The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalize 50 olive and almond trees in Majdal Bani Fadil. Israeli settlers also attack Palestinian shepherds in Khirbet al-Farisiyya. Israeli forces shoot and kill 2 Palestinians and injure 4 others during a raid in Jenin. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a 15-year-old Palestinian, claiming he tried to stab 2 soldiers at the Tunnel checkpoint near Bethlehem. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolish 2 commercial structures in al-‘Awja and issue a demolition notice for a home in Jenin refugee camp. Israeli forces arrest 6 Palestinians during raids in ‘Arura and Beit Umar. In East Jerusalem, 212 Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, and Khan Yunis, killing at least 88 people. Israeli forces also bomb an UNRWA food distribution center in Rafah, killing at least 6 people, including an UNRWA staffer, and injuring 20 people. Meanwhile, Israeli forces shoot and injure 9 people waiting to receive aid at the Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza City. In Lebanon, Israeli forces assassinate Hamas member Hadi Mustafa in a drone strike in Tyre, also killing another person and injuring a third. Israeli forces also bomb Ayta ash Shab and Mis al-Jabal. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/13; UNOCHA, WAFA 3/14)

More than 31,272 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 73,024 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 425 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, 247 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,475 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. 154 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. The U.S. airdrops 35,712 meals and 28,800 bottles of water over Gaza. (HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 3/13; UNOCHA 3/15)

The PA foreign ministry warns that Israel is attempting to spark widespread unrest in the West Bank with its continued extrajudicial killings. (WAFA 3/13)

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari says Israel plans to force “a significant amount of the 1.4 million” people sheltering in Rafah to “humanitarian islands that we will create with the international community.” Hagari also says Israel will flood Gaza with aid. Politico reports that the U.S. has communicated to Israel that it will accept a small-scale Rafah invasion. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU 3/13)

The EU, U.S., UK, Cyprus, UAE, and Qatar issue a joint statement calling on Israel to open more land crossings to Gaza to enable the delivery of aid. EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell tells U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the EU and the U.S. have to do more than deplore the situation in Gaza as the “very survival of the population in Gaza is at stake today.” (AJ, HA 3/13; AJ 3/14)

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte meets with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling on him to “drastically reduce the level of force” used in Gaza and not to invade Rafah. Rutte also meets with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo and phones PA president Mahmoud Abbas, discussing the situation in Gaza. (AJ, WAFA 3/13)

South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor says South Africans fighting with the Israeli military in Gaza will be arrested upon return to South Africa. (AJ, AP, HA, HA 3/13)

Bloomberg News reports that UK defense secretary Grant Shapps refused to allow the UK military to drop aid into Gaza, citing the danger the airdrops pose to Palestinians civilians after 5 people were killed last week. (AJ, HA 3/13)

A UNIFIL investigation finds that Israel shot and killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah with a tank shell in Lebanon on 10/13/2023, despite there being no fire or active combat in the area for 40 minutes prior to the killing and Abdallah and the other journalists being clearly marked as journalists. 6 other journalists were injured in the attack. (REU, REU 3/13; AJ, HA 3/14)

Forensic Architecture releases a report saying Israeli evacuations of Palestinians in Gaza may amount to forced displacement and that Palestinian civilians have been “bombed, shot at, executed, arrested, tortured, treated in a degrading manner, and forcibly disappeared by the Israeli military along roads, corridors and zones declared ‘safe.’” (AJ, FA 3/13)

An Italian court refuses an Israeli extradition request for a Palestinian man accused of planning an attack, saying he risked “cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment” if he was extradited to Israel. (HA, REU 3/13; AJ 3/14)

