention, including being beaten, subject to electric shocks, burned with cigarettes, and tied up in stress positions. Euro-Med says many of the Palestinians taken from Gaza are being held at the Sde Teiman camp between Gaza and Beersheba in what was described as a Guantanamo-like prison. (Euro-Med 1/7)

Israeli military chief of staff Herzi Halevi says Israel will be fighting in Gaza all year. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells the Wall Street Journal that Hezbollah leaders “know we can copy-paste [Israel’s attacks on Gaza] to Beirut,” adding Israel’s priority is not a war in Lebanon. (AJ, HA, WSJ 1/7; AJ, HA 1/8)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reiterates his calls for the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza to other countries and the resettlement of Gaza. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls Palestinians in Gaza “Nazis,” saying Israel must resettle Gaza. (HA, HA 1/7; AJ, AP 1/8)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with Qatar prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, discussing the situation in Gaza and the Red Sea. Blinken calls the killing of Hamza Dahdouh (see above) an “unimaginable tragedy” and says Palestinians in Gaza must be allowed to return to their homes and “must not be pressed to leave Gaza.” Al Thani says the Israeli assassination of Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut has affected Qatari mediation efforts but that the negotiations continue. Blinken also meets with Jordanian king Abdullah II and foreign minister Ayman Safadi in Amman. King Abdullah II warns Blinken of “catastrophic repercussions” if Israel’s war on Gaza continues. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, WAFA 1/7; AJ, HA 1/8)

Israeli MK Ofer Cassif signs the petition filed by South Africa to the ICJ, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Several other members of Knesset call for his removal. Cassif says he signed the petition as part of his constitutional duty to Israeli society. (JP 1/7; AJ, HA 1/8)

Israel appoints former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak to represent Israel at the ICJ hearings on the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Bolivia endorses South Africa’s case at the ICJ. (HA, HA 1/7; AJ, AP, HA, NYT 1/8)

Israeli news website Globes reports that the fourth largest shipping company in the world, Chinese COSCO, has suspended shipments to Israel due to the attacks by Yemen’s Houthi governments on ships bound for Israel. (HA 1/7)

The Washington Post reports that U.S. president Joe Biden has tasked his staff with preventing an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah. The Post says U.S. officials are worried that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees an escalation with Hezbollah as a way to stay in power. A Defense Intelligence Agency report saying that Israel would have trouble winning a war against Hezbollah while fighting in Gaza is also leaked to the press. (HA 1/8)

In the West Bank, armed Israeli settlers harass and intimidate Palestinians in Hebron. Israeli settlers also bring livestock to graze on Palestinian crops in the Masafer Yatta area. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers set up mobile homes near Tuqu’. Israeli forces shoot and injure 11 Palestinians during raids in Qatanna, Sabastia, Anabta, Zeita, and Tulkarm. Israeli forces also seize printing equipment and a vehicle from a printing shop in Nablus. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Maghazi, Beit Lahiya, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, and Dayr al-Balah, killing more than 150 people, including 70 in a residential building in Jabalia refugee camp, 43 in 2 homes in Khan Yunis, 27 in 2 homes in Dayr al-Balah, and 4 in an UNRWA school sheltering internally displaced people. Israeli snipers also shoot a Palestinian outside of al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis. Doctors Without Borders says it will evacuate staff and patients from al-Aqsa Hospital in Dayr al-Balah after Israel orders the evacuation of the area in which the hospital is located, noting that Israel has attacked the area around the hospital for several days. Israel claims it forces have assassinated the commander of the al-Qassam Brigades Nuseirat battalion Ismail Sirah and his deputy Ahmed Wahba. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb a home in Kawthariyat al-Siyad 25 miles north of the Blue Line and several places south of Tyre. Hezbollah attacks a group of Israeli soldiers in Avivim and fires 62 missiles at the Meron air base. In the Red Sea, the U.S. says it shot down a drone launched from Yemen. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/6; AP, HA, HA, UNOCHA 1/7)

More than 22,750 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 57,910 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 319 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 81 children. More than 3,949 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 173 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,020 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. As of 12/23, at least 65,000 housing units had been destroyed and 290,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 116 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (AJ, WAFA 1/6; UNOCHA 1/7)

The Gaza media office says Israel has exhumed 1,100 graves in the Tuffah cemetery, stealing 150 bodies. (AJ 1/6)

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari says Israel has dismantled the Hamas “military framework” in northern Gaza and killed 8,000 militants in the area. Military chief of staff Herzl Halevi and Shin Bet director Ronen Bar tour Khan Yunis. (AJ, HA 1/6; AJ 1/7)

