The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shoot and injure 2 Palestinians, including a child, and set a vehicle and a home on fire during a raid in ‘Asira al-Qibliya. Israeli settlers also assault 2 Palestinians and damage their vehicles after raiding their home in Kisan. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian homes and set a car on fire in Madama. Israeli settlers also demolish 3 structures in Susiya. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers set fire to a vehicle in Huwwara. Israeli forces shoot and injure 4 Palestinians during raid in Tell, al-Ram, Tammun, and Ramallah. Israeli forces also violently disperse a funeral procession in Biddu, injuring 2 people with baton rounds. Elsewhere, Israeli forces arrest 27 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Tubas, Tell, Deir Ghassana, ‘Azzun, and Arrabah. In East Jerusalem, a Palestinian child succumbs to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 2/11 in the Old City. Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, and Gaza City, killing at least 164 people, including at least 74 people in Rafah. Israeli forces also shoot and kill 7 and injure at least 14 others at the Nasser Hospital. 3 Israelis soldiers are killed in combat. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb several places, killing 5 members of Hezbollah, including in a home in Chihine. Islamic Jihad says 2 of its fighters were killed by Israel near the Blue Line. In the Red Sea, Houthi fighters attack a cargo ship with naval missiles, saying it is U.S. owned. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/12; AJ, AP, HA, HA 2/13; AJ, AP, HA 2/14)

More than 28,340 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 67,984 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 387 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 99 children. More than 4,426 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 227 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,326 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. 9 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. UNRWA Gaza chief Thomas White says there is an outbreak of hepatitis A and a very high number of Palestinians experiencing diarrhea. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/12; UNOCHA 2/13)

Israel says it forces rescued 2 Israeli captives from a building in Rafah. Israel says the large-scale airstrikes on Rafah that killed at least 74 Palestinians were a diversion for the rescue mission. (HA, NYT 2/11; AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, UNOCHA, REU, REU 2/12; NYT 2/13)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, discussing the possibility of a unity government in Palestine. (HA, WAFA 2/12)

Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah meets with Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziad al-Nakhalah. (AJ, HA 2/12)

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says, “the Egyptians bear considerable responsibility for October 7.” A spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry says Smotrich is trying to divert attention from Israel’s own shortcomings. Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Interior Minister Moshe Arbel say UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese will be banned from Israel, citing her comments that the “victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel’s oppression.” U.S. representative to the UN Human Rights Council Michele Taylor accuses Albanese of having a “history of using anti-Semitic tropes.” (AJ, HA 2/12; AJ 2/13)

U.S. president Joe Biden meets with Jordanian king Abdullah II at the White House. Biden tells the press that Palestinians in Rafah need to be protected. Abdullah II says a lasting ceasefire is needed to protect Palestinians and an Israeli invasion of Rafah would be a catastrophe. (AJ, AX, HA, NYT 2/12; NYT, WAFA 2/13)

The UN Security Council meets to discuss the situation in Rafah and an Algerian draft resolution calling for a ceasefire. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, says the UN will not play a part in Israel’s plans for evacuation of Rafah, saying “there is no place that is currently safe in Gaza.” ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan says he is deeply concerned about Israel’s plans in Rafah, adding “[a]ll wars have rules and the laws applicable to armed conflict cannot be interpreted so as to render them hollow or devoid of meaning.” Khan also says Israel has not changed its conduct in Gaza and “those who do not comply with the law should not complain later when my Office takes action pursuant to its mandate.” (AJ, HA, NYT 2/12; AJ, HA 2/13)

The U.S. Senate votes 70-29 to approve a bill which if approved by the House and President Biden would provide $95 billion in military aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, including $14 billion to Israel, ban funding of UNRWA, and provide $9.15 billion in humanitarian assistance to civilians in conflict zones, including in Gaza and the West Bank. Biden calls on the House to immediately approve the Senate bill, which he says, “provides Israel with what it needs to protect its people against the terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and others.” Before voting in favor of the bill, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) says Israel is committing “textbook” war crimes in Gaza. (HA 2/12; AJ, AP, HA, HA, INT 2/13)

EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borell calls on the U.S. to suspend military aid to Israel saying, “if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people being killed.” (AJ, AJ, HA, HA 2/12)