80 artists and panelists pull out of the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas due to the festival’s involvement with U.S. weapons companies and agencies that are tied to the U.S. Department of Defense and their links to the Israeli assault on Gaza. (AJ, NYT 3/13)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 3/4 in Burin. An Israeli settler is stabbed and injured at a bus stop near the Neve Yaakov settlement; a Palestinian child is later arrested and accused of stabbing the settler. Israeli settlers with a military escort raid Jenin to visit Joseph’s Tomb. Israeli forces shoot and injure 7 Palestinians during a raid in Dheisheh refugee camp. Israeli forces also arrest 25 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, al-Bireh, Bethlehem, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a retaining wall and raze a tract of land in Silwan. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, Khan Yunis, Rafah, and Dayr al-Balah, killing at least 86 people, including al-Aqsa TV presenter Muhammad Salama and his family in Dayr al-Balah. Israeli forces also open fire at Palestinians waiting to receive aid in Gaza City, injuring 8 people. A child and an elderly man die of starvation at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, bringing the death toll from starvation to at least 20 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces attack Yaroun, Kafra, Yatar, and Fardis. Hezbollah forces attack Metula. In Syria, Israeli forces fire artillery, saying 2 rockets were launched at the Golan Heights. In Yemen, Houthi militants fire a missile at the True Confidence cargo ship, killing 3 people. It is the first time that a Houthi attack enforcing the Red Sea blockade has caused casualties. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/6; AP, AP, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/7)

More than 30,717 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 72,156 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 416 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 4,648 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. 195 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 3/6; UNOCHA 3/7)

Israel’s National Planning and Building Council approves the advancement of 3,476 new settlement units in the Ma’ale Adumim, Kedar, and Efrat settlements. 694 units in Efrat receive final approval, while 2,452 in Ma’ale Adumm and 330 in Kedar are moved to the planning process. The PA calls for sanctions to deter Israel from its settlement enterprise. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Turkey, and Qatar condemn the settlement expansion. German asks Israel to withdraw the approval, ‘strongly condemning’ the decision. (AJ, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/6; AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/7)

HaMoked says the number of Palestinian prisoners has risen to 9,077, including more than 3,500 held in administrative detention. (AJ 3/6)

South Africa asks the ICJ to order additional emergency measures against Israel, citing imminent widespread famine, and tells the ICJ that Israel is breaching the measures the court already ruled it has to follow. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA 3/6; NYT, REU 3/7)

Israeli UN ambassador Gilad Erdan says Israel may close the UN’s headquarters in Jerusalem, deport UN officials from Israel, and evacuate UNRWA compounds in Jerusalem if UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres does not invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter to force the Security Council to discuss captives held in Gaza and allegations of sexual crimes committed on 10/7/2023. Israel approves aid funded by the UAE entering Gaza via the sea. The aid will be shipped from Cyprus to a dock controlled by Israel where it will be distributed using hovercrafts. (AJ, HA 3/6)

Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani meets with UK foreign secretary David Cameron, discussing the situation in Gaza and ceasefire negotiations. Cameron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meet Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz in London, telling him more aid needs to enter Gaza. (AJ, AP, HA, NYT, WAFA 3/6; NYT 3/7)

Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi speaks with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken, calling for an immediate ceasefire. (AJ 3/6)

The Washington Post reports that the U.S. has secretly approved and delivered more than 100 separate arms shipments to Israel since 10/7/2023. The Post says the U.S. has circumvented congressional oversight in the majority of instances by processing arms sales that are below the threshold to notify Congress. The transfers include thousands of 155mm shells, tens of thousands of bomb guidance systems, Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, drones, Iron Dome munitions and more. (AJ, HA 3/6; HA 3/7)

Iraq and Qatar pledges $25 million to UNRWA. (AJ 3/6)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalize a Palestinian home in Sinjil with graffiti and stones. Israeli settlers also assault Palestinian shepherds in al-Minya. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers destroy water pipes in Susiya. Israeli forces shoot and injure 4 Palestinians, uproot streets, and bomb a home in Jenin refugee camp. Israeli forces also raid Tuqu’, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raze land in Husan for the second day in a row. Israeli forces also arrest 26 Palestinians, including 2 who were released during the prisoner exchange in November 2023 and 6 children, during raids and around Abud, Ramallah, Hebron, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish an 8-story residential building under construction in Bayt Hanina. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, Maghazi, and Dayr a-Balah, killing at least 103 people. 18 people are evacuated from the Nasser Hospital, 118 patients are still inside the hospital. An Israelis soldier is killed in combat. In Lebanon, Hezbollah launches 6 rockets at Shebaa Farms. Israeli forces attack Blida, Kafr Kila, and Ayta  ash Shab. In the Red Sea, Houthi forces launch a suicide drone at a U.S.-owned ship, causing damage. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/20; AJ, HA 2/21)

More than 29,195 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 69,170 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 4,522 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, 235 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. 19 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/20; UNOCHA 2/21; UNOCHA 2/22)