The PA says Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley are quickly increasing while the world focuses on Gaza. The PA calls on the U.S. to urge Israel to end the settlement expansion. (AJ, WAFA 1/6)

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres submits a report to the UN Security Council warning that “widespread famine looms” in Gaza. Guterres says in the report that Israel must restore water and electricity services in Gaza. (AJ, HA 1/7)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken visits Greece and Turkey, meeting with Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Crete and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul. Blinken later arrives in Jordan ahead of a meeting with King Abdullah II. Blinken also speaks with the Algerian foreign minister Ahmed Attaf telling him that the U.S. rejects the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU 1/6)

U.S. senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Jeff Merkey (D-OR) visit the Rafah crossing. Van Hollen tells reporters that the Israeli authorities are stymying the flow of aid by arbitrarily rejecting supplies from entering Gaza, calling the aid screening process “unnecessarily cumbersome.” A congressional delegation visits Qatar, meeting with prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and discussing the situation in Gaza. (AJ, AP 1/6; AJ 1/7)

EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borell meets with Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati in Beirut, discussing Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. (AJ 1/6)

100 lawyers from Chile file a complaint with the ICC accusing Israel of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, blaming Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AJ 1/6)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up utility poles on Palestinian land near Tuqu’ to supply a settlement outpost with electricity. Israeli settlers also set up caravans near Qusra. Israeli forces raid Tulkarm refugee camp and Nur Shams refugee camp, firing a missile from a drone at Palestinians in Tulkarm refugee camp, causing injuries, and uproot streets with bulldozers and punitively demolish a home in Nur Shams refugee camp. Israeli forces also raid al-Ram, Yatta, and Qalqilya, injuring 6 with live ammunition, including a child. Elsewhere, Israeli forces install an iron gate blocking the northern entrance to Birzeit. Large demonstrations are held in protest against the Israeli assassination of Saleh al-Arouri and a general strike is staged in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour that Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces demolish 3 homes and a commercial structure in Jabel Mukaber and violently disperse Palestinians protesting the demolitions, injuring several by assault; 14 people are displaced due to the demolitions. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Maghazi, al-Bureij refugee camp, Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 128 people and attacking the Palestinian Red Crescent Society headquarters in Khan Yunis for the second day in a row. 2 Israeli soldiers are killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb a residential building in Naqoura, killing 3 Hezbollah members. At least 6 other Hezbollah members are killed in Israeli strikes elsewhere. Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli military positions. In the Red Sea, the Houthi government attacks a container ship bound for Israel according to its military spokesperson. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/3; AJ, UNOCHA 1/4)

More than 22,313 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 57,697 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 317 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 80 children. More than 3,949 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 173 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 991 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. As of 12/23, at least 65,000 housing units had been destroyed and 290,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 105 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA 1/3)

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society says Israel arrested 11,000 Palestinians in 2023, including 1,085 children and 300 women, noting that 5,500 have been arrested after 10/7 and the current number of Palestinian prisoners is 8,800, including 3,291 held without charge. 661 Palestinians from Gaza are held at the Sde Teiman military base, which is used as a detention camp. Sources tell Haaretz that the detained Palestinians are abused by Israeli guards. (AJ, HA, WAFA 1/3)

Israel’s military says an Israeli captive its forces tried to rescue was killed during the operation and 2 Israeli soldiers were injured. It was unclear when and where the operation was carried out. (HA, HA 1/3)

Human Rights Watch (HRW) calls on Israel to release information about how many Palestinian workers from Gaza were detained by Israel on or after 10/7, how many are still being held in detention centers, and what the basis is for their detention. HRW also calls on Israel to investigate the reports of abuse of Palestinians detained by Israel. (HRW 1/3)

The ICJ confirms that it will hold public hearings in The Hague on 1/11 and 1/12 on the genocide proceedings instituted by South Africa against Israel. Malaysia and Turkey endorse the South African case. (AJ, HA, WAFA 1/3; AJ, HA, HA, HA 1/4; AJ 1/9)

The UN Security Council calls on Yemen’s Houthi government to end its attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the UK issue a statement condemning the attacks. (AJ, HA 1/3)

Israeli Channel 12 reports that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of Israelis held in Gaza that his government is considering a “scenario of surrender and deportation.” It was unclear if he referred only to members of Hamas. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says 70% of Israelis are in favor of displacing Palestinians from Gaza. (HA 1/3)

Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah says in a speech that Hezbollah will retaliate against the assassination of Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, praises Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, condemns the U.S. for preventing a ceasefire in Gaza, and says Israel has suffered a strategic defeat. (AJ, AJ, HA 1/3)

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller calls the South African genocide case against Israel at the ICJ “meritless” and counterproductive. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby condones the Israel assassination of Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut on 1/2, saying Israel “has a right and responsibility to go after the threat that Hamas poses.” Kirby also says that Hamas’ ideology cannot be eliminated, and the group will likely not be erased, as is Israel’s stated goal. (AJ, HA 1/3; AJ 1/4)

U.S. senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) meets with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz, discussing U.S. support for Israel’s war on Gaza. (HA 1/3)

EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borell says the world must impose an end to Israel’s war on Gaza. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA 1/3)

Yesh Din says it has documented 240 incidents of settler violence since 10/7 in 93 towns and villages in the West Bank, noting that Israel has not filed a single indictment against a settler since then. Yesh Din also says Israel has imposed a total closure of the West Bank, effectively ruining the olive harvest. (AJ 1/3)

Israeli new site Zman Yisrael reports that Israeli officials are in talks with Congo about the country absorbing Palestinians displaced from Gaza. The site also reports that Israeli officials are in similar talks with other unnamed African countries. An Israeli political source tells Haaretz that the story is false. (AJ, HA, TOI 1/3)

Israel’s Supreme Court delays the enactment of a law that would take away the right of the attorney general to declare a prime minister unfit for office. (AP, NYT 1/3; HA 1/4)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man, saying he had rammed and injured 5 Israeli soldiers near Hebron. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian man during a raid in al-Eizariya. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man after he allegedly tried to stab Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Israeli forces also shot and injured 3 Palestinians and arrested 5 others during a raid in al-Fara’a refugee camp. Meanwhile, Israeli forces shot and injured 4 Palestinians, including a child, in at-Tayiba, Fawwar refugee camp, al-Arroub refugee camp, and Tuqu. Israeli forces also assaulted 2 Al Jazeera journalists in Dura, stealing all their equipment and mobile phones. Separately, Israeli forces assaulted 2 Palestinian shepherds in Jinba. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Qiffin, Ein as-Sultan, Deir Abu Masha’al, al-Am’ari refugee camp, and Surif. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians trying to reach the Haram al-Sharif compound with skunk water and baton rounds. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed Khan Yunis, Maghazi, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, Rafah, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 187 people, including 3 at the Jordanian Field Hospital near Khan Yunis. Israeli forces also opened fire at an aid convoy despite coordination with the Israeli military, damaging a truck. In Lebanon, Islamic Jihad said 2 of its members were killed in Israeli assaults. Israel attacked sites around 10 miles north of the Blue Line. Hezbollah said it had attacked 6 Israeli positions. In Syria, Israeli forces attacked several places, saying rockets fired from Syria landed in the Golan Heights. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/29; UNOCHA 12/30)

More than 21,507 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 55,915 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 311 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 79 children. More than 3,812 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7. 165 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 898 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. As of 12/23, at least 65,000 housing units had been destroyed and 290,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. (AJ, UNOCHA 12/29; UNOCHA 12/30)

The WHO said it had recorded 180,000 cases of upper respiratory infections, 136,400 cases of diarrhea, half of which were in children under the age of 5, 55,400 cases of lice and scabies, and 5,330 cases of chickenpox in Gaza. (AJ 12/29; UNOCHA 12/30)

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said Israeli forces systematically loot Palestinian homes in Gaza, stealing money and valuables worth more than tens of millions of dollars. Healthcare Workers Watch-Palestine said it had collected testimonies from 10 medical workers arrested by Israel who all say they were tortured while detained.  (WAFA 12/28; AJ 12/29; WAFA 12/30)

The PA foreign ministry said Israel was preventing sufficient aid from entering Gaza, deliberately depriving Palestinians of their basic needs. PA ambassador to the UN Majed Bamya told the UN Security Council that Israel was giving Palestinians in Gaza the option to die or be displaced. UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said Israel was “creating a stream of baseless misinformation” about UNRWA’s responsibility for the lack of aid deliveries to Gaza, saying it is Israel that is impeding aid deliveries. (AJ 12/29; AJ 12/30)

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel will not transfer the PA its tax revenue while he is finance minister. It has been reported that U.S. president Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should hand over the withheld PA funds to Norway, which will keep them until an arrangement is made to safeguard against the funds going to Hamas, a proposal Netanyahu made himself and that the PA reportedly accepted. (AX 12/28; AJ, HA 12/29)