The UK government sanctions 4 Israeli settlers. The PA foreign ministry welcomes the measure but calls it insufficient. (AJ, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/12)

A Dutch court orders the Dutch government to halt exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel. The Dutch government says it will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/12)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault a Palestinian man at his home in Kisan. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man in Tammun during a raid. Israeli forces also continue the raid in Nur Shams refugee camp for the second day in a row. The raid ends after 40 hours with 13 Palestinians suffering from broken bones during Israeli interrogations, 400 Palestinians detained, and vast destruction caused by bulldozers and drone-fired missiles on its second day; 3 Israeli soldiers are reportedly injured during the raid. Elsewhere, Israeli forces begin constructing settler roads in the Masafer Yatta area near Umm al-Khair. Israeli forces also arrest a child and confiscate 60 sheep he is herding. Israeli forces arrest 27 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Salfit, Qalqilya, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, and Ramallah. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Maghazi, Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 125 people, including at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s headquarters in Khan Yunis for the third day in a row. Palestinians in Maghazi report that Israeli forces massacre Palestinian civilians with snipers and bulldozers. Jabalia refugee camp floods after heavy rain, leading to sewage mixing with the standing water. An anti-aircraft missile fired at an Israeli helicopter hits a clinic in Kibbutz Nirim. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli soldiers near al-Marj and Israeli forces target Hezbollah in Maroun al-Ras. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/4; AJ 1/5; AJ 1/6)

More than 22,438 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. 318 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 1,003 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. 177 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/4)

Israel’s military publishes on Facebook that it has closed the evacuation corridor on Salah al-Din Street and opened a new corridor on al-Rashid Street. Movement is only allowed from north to south between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (AJ, UNOCHA 1/4)

The Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority names 51 Palestinian women and children who had been abducted by Israeli forces in Gaza and taken to the Damon Prison. (AJ, WAFA 1/4)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant releases a framework for post-war Gaza in which a Palestinian entity that is not hostile to Israel and is not Hamas nor the PA is in control of Gaza, Israeli settlers do not return to Gaza, but the Israeli military will be able to operate in Gaza and oversee the borders. Gallant also says an international coalition will be responsible for rebuilding Gaza. The PA rejects Gallant’s framework. Gallant also meets with U.S. deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser for energy and investment Amos Hochstein, saying the window for diplomacy with Lebanon is closing. Hochstein also meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who tells him that Israel is seeking “a fundamental change on its border with Lebanon.” Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz says Israel will return its ambassador to Spain. (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, REU 1/4; AJ, HA, NYT, WAFA 1/5)

Lebanon files a complaint with the UN Security Council over the Israeli assassination of Saleh al-Arouri and over Israel’s usage of Lebanese airspace to attack Syria. (AJ, HA 1/5)

Jordan says it backs South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ. (AJ 1/9)

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, France, Japan, Germany, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Qatar condemn statements made by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir calling for the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the resettling of Gaza by Israeli settlers. UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk says he is “very disturbed” by the statements. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 1/4; AJ, WAFA, WAFA 1/5)

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the U.S. has “not seen anything that would convince us that we need to take a different approach in terms of trying to help Israel defend itself.” Kirby also says that Israel should release the PA tax revenue to the PA, saying it is “Palestinian money,” and defends UNRWA from attacks by Israel and U.S. Republicans, saying “UNRWA does important work.” (AJ, HA 1/4; HA 1/5)

U.S. forces conduct an airstrike in Baghdad, killing Popular Mobilisation Forces commander Hajj Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi. Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemns the attack, calling it a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and later on 1/5 says the government will start the process of removing the U.S.-led coalition from Iraq. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 1/4; AJ, AP, REU 1/5)

Israel chooses British lawyer Malcom Shaw to represent the country at the upcoming genocide hearings at the ICJ. Axios reports that Israel’s Foreign Ministry has sends out a cable to its embassies instructing its diplomats to pressure countries into issuing statements against South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ. (HA, HA 1/4; AX 1/5)

A political appointee at the U.S. Department of Education, Tariq Habash, resigns over U.S. support for Israel’s attacks on Gaza, saying he will not be quietly complicit. Habash was the political advisor in the department’s Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development. (HA, NYT 1/4)