The World Food Programme announces that it cannot deliver aid in northern Gaza due to Israeli attacks and “complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order.” The Gaza Media Office calls the decision “a death sentence for three-quarters of a million people.” (AJ, AP, HA 2/20; AJ, AJ, UNOCHA 2/21)

Israel orders the evacuation of the Zeitoun and Turkmen neighborhoods of Gaza City. (NYT 2/20; AJ 2/21)

UNOCHA releases a report saying that Palestinians in the West Bank were prevented from harvesting olives in more than 96,000 dunams (23,622 acres) of land due to Israeli restrictions during the 2023 harvesting season. Palestinians suffered a loss of $10 million from not being able to harvest olives. The report also notes that there were 113 incidents of Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians harvesting olives and stealing their crops between September and November. (UNOCHA 2/20; AJ 2/21)

The Israeli Justice Ministry is investigating 3 Israeli police officers who are suspected of sexually assaulting a man they arrested at the Hizma checkpoint in late December 2023. The unnamed victim told an Israeli court that the police officers “stuck whatever they had in the car into my anus.” A sexual assault examination conducted by the Institute for Forensic Medicine found that he had been sexually assaulted. (HA 2/20)

Israeli military chief of staff Herzl Halevi calls on Israeli military officers to “distinguish between terrorist and non-terrorist, not to take anything that is not ours – a souvenir or military item – and not to film revenge videos . . . We are not on a killing spree, revenge or genocide . . . We will not make a mistake and allow it to achieve anything in the international arena.” +972 Magazine and Local Call reports that Israeli soldiers are stealing Palestinian property in Gaza with the blessing of their commanders. (+972, HA 2/20)

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh travels to Egypt for ceasefire negotiations. Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan says the U.S. veto of a ceasefire resolution at the UN Security council (see below) shows the U.S. is an accomplice to Israeli crimes. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says freeing the Israeli captives is not the most important goal for Israel. (AJ, HA, HA, HA 2/20)

UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini says Israel has not presented any evidence to back its allegation against UNRWA employees despite repeated calls for Israel to cooperate with the UN in its investigation. (AJ, HA 2/20)

At the UN Security Council, the U.S. vetoes an Algerian draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. The UK abstains, while the 13 other members vote in favor. U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield calls the resolution “wishful and irresponsible.” The U.S. has offered its own draft resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire as soon as it is practical, but the resolution was not formally presented for a vote. PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour calls the U.S. veto “absolutely reckless and dangerous.” The PA Presidency condemns the veto, saying U.S. support for Israel makes it “a partner in the crime of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes.” France, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, the OIC, and Saudi Arabia say they regret that a ceasefire resolution could not be adopted. China criticizes the U.S. for stifling “an overwhelming consensus.” (AP 2/19; AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/20; AJ, AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/21)

On the second day of the ICJ hearings on the legality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, South Africa says the occupation is “inherently and fundamentally illegal,” that Israeli apartheid is even more extreme than that in South Africa, and calls Israel’s occupation settler colonialism. Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, and Chile also deliver statements on the question of Israel’s occupation. Canada was scheduled to deliver remarks but decided not to. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/20; NYT 2/22)

UK crown prince William says in a statement after visiting the UK Red Cross headquarters that “[s]ometimes, it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home,” adding that “too many have been killed” in Gaza. (AJ, HA, NYT 2/20; NYT 2/22)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uproot around 50 olive trees in Ein al-Beida. Israeli settlers also steal sheep and a tractor in Kisan. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Bizarya. Israeli settlers also injure a Palestinian and damage property during a raid in Yasuf. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Umm Safa. Israeli settlers also demolish an agricultural structure in Qusra. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man during a raid in Qalqilya. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian child in ‘Azzun. Elsewhere, Israeli forces fire anti-tank missiles at a home in Sir, causing extensive damage and displacing 6 people, and arrest 7 Palestinians. Israeli forces arrest 15 others in Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Salfit. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seize a vehicle in the Jordan Valley. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Nuseirat refugee camp, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, Maghazi, and Gaza City, killing at least 133 people. Israeli forces also shoot and kill 3 Palestinians at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, including a man the soldiers beat and cuff before forcing him to tell people at the hospital to evacuate after which he is shot and killed. Israeli forces fly drones over the hospital, ordering people to evacuate. 3 Israeli soldiers are killed in combat. In Lebanon, Hezbollah attacks several Israel sites, including a police building in Kiryat Shmona, injuring 2, including a child. (AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/13; AJ, AJ, INT, UNOCHA 2/14)