South Africa invoked the Genocide Convention calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to expedite hearings on the issue of Israel committing genocide and to order Israel to immediately stop the killing of Palestinians in Gaza. In its report delivered to the ICJ, South Africa described Israel’s actions as “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial, and ethnical group.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the South African action “blood libel.” The PA welcomed the South African action. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 12/29; AJ 12/30; HA 1/1)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken approved the sale of M107 155mm projectiles worth $147.5 million to Israel, bypassing congressional approval. It was the second time the Biden administration bypassed congressional approval for weapons transfers to Israel since 10/7. Relatedly, unnamed Israeli officials told Al-Monitor that the U.S. had started to scale down its military support to Israel due to Israel’s failure to discuss its plans for Gaza after the war. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the Biden administration for forcing through the military aid and said Israel would continue with its war “for many more months.” Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) condemned the congressional bypass, saying it was “keeping the American public in the dark.” (AJ, AX, HA, REU 12/29; AJ, AJ, HA, NYT 12/30)

Walla News reported that Qatari officials have told Israel that Hamas is ready to resume negotiations. Hamas officials have continuedly stated that they will not negotiate while under attack. (AJ, AX 12/29)

Israel claimed the Colombian foreign minister Alvaro Leyva had accepted an invitation by its foreign minister Eli Cohen to discuss repairing ties after Colombia recalled its ambassador to Israel and Colombian president Gustavo Petro called Israeli attacks on Gaza “genocidal.” (AJ 12/29)

Berlin police banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration planned for 12/31. (HA 12/29)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Jenin on 10/29. Israeli settlers vandalized Palestinian vehicles during a raid in Husan. Israeli forces attacked Tulkarm refugee camp killing 5 Palestinians, including 3 in a drone strike, and injuring 18. Israel also damaged water, electricity, and sewage lines, uprooted streets, and bulldozed a monument to Yasir Arafat. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly tried to stab a soldier near Beit Einun. Elsewhere, Israeli forces punitively demolished the family home in ‘Urif of a Palestinian killed by Israeli forces after he allegedly killed 4 settlers near the Eli settlement on 6/20. 28 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Qalqilya, Jenin, Nablus, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 90 Palestinians in Khan Yunis and Gaza City, including at least 13 people in an airstrike on Khan Yunis. The number of fatalities was likely much higher since the Gaza Ministry of Health was unable to communicate with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. Israel said it had taken control of al-Shati refugee camp. Israel forces fired shots at al-Shifa Hospital. At the end of the day, Israel told the Gaza Ministry of Health that it will enter the hospital. Israel has bombed the vicinity of the hospital for days. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed and 4 seriously wounded in northern Gaza. Rockets were fired from Gaza, injuring 3 near Tel Aviv. In South Lebanon, Israel said it attacked Hezbollah sites in the Yiftah area. At the Red Sea, Israel said it intercepted a missile fired toward Eliat. The Houthi-led government in Yemen took responsibility. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ, HA 11/15)

The Gaza Ministry of Health was not able to fully update the casualty figures due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza. However, it did say that at least 11,451 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women, and 27,490 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 3,250 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 187 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 47 children. More than 2,700 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals had been killed and 5,431 have injured since 10/7. 51 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.61 million Palestinians, around 70% 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 11/6, at least 40,000 housing units have been destroyed and 220,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 45% of all housing units. The Gaza Ministry of Health said 40 patients at al-Shifa Hospital have died in recent days. Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya said 179 people had been buried in mass graves in the hospital compound, including 7 babies and 29 intensive care patients. The WHO said 22 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza were no longer operational. 15 medical workers and 91 truckloads of aid entered Gaza. An estimated 18,000 Palestinians fled from northern Gaza to the south. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ 11/15)