Peace Now issues a report saying settlement activity in the West Bank has surged at unprecedented levels since 10/7. The report says Israeli settlers have created 9 new settlement outposts, made 18 paved roads, returned to the Amona outpost, closed roads for Palestinian vehicles, and built fences outside settlements. (PCN, PCN 1/4; NYT, WAFA 1/5)

The Intercept reports that all CNN stories related to Israel and Palestine are being reviewed at the CNN Jerusalem bureau before publication, where the stories are subject to the Israeli military’s censor. The Intercept also says CNN has issued directives to its journalists on language to avoid, directed them not to relay statements from Hamas, and has hired a former Israeli soldier from the Military Spokesperson Unit to serve as a reporter. (INT 1/4)

Former U.S. vice president Mike Pence tours northern Israel, writing a message on a bomb intended to be dropped on Lebanon. (HA 1/5; HA 1/6; HA 1/7)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers destroyed a memorial for 1 Palestinian rights activist who was killed by Israeli forces on 1/5 in Umm al-Khair. Israeli settlers also assaulted 1 Palestinian farmer in Kisan. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man and injured 3 by live ammunition and 2 with baton rounds during a raid in Halhul. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian with live ammunition during a raid in Nablus. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinians with live ammunition during a raid in Jenin refugee camp. Israeli forces also raided Jayyus, injuring 1 Palestinian with live ammunition and confiscating 1 bulldozer. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolished an apartment building under construction in Beit Jala. Israeli forces also delivered a punitive demolition notice and took measurements for a separate punitive demolition in Rumana. 7 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Baytin, al-Mazra‘a ash-Sharqiya, Tell, Tammun, Nur Shams refugee camp, and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, 9 Palestinians were arrested, and 1 Palestinian was assaulted before being taken to a hospital for treatment during a late-night raid in Isawiya and the Old City. (AJ, AN, AP, HA, MEE, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/9; AA, PCHR 6/10; PCHR 6/16; UNOCHA 6/17)

Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett met with UAE president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. Israeli media speculated if the meeting was part of Israeli and U.S. preparations to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA, NYT, REU 6/9; HA 6/10)

Israel announced that Israeli citizens will be able to travel to the Qatar 2022 soccer World Cup, despite Israel and Qatar not having formal relations. Foreign minister Yair Lapid said the development “opens a new door for us to warm ties [with Qatar].” Israel is not qualified for the World Cup in Qatar. (MEE, REU 6/9)

The U.S. state department announced that the Palestinian Affairs Unit at the Israeli embassy will change its name to U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs and start reporting directly to the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau in the State Department “on substantive matters” instead of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. The diplomatic representative to the PA was also changed from U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides to Hady Amr, who was promoted to the state department envoy to Palestinians. The PA has demanded that the Biden administration uphold president Joe Biden’s promises made during his presidential campaign, including to reopen the U.S. consulate to Palestinians in Jerusalem. (AJ, AP, AX, GDN, HA, MEE, REU 6/9; JP 6/12)

A bipartisan group of members of the U.S. house and senate introduced legislation that would require the defense department to submit a strategy for an integrated air and missile defense system for Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman within 180 days. The bill, “the Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses Act of 2022,” was described as an effort to bolster Israeli ties with countries in the Middle East. The senate version of the bill was introduced by Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and James Lankford (R-OK), while the house version was introduced by Brad Schneider (D-IL), David Trone (D-MD), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), and Don Bacon (R-NE). (HA 6/9)

The director general of the international atomic energy agency (IAEA) Rafael Grosso warned that Iran is in the process of removing 27 surveillance cameras from the country’s nuclear sites. The Iranian move comes as the progress in talks for the U.S. to renter the Iran nuclear deal has stalled, and Israel has intensified its assassinations of Iranian military personnel and scientists. Director General Grosso said that Iran would leave some 40 surveillance cameras at its nuclear facilities. The announcement came 1 day after 30 members of the IAEA board released a joint statement urging Iran to cooperate with the agency. (AJ, HA, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU 6/8; AJ, AP 6/9; AP 6/10)

A study by the organization AirPressure.info found that Israel has violated Lebanese air space 22,000 times in the past 15 years. (GDN, MEE 6/9)