More than 28,473 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 11,500 children and 7,200 women, and around 68,146 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 388 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 4,475 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, 230 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,346 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. 100 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/13; UNOCHA 2/14)

Al Jazeera says Israel intentionally targeted their correspondent Ismail Abu Omar in Rafah, leading to the amputation of his leg and serious injuries to his cameraperson. (AJ, AJ 2/13; AJ 2/15)

South Africa files an urgent request to the ICJ, asking it to consider whether an Israeli invasion of Rafah would breach the provisional measures issued by the court against Israel. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, WAFA 2/13; HA 2/14)

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh meets with Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Doha. (AJ, HA 2/13)

Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah says in a televised speech that the conflict along the Blue Line will end when Israel stops its attacks on Gaza. (AJ, AJ, HA 2/13)

CIA director Bill Burns, Mossad director David Barnea, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and intelligence chief Abbas Kamal, and Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani meet in Cairo, discussing Hamas’s ceasefire counterproposal. Axios reports that Barnea was only there to listen to the discussions and was sent by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the request of U.S. president Joe Biden. (AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, NYT 2/13; HA 2/14)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with Jordanian king Abdullah II. (AJ, HA 2/13)

France imposes sanctions on 28 Israeli settlers. France also proposes a truce between Hezbollah and Israel that would see Hezbollah move 6 miles north of the Blue Line and calls for negotiations to resume over delineating the land border between Israel and Lebanon. (REU 2/12; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, WAFA, WAFA 2/13; HA, HA 2/14)

Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani calls Israel’s response to 10/7/2023 “disproportionate,” saying there are “too many victims who have nothing to do with Hamas.” (AJ 2/13)

Axios reports that Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich is blocking flour shipments to Gaza that Prime Minister Netanyahu had promised President Biden would be allowed in several weeks ago. (AJ, AX, HA 2/13; NYT 2/14)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Mughayyir al-Ubeid in the Masafer Yatta area, assaulting an elderly woman and stealing 3 of her sheep. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian grazing sheep in Shaab al-Butum. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers assault a Palestinian child in ‘Ayn Bus. Israeli forces kill 5 Palestinians in an airstrike on a car in Balata refugee camp and raid the camp, raiding 400 homes, vandalizing 50 business, and damaging 18 vehicles. Israeli forces also raid Tulkarm, killing 6 Palestinians, including 4 in an airstrike, 2 of them children, and 2 with live ammunition; 7 Palestinians are injured, including 2 medics, and an Israeli soldier is also injured, 5 medics are arrested, while Israeli bulldozers uproot pavement. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raid Bani Na’im, injuring a Palestinian with live ammunition. Israeli forces also demolish an agricultural structure in Jayyus. Meanwhile, Israeli forces seize a vehicle in Umm al-Jimal. Israeli forces arrest 85 Palestinians, including 40 workers from Gaza, during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Qalqilya, Hebron, Tulkarm, Jericho, and Bethlehem. In Gaza, telecommunications services are down for the sixth day in a row. Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Maghazi, al-Bureij refugee camp, Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, and Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least 163 people. Israeli forces also damage the Jordanian field hospital in Khan Yunis and the Nasser Hospital, where about 7,000 people are sheltering, in airstrikes, and demolish al-Israa University in a controlled explosion after using it as a military base. An Israeli soldier is killed in combat. In Hura, Israeli police arrest 2 Palestinian citizens of Israel for writing “Free Palestine” and “Free Gaza” on a school blackboard in Meitar. In Lebanon, Hamas says its forces fire 20 rockets at an Israeli military base. Israeli forces attack Hula, Ayta ash Shab, and Dhayra. In the Red Sea, a drone launched from Yemen hits a U.S.-owned commercial ship, causing damage. U.S. forces launch 14 airstrikes in Yemen. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/17; AJ, REU, UNOCHA 1/18)

More than 24,448 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 10,600 children and 7,200 women, and around 61,504 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 359 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 90 children. More than 4,234 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, 191 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,152 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. 98 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. Medical aid for Palestinians and Israeli captives arrives in Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Hamas says that for each box of medicine earmarked for captives Palestinians receive 1,000. The Gaza Ministry of Health says Hepatitis A is spreading in makeshift refugee camps, noting that more than 8,000 cases have been detected. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 1/17; AJ, UNOCHA 1/18)