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, “because of Hamas’s use of hospitals for military purposes, [the hospitals] will lose special protection in the international court.” Israel has presented animations, pictures of purported tunnels, and a video from al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital that it said was proof of Hamas’s presence at hospitals, all of which did not show any evidence to back Israel’s claim. In the video from al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, Israel showed a piece of paper hanging on the wall that it claimed was a list of Hamas militants’ names. However, the list was merely a calendar with the names of the days of the week written in Arabic. The U.S. said it had intelligence that suggested a Hamas and Islamic Jihad presence at hospitals in Gaza, including al-Shifa. A U.S. national security council spokesperson said “[w]e do not support striking a hospital from the air and we don’t want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people trying to get medical care they deserve are caught in crossfire.” Hamas called for the UN to inspect all hospitals in Gaza to debunk the Israeli and U.S. claims. Doctors at al-Shifa also rejected the claim that Palestinian militants were operating in the hospital. Human Rights Watch said Israel had not presented evidence “that would justify stripping hospitals of their special protections under international humanitarian law,” adding “international humanitarian law only allows attacking hospitals if room is made for safe evacuation.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ, REU 11/15)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the prison facility where Israel is holding members of Hamas who were captured during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, saying prisoners were “handcuffed in a dark cell, iron beds, toilets in a hole in the floor and the [Israeli] national anthem constantly playing in the background.” Ben-Gvir said he will promote the death penalty for the Palestinian militants. (HA 11/14)

A New York Times investigation into an attack on al-Shifa Hospital on 11/10 said it was likely an Israeli attack that killed 7 people at the hospital and not an errant missile fired from Gaza as Israel had claimed. (AJ, NYT 11/14)

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he welcomed “the initiative of members of Knesset Ram Ben-Barak and Danny Danon on the voluntary immigration of Gaza Arabs to countries around the world. This is the right humanitarian solution for the residents of Gaza and the entire region.” Smotrich was referencing an op-ed written by Ben-Barak and Danon that was published in the Wall Street Journal on 11/13. The PA and Hamas condemned Smotrich comments. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, REU, WAFA 11/14)

U.S. president Joe Biden discussed efforts for a prisoner exchange with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Shin Bet director Ronan Bar met with Egyptian officials in Egypt, discussing a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Nearly 100 members of the U.S. Congress watched a screening of a 43-minute video of the Hamas Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on 10/7. The screening was facilitated by the Israeli embassy. (HA 11/14)

Belize said it had withdrawn its accreditation for the Israeli ambassador-designate in the country, suspended activities at its consulate in Tel Aviv and the Israeli consulate in Belize, and withdrawn its request for accreditation for its consul to Israel, citing Israeli violations of international humanitarian law. (AJ 11/14)

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said “I have been clear the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians. Even wars have rules. All innocent life is equal in worth …. I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint …. The world is witnessing this, the killing of women and children, of babies. This has to stop.” (HA, REU 11/14; AJ, AJ 11/15)

Reuters reported that Israel had approved the delivery of 6,340 gallons of diesel to Gaza. Haaretz later reported that the fuel was only for trucks used by the UN, not for hospitals. (AJ, AX, REU 11/14; HA 11/15)

Bloomberg News reported that in late October the U.S. quietly approved an Israeli request to send it laser-guided missiles, 155mm shells, night-vision devices, bunker-buster munitions, and new army vehicles. (AJ 11/15)

The Washington Post published an op-ed by King Abdullah II of Jordan, who said Israel has undermined the peace process for 2 decades by expanding settlements and allowing Israeli settlers to attack Palestinians. He called for a “concerted international effort to develop a regional architecture of peace, security and prosperity, built on a Palestinian-Israeli peace based on the two-state solution,” saying that Israeli violence will not grant it victory. (AJ 11/14)

German chancellor Olaf Schulz said Israel is a democracy that abides by international law and said it has “the right and duty to defend itself.” (AJ, HA 11/14)

Spanish minister for social rights Ione Belarra said 60 ministers from Europe and Latin America had signed a petition calling for the ICC to investigate Israeli leaders for genocide. (AJ 11/14)

More than 500 political appointees and staff members from 40 U.S. government agencies sent a letter to President Biden protesting his support for Israel’s war on Gaza. (NYT 11/14)

Tens of thousands of pro-Israel demonstrators rallied at the Mall in Washington D.C. Among the speakers was Christians United for Israel founder John Hagee, who in the past has blamed Jewish people for the Holocaust. The American Jewish anti-occupation organization IfNotNow called the rally “a pro-war, pro-Nakba rally.” (AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 11/14; AJ, AJ 11/15)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 2 Palestinians harvesting olives in Burqin, injuring them with sticks and stones. 2 Israeli settlers were shot and injured at the Itamar settlement. Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinian during raids in Bethlehem and at-Tabaqa. Israeli forces also raided Bethlehem, injuring 64 Palestinians and firing tear gas near an orphanage, leading to the evacuation of 100 children. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinians, including a child, during raids at Birzeit University and in al-Mughayyir and Sabastia. 55 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Nablus, Tulkarm, Ramallah, Tubas, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces demolished the family home in Shu’fat refugee camp of a 13-year-old boy who was arrested after he allegedly stabbed and killed 1 Israeli soldier on 2/13. The father and brother of the Palestinian child were arrested and beaten by Israeli forces ahead of the demolition. The U.S. condemned the demolition. In Gaza, 241 Palestinians were killed, including 43 members of the same family, and around 500 injured in Israeli airstrikes. Israel said it assassinated Hamas member Mahsan Abu-Zina. Israel also said 1 Israeli soldier was killed and 2 seriously wounded in northern Gaza. Rockets were fired at Israel; no injuries were reported. In Syria, Israeli forces conducted airstrikes near Damascus, killing 3 people said to be members of Hezbollah. (HA 11/7; AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/8; AJ, HA 11/9; AP 11/10)

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said at least 10,569 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women, and 26,475 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 2,450 people were buried in rubble, including 1,350 children. 155 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 44 children. More than 2,397 people have been injured. Around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,431 injured since 10/7. 33 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began. Over 1.61 million Palestinians, around 70% 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 11/6, at least 40,000 housing units have been destroyed and 220,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting around 45% of all housing units. Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City shut down most of its operations after running out of fuel and being hit by Israeli airstrikes daily since 11/5. 106 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. No one was evacuated from Gaza to Egypt. It was estimated that 50,000 people fled the northern part of Gaza to the south, bringing the total number to 72,000 since 11/5. UNRWA said 99 of its staff members had been killed since 10/7, including 2 in the past 24 hours. The WHO said that diarrhea and chickenpox were spreading in Gaza and warned that there was a risk of cholera and other epidemics. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said 44 Palestinian journalists had been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and 25 have been detained in the West Bank since 10/7. (AP 11/7; AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/8; AJ, HA, REU 11/9; AJ 11/10)

The Israeli High Court of Justice ruled to evict Israeli settlers who had been occupying Palestinian-owned land for 30 years in the Jordan Valley. The court accepted a petition by 20 Palestinian landowners filed 5 years ago but gave the settlers 7 years to leave the 1,000 dunams (250 acres) of land which was planted with date-bearing palms. The judge wrote in her ruling that the settlers’ cultivation of the land was done in violation “of international law, but also in violation of the government’s declared policy and even contrary to halakhic law.” (HA 11/9)

PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki filed a complaint to the International Atomic Energy Agency over Israeli heritage minister Amichai Eliyahu’s comment that Israel could drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza, calling the comment the “prevailing discourse in Israel” and “an official recognition that Israel possesses nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.” PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, who invited Abbas to the Netherlands. Abbas also spoke with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, urging him to help stop the Israeli attacks in Gaza, calling it genocide. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/8; AJ, REU 11/9)

Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri condemned the U.S. for supporting the continuation of the war on Gaza while encouraging humanitarian pauses and called on Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel to sever political and economic ties. Al-Arouri also said Hamas is ready for a comprehensive deal that would see all Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in exchange for the captives held by Hamas. (AJ 11/8)

Israeli education minister Yoav Kisch said Israel could rebuild Israeli settlements in Gaza. Military chief of staff Herzl Halevi told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the PA has been working extensively to prevent pro-Hamas demonstrations in the West Bank. (HA 11/8; HA 11/9)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said Israel should not reoccupy Gaza after the war and that Palestinians in Gaza should not be forcefully displaced from Gaza. Haaretz reported that unnamed European diplomats were worried about Israeli politicians’ call to reoccupy Gaza. (HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU 11/8)

The G7 issued a joint statement after a meeting in Tokyo condemning Hamas, supporting Israel’s right to self-defense, and calling for “humanitarian pauses.” (AP, HA 11/7; AJ, AP, HA, NYT 11/8)

26 Democratic senators signed a letter to the Biden administration requesting clarification on Israel’s strategy in Gaza. More than 1,000 staffers from the U.S. Agency for International Development signed a letter calling for an “immediate ceasefire.” 100 congressional staffers also staged a walkout demanding a ceasefire. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT 11/8; AJ 11/9)

The Wall Street Journal reported that Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had rejected a proposal by CIA director William Burns that would see Egypt take control of the security in Gaza before the PA can take over after Israel’s war. The New York Times reported that a Qatari-mediated deal to release 50 of the Hamas-held captives failed after Israel decided to launch its ground invasion on 10/27. (AJ, HA 11/8; AJ 11/9)