A video shows Israeli forces bulldozing graves and exhuming bodies at a cemetery in Khan Yunis. The Israeli military later says it exhumed the bodies to see if they are Israeli captives. (UNOCHA 1/17; AJ, HA, UNOCHA 1/18)

The Commission for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs says Israeli officials admitted in an Israeli court that Palestinian prisoner Abdul-Rahman Marei was tortured to death by Israeli prison guards on 11/7/2023. (WAFA 1/17)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh meets Australian foreign minister Penny Wong in Ramallah. Wong expresses “deep concern” about settler violence in the West Bank during a tour of affected communities. The PA requests an extraordinary meeting at the Arab League to discuss the ongoing assaults on Gaza and the West Bank and the Israeli efforts to Judaize Jerusalem. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/17; AJ, HA 1/18)

Palestine Investment Fund head Mohammed Mustafa tells the World Economic Forum that $15 billion will be required to rebuild homes in Gaza and more will be needed to rebuild infrastructure and hospitals. (AJ 1/18)

MK Ofer Cassif is indicted on charges of assaulting an Israeli police officer in 2022 while on his way to a protest in the Masafer Yatta area. Cassif says he did not hit the officer but deflected his push, calling the indictment “political persecution.” Cassif last week supported the South African case against Israel at the ICJ. (HA 1/17)

The Knesset approves an extension of the temporary order which allows for poorer conditions for Palestinian prisoners with 3 months. (WAFA 1/17)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir tells Israeli Channel 7 that Israel should hit Hezbollah with “a preemptive attack” as he thinks “no political settlement will help.” Ben-Gvir also condemns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not making sure that Israel could examine the medical aid shipment that entered Gaza earlier. Later he tells Channel 13 that there is no other way to restore security in the State of Israel than occupying all of Palestine, saying “[v]oluntary immigration of the residents of Gaza should be encouraged.” (AJ 1/17; AJ 1/18; HA 1/19)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken says there is a need for a “pathway to a Palestinian state,” adding Israel will not “get genuine security absent that.” Blinken also describes the situation in Gaza as “gut-wrenching.” The U.S. redesignates the Houthi movement as a terrorist organization, placing them under sanctions. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the U.S. will reconsider the terrorist designation if the Houthis end their attacks in the Red Sea. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU 1/17; AJ, REU 1/18; AP 1/19)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Senate Democrats are discussing conditioning further aid to Israel. (AJ, HA 1/17)

French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne says France rejects the case brought by South Africa at the ICJ, saying “[t]o accuse the Jewish state of genocide is to cross a moral threshold.” (NYT 1/17)

NBC reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected a U.S. plan that links Israeli-Saudi normalization with the rebuilding of Gaza and steps toward the creation of a Palestinian state, telling Secretary Blinken in a meeting last week that he is not prepared to allow the creation of a Palestinian state. NBC further reports that the U.S. now is working on a plan for Gaza that would start after Netanyahu no longer is prime minister. (HA 1/17; HA 1/18)

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 vandalize a Palestinian home in Taybeh. Israeli forces demolish 2 homes in Al Maniya, displacing 8 people, and 2 agricultural structures and an industrial structure in Nabi Ilyas. Israeli forces also seize a home in al-Khader, designating its roof as an observation point. Palestinians mark the new year with a large rally in Ramallah in solidarity with Gaza. 32 Palestinians are arrested during raids in and around Qatanna, Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem, Tulkarm, and Ramallah. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Maghazi, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, and al-Zaytun, killing at least 179 people, including 15 in a home in Maghazi and 15 in a home in Dayr al-Balah. Hamas fires 20 rockets at Israel, causing no injuries. In Lebanon, Israeli forces kill 4 members of Hezbollah and Hezbollah attacks 2 Israeli positions, injuring 5 soldiers. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb Syrian army infrastructure. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/1; AJ, AJ 1/2; UNOCHA 1/3)

More than 21,978 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 reportedly missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 313 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 reports that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 171 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 983 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. 125 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah and Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings. 87 tonnes of aid from Cyprus arrives in Egypt for dispersal in Gaza, failing to meet the stated objective of shipping aid directly from Cyprus to Gaza. Palestinian and Egyptian Red Crescent establish a camp for internally displaced people in Khan Yunis, hosting 300 families and expected to grow to 1,000 families. An estimated 30-40% of people in Gaza have lost their identification documents. (AJ 1/1; HA, REU, UNOCHA 1/2)

A 23-year-old Palestinian prisoner from Nablus dies in the Megiddo Prison under unknown circumstances. He is the seventh Palestinian prisoner to die in Israeli prisons since 10/7, and the fourth in the Megiddo Prison. The PA and Hamas call the death an assassination. (AJ, WAFA 1/1; AJ, WAFA 1/2)

Times of Israel reports that Israel is investigating an Israeli soldier for executing a Palestinian prisoner on 12/31/2023. (AJ 1/1; HA 1/2)

Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obeida says Hamas has destroyed 71 Israeli military vehicles and killed 16 soldiers in the past 4 days. (AJ 1/1)

Israel’s military says 19 out of 170 casualties among Israeli soldiers in Gaza were the result of friendly fire and 11 were from other incidents not related to direct combat. Israel also says 31 soldiers have been injured in the past 24 hours, including 5 who are in serious condition. (AJ, HA 1/1; HA 2/1)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant says communities within a range of 2.5 to 4.5 miles north of Gaza will be able to return to their homes soon. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says the Israeli war on Gaza is an opportunity to displace Palestinians and bring back settlements. (AJ, HA 1/1)

The Israeli Supreme Court overturns the Israeli government’s decision from July 2023 to remove the “reasonableness” clause, which allows the court to overturn government decisions it deems unconstitutional. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls the decision “extreme and divisive.” The Supreme Court decision passed with 8 judges for and 7 against. (AJ, AP, AX, NYT, NYT, REU 1/1; HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT 1/2)

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says “Gaza and the West bank must be reunited under a single governance structure, under a revitalized Palestinian Authority” when Israel concludes its war on Gaza. (AJ 1/1)

The OIC welcomes South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ. (WAFA 1/1)

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, armed Israeli settlers forced a Palestinian family to leave their home near Tuqu’, stealing furniture, solar panels, and water tanks. Israeli settlers also opened fire at homes in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, causing damage. Israeli forces shot, injured, and arrested a Palestinian in Beit Ur al-Tahta. Israeli forces also shot and injured 2 Palestinians during a raid in Fahma. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian home in Shuqba. 52 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces punitively demolished the family home in Silwan of a Palestinian killed by Israel forces who allegedly killed 7 Israelis in January. In Gaza, Israeli forces stormed al-Shifa Hospital, assaulting and detaining Palestinians seeking shelter there, holding them blindfolded and naked outside the hospital, demolishing walls, and opening fire inside the hospital. Israel also arrested al-Shifa’s only electric generator mechanic and the technician working on the oxygen stations. 50 people were killed in an airstrike on a mosque in al-Sabrah and 25 were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City. 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. Jordan said Israel had injured 7 of its staff members at the Jordanian field hospital. Israel also blew up Gaza’s parliament building and hit the last functioning flour mill in Gaza in Deir al-Balah with an airstrike. Israel also dropped leaflets telling residents of al-Qarara, Khuza’a, Bani Suheila, and Abasan in southern Gaza to evacuate immediately. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed. Rockets were fired from Gaza, injuring 2 in Ashkelon. In Lebanon, Israel attacked Odaisseh, Balat, Labouneh, Marwahin, Serda, and Naqoura; no injuries were reported. Hezbollah hit an Israeli post near the Lebanese village of Houla, causing damage. (HA, NYT 11/14; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA ,WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/15; AJ, AJ, AP, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/16)

The Gaza Ministry of Health was not able to update the casualty figures due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza, leaving the death toll at 11,479, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women, and around 32,000 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 2,730 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 first shipment of fuel entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing; it was restricted to use for UN vehicles only. UN vehicles ran out of fuel again on 11/16 due to the low quantity of fuel delivered. The UN said all 10 water wells in Rafah had stopped functioning due to a lack of fuel. Lebanon’s health ministry said 77 people have been killed and 251 injured in Israeli attacks since 10/7. (HA 11/14; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/15)

Hamas said the U.S. was “wholly responsible” for the Israeli attack on al-Shifa Hospital because it parroted Israel’s “false claim that the resistance is using al-Shifa medical complex for military ends.” Jordan condemned Israel’s storming of the hospital. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Israel a “terror state” and called on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare whether Israel has nuclear weapons or not. (HA 11/14; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, REU, WAFA 11/15; AJ 11/16)

The Israeli military posted a video purporting to show that weapon caches were found in 1 part of al-Shifa Hospital. The video was later deleted from the military’s X account. Hamas official Bassem Naim called the Israeli claims “a farce.” (AJ, HA, NYT, REU 11/15; AJ 11/16)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Israel was issuing an average of 1,700 weapons licenses. 236,000 gun license applications have been submitted since 10/7 and 18,000 have been approved so far. (AP, HA 11/15)

The Knesset Ethics Committee suspended MKs Aida Touma-Sliman and Iman Khatib-Yassin from party and committee meetings for 2 months and 1 month respectively, citing statements they made on Israel’s war on Gaza. (HA 11/15)

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid said Prime Minister Netanyahu should be voted out of office in a no confidence vote and another Likud member should be allowed to form a government. (AJ, HA 11/15; AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU 11/16)

Reuters reported that Iranian ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh earlier this month that Iran will not attack Israel on Hamas’ behalf, saying Hamas did not give Iran prior warning of its operation. Khamenei and Haniyeh reportedly met in Tehran around 11/4. (HA 11/15)

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa, along with other countries, had filed a referral to the ICC for an investigation into war crimes potentially committed by Israel in Gaza. (AJ, AJ 11/16)

12 UN Security Council members voted for a resolution introduced by Malta calling for urgent, prolonged humanitarian ceasefires and unconditional release of the captives held by Hamas. The U.S., UK, and Russia abstained. A Russian amendment calling for a ceasefire was blocked by the U.S. PA UN envoy Riyad Mansour said the resolution fell short of condemning Israel for its attacks on Palestinian civilians, assaults on hospitals and schools, and the killing of UN staff, journalists, and doctors. (AJ, AJ, AX, HA, NYT, REU 11/15; AJ, AP, HA, WAFA, WAFA 11/16)

U.S. president Joe Biden said at a press conference after a meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping that it “would be a big mistake [for Israel] to reoccupy Gaza,” and that a “real” Palestinian state must be created to end the overall conflict. Biden also falsely claimed Israel was bringing incubators to al-Shifa Hospital, despite the hospital not needing incubators but rather fuel to power the incubators. Biden also said the Israel’s war on Gaza will not end until Hamas is defeated and claimed that Hamas has a headquarters under al-Shifa Hospital, despite Israel tacitly retracting that claim. (AJ, HA, NYT 11/15; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU 11/16)

U.S. national security council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk met with senior U.S. officials in Israel, including Prime Minister Netanyahu. McGurk has been part of the U.S. effort to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. (HA 11/15)

The U.S. said it shot down a drone in the Red Sea that was launched from Yemen. (AJ, HA 11/15)

24 House Democrats urged President Biden to end “grave violations of children’s rights” by calling for an immediate ceasefire. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) called the Israeli refusal to allow fuel to be delivered to water desalination plants and generators at hospitals “inhumane.” Capitol police violently dispersed protesters blocking the entrance to the Democratic Party’s headquarters and calling for a ceasefire (AJ, HA 11/15; AJ 11/16)

In the UK parliament 56 out of 198 Labour Party members broke with the party line to vote in support of a ceasefire. The motion, which failed 293-125, was put forward by the Scottish National Party. Several members of the Labour Party resigned from their positions on the opposition frontbench after the vote. (AJ, REU 11/15; AJ, AJ, NYT 11/16)

A motion to expel the Israel ambassador and impose sanctions on Israel failed in the Irish parliament. The motion, which was denied in an 85-55 vote, was proposed by the Social Democrats party. (IN 11/15; HA 11/16)

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said Israel must end its “indiscriminate killing of Palestinians,” demanding a ceasefire, and said his government will work toward Spain and other European countries recognizing the state of Palestine. (AJ 11/15) 

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers injured 5 Palestinians in Yasuf, including 3 with live ammunition and 2 with stones. Israeli settlers also assaulted Palestinians harvesting olives in Deir Istiya and al-Khader. A Palestinian family of 16 fled their home in Khirbet ar-Ratheem, south of Hebron, after Israeli settlers raided the area, causing destruction to their property and threatening them with guns. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian minor during a raid in Jericho. Israeli forces also shot and injured 10 Palestinians with live ammunition during raids in Askar refugee camp, Beita, and Deir as-Sudan. Elsewhere, Israeli forces punitively demolished the home of a Palestinian man in Aqabat Jaber refugee camp using explosives. Israeli forces also seized Hamas political bureau deputy leader Salah al-Arouri’s home in Bani Zeid al-Sharqiya, turning it in to a Shin Bet facility. Meanwhile, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from harvesting olives in Duma, Burin, Zabbuba, and Sebastia. More than 120 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Aroura, Rantis, Bethlehem, Hebron, Deir Sammit, and Nablus. The Palestinian Prisoners Club said at least 1,070 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank since 10/7. In Gaza, around 250 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Rockets were fired at Israel; no new fatalities were reported. In Lebanon, anti-tank missiles fired at Israel wounded an Israeli soldier and Israel attacked Hezbollah-linked sites. Hezbollah said 19 of its members have been killed by Israel since 10/7, including 6 today. In Cyprus, a small homemade bomb exploded near the Israeli embassy in Nicosia with no damage or injuries reported; 4 Syrians were arrested. (AJ, HA 10/20; AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21; UNOCHA 10/22)

The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of 5 p.m. at least 4,385 Palestinians had been killed, including at least 1,524 children, and 13,561 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7, including 47 entire families consisting of 500 people. The UN said that about 70% of Palestinians killed in Gaza are children and women. It is estimated that hundreds are still trapped in rubble. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 84 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 26 children. More than 1,653 have been injured, including at least 360 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 4,629 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that over 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half the population in Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 26,756 housing units have been destroyed and 139,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. At least 42% of all housing units have been either destroyed or damaged in Israeli airstrikes. 43 unidentified Palestinians were buried in a mass grave in Gaza City. It was the second time Palestinians in Gaza were buried in mass graves this week. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 37 medical personnel have been killed since 10/7 and 7 hospitals no longer are operational. The first trucks carrying aid to Gaza arrived through the Rafah crossing. About 35 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said fuel will not enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing. UNRWA said 17 of its staff members have been killed and 35 of its buildings damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ, HA 10/20; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21; HA 10/22; HA 10/23)

Israel said it attacked several high-rise buildings in northern Gaza in recent days in preparation for a ground invasion. Israel also dropped leaflets over Gaza City, warning that Israel considers people who remain there collaborators with terrorists. (AJ 10/21; HA, HA 10/21; REU 10/22)

Hamas said it sought to release 2 additional captives for “humanitarian reasons,” but that Israel declined to receive them. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AJ, HA 10/21)

A PA official told Haaretz that Israel only allowed the aid that arrived in Gaza today to enter because of the release of 2 captives on 10/20 and that future aid will depend on the release of more captives. The official said that the U.S. and European countries have been trying to link aid to the release of civilian captives. (HA 10/21)

5 UN agencies released a joint statement calling the situation in Gaza “catastrophic.” (HA 10/21; WAFA 10/22)

Leaders from the PA, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, the UAE, UN, and EU, and senior government officials from Kuwait, Germany, France, Japan, Norway, Russia, and China met at the Cairo Peace Summit on Israel’s war on Gaza. Jordanian king Abdullah II said “[t]oday Israel is literally starving civilians in Gaza but for decades Palestinians have been starved of hope, of freedom and of future,” complaining that Israel is never held accountable and calling its actions in Gaza a war crime. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said Hamas’ attack does not justify “collective punishment of the Palestinian people.” PA president Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas and Israel to release all captives and prisoners. The summit ended without agreement on a joint statement. Abbas met with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez, EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borell, European Council president Charles Michel, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa, and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the summit. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21)

Prime Minister Meloni arrived in Israel for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. HA 10/21)

U.S. forces shot down 2 drones flying near Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. The U.S. deployed a THAAD missile defense system battery and multiple Patriot missile batteries in the Middle East to “increase force protection for U.S. forces in the region, and assist in the defense of Israel,” according to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III.  (AJ 10/21; HA, NYT 10/22)

The U.S. introduced a draft UN Security Council resolution, saying Israel has a right to defend itself, Iran needs to stop exporting arms to “militias and terrorist groups,” and calling for unhindered aid and protection of civilians. (HA 10/21)

AP said