The U.S. Department of Defense said the U.S. military had attacked a facility used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in eastern Syria; 9 people were reportedly killed. Yemen shot down a U.S. drone flying over Yemeni territorial waters. (AJ, HA, NYT 11/8; AJ, HA, HA, NYT 11/9)

Italy said it would send a hospital ship to the coast of Gaza to treat injured Palestinians. (AJ 11/8)

Spanish minister for social rights Ione Belarra called on the international community to sanction Israel and said Israel was carrying out a “planned genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza. Belgian deputy prime minister Petra De Sutter called on the Belgian government to place sanctions on Israel and investigate its bombings of hospitals and refugee camps. (AJ, AJ 11/8; HA 11/9)

Brandeis University banned a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, claiming the student group openly supports Hamas. (AJ 11/8)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinians harvesting olives in Qusra; no injuries were reported. Israeli settlers with a military escort also raided Wadi al-Hasin, injuring 1 Palestinian minor and entering homes and commercial stores. Israeli forces raided Jenin and Jenin refugee camp, killing 3 Palestinians, including 2 in a drone strike, and arresting Fatah’s secretary general in Jenin Ata Abu Ramila and Fatah member Jamal Hawil. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 disabled 65-year-old Palestinian man during a raid in Tulkarm. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided a funeral procession for 1 child killed on 10/31 in Beit Umar, injuring 2 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also shot and injured 2 Palestinians, including a child, during raids in Aida refugee camp and Ya’bad. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolished 2 homes and 4 agricultural structures in al-Khader and seized a bulldozer in Deir Balut. Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem observed a general strike in protest over Israel’s attacks on Gaza. 62 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Jenin, Hebron, Qalqilya, Ramallah, Tulkarm, and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israel again cut off phone and internet services. The services were gradually restored 8 hours later. At least 280 Palestinians were killed and 697 injured in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Israel conducted massive airstrikes on Jabalia refugee camp for a second day in a row. Hamas said 195 Palestinians were killed, 777 were injured, and 120 are missing in Jabalia refugee camp in the past 2 days. Israel claimed it had assassinated Hamas member Muhammad Asar. Rockets were fired at Israel. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attacked several places it said was linked to Hezbollah. Hezbollah said it had shot down an Israeli drone. Lebanon’s state run news agency said 2 Lebanese shepherds were killed by Israeli forces while grazing their herds by the Wazzani river. (HA 10/31; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/1; AP, REU 11/2)

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said at least 8,805 Palestinians had been killed, including around 5,811 women and children, and 22,240 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 1,800 people, including 940 children, have been reported missing. 129 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 35 children. More than 2,274 people have been injured. Israel said 15 soldiers had been killed in Gaza since its ground invasion, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis, including foreign nationals, since 10/7. 5,431 Israelis have been injured. The UN reported that over 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half the population in Gaza, had been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete blackout of electricity in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 10/23, at least 27,781 housing units have been destroyed and 150,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The number is likely much higher given the lack of recent data. About 450 people, including 81 injured Palestinians and people with foreign passports, left Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing. It was reported that Qatari mediation had brokered the agreement for a limited evacuation of some people from Gaza. 55 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. PA health minister Mai al-Kaila said the only cancer hospital in Gaza, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, had stopped operating due to Israeli bombardments and running out of fuel. The Indonesian Hospital’s main generator stopped working, putting the hospital’s oxygen station, ventilators, air-conditioners, and fridges in the morgue out of commission. 14 out of 35 hospitals in Gaza were out of commission. The UN said 11 out of 20 bakeries in Gaza have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. The UN also said it had recorded 171 settler-related incidents of violence against Palestinians and Palestinian property, 7 a day, since 10/7. UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini visited Gaza, saying the “scale of the tragedy is unprecedented.” (HA 10/31; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/1; AJ, AP, AP 11/2)

36 Palestinians fled their homes in al-Ganoub near Hebron due to Israeli settler violence. (UNOCHA 11/1)

The Israel Prison Service said 6,704 Palestinians were imprisoned in Israel, including 2,070 who were held in administrative detention. 1,512 were imprisoned during the month of October. Al Jazeera reported that Arafat Hamdan, who died in Israeli custody on 10/24, died because he was beaten and left in the sun with a bag over his head for hours while being refused his diabetes medicine. Palestinian Prisoners Society spokesperson Amani Sarahneh said a medical report issued by the Israel Prison Service showed that Omar Daraghmeh, who died in Israeli custody on 10/23, had “internal bleeding, particularly in his stomach and intestines.” The UN Human Rights Office reported that Palestinians arrested by Israel have been subject to violent and humiliating acts by Israeli forces during their arrest.  (AJ, UNOCHA 11/1; HA 11/2)

Hamas said that 7 of the captives held by Hamas were killed in the Israeli airstrikes on Jabalia refugee camp on 10/31, saying “almost 50” of the captives have been killed in Israeli bombardments since 10/7. (AJ 11/1)

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) filed war crime complaints to the ICC in relation to the killing of 8 Palestinian and 1 Israeli journalists. RSF said 34 journalists had been killed since 10/7. The organization also said that more journalists have been killed since 10/7 than in in any other conflict since 1992. (AJ, AP 11/1; HA 11/2)

UN commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said the Israeli attacks on Jabalia refugee camp could amount to war crimes. Colombian president Gustavo Petro condemned the attack and said “[i]t’s called Genocide, they do it to remove the Palestinian people from Gaza and take it over.” EU high commissioner for foreign policy Josep Borell called the Jabalia refugee camp attack appalling. (AJ, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/1; AJ, AJ, AJ, HA 11/2)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki met with UK minister of state for the Middle East and North Africa Lord Tariq Ahmed in Ramallah, calling on the UK to support a ceasefire. (WAFA 11/1)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich should transfer the PA tax revenue to the PA, as it helps “in preventing terrorism.” It was reported that Gallant was left with the decision of whether to use new emergency regulations to ban Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel. Israeli sources told Haaretz that the Israeli government was hesitant to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel as it may undermine Qatari negotiations on a prisoner exchange. (AJ, REU 11/1; HA, HA 11/2)

The Religious Zionism party said its MK Zvi Sukkot will be appointed chairman of the Knesset subcommittee on West Bank issues. Sukkot has been arrested several times and had restraining orders against entering the West Bank for his connection to settler violence.  (HA 11/1; HA 11/2)

Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel. (AJ, AJ, REU, WAFA 11/1; HA 11/2)

For the first time U.S. president Joe Biden called for a “pause” to “get the prisoners out.” White House press secretary Katrine Jean-Pierre announced that the Biden administration will develop a national strategy to counter Islamophobia in the U.S., mentioning the “barbaric killing of Wadea al-Fayoume” a Palestinian American child who was killed by his landlord near Chicago on 10/15. The U.S. House of Representatives blocked a motion to censure Democrat Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). The motion, which was brought to the floor by Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), charged Tlaib with “anti-Semitic activity” and “leading an insurrection,” referring to a Jewish-led sit-in at the Capitol where protestors demanded a ceasefire in Gaza. Taylor Greene has herself made anti-Semitic comments. 23 Republicans voted against the motion and 13 Democrats abstained. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. still wants to move forward with its efforts to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel and claimed that Saudi Arabia has indicated a willingness to proceed. (AJ 11/1; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA 11/2)

The Houthi-led Yemeni government said it would continue to carry out military operations against Israel until Israel stops attacking Gaza. (HA 11/2)

Pope Francis called for a 2-state solution with Jerusalem as a special status city. (AJ 11/1; REU 11/2)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian child succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Zawata on 10/30. Israeli settlers opened fire at Palestinian farmers in Beit Umar, causing damage to a vehicle and forcing the Palestinians to flee. Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians during raids in Tubas and Beit Umar, including a child and a 70-year-old man. Israeli forces also shot and injured 8 Palestinians during raids in Qabatiya, Tubas, and Dheisheh refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished the family home of senior Hamas member Saleh al-Arouri in Aroura; Israeli forces placed a flag in the rubble of the house saying Hamas equals ISIS. Israeli forces also uprooted 12 olive trees and razed farmland in Farkha. 52 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed more than 200 Palestinians. Israel said it had attacked 300 targets in Gaza and assassinated Hamas commanders Nasim Abu Ajina and Ibrahim Biari in airstrikes. The airstrike that Israel claimed killed Biari killed at least 50 people injured 150 in Jabaliya refugee camp and leveled 30 residential buildings; Hamas denied that Israel had killed Biari. Hamas said it killed an Israeli soldier and damaged 2 vehicles near Gaza City. Israel said 15 soldiers had been killed during the ground invasion today. Rockets were fired at Israel causing damage and injuries. Israel said it shot down a drone near Eliat; the Houthi-led government in Yemen claimed responsibility. In Lebanon, Israel said it intercepted a surface-to-air missile fired at an Israeli drone and killed a member of Hezbollah. (HA 10/30; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/31; AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT 11/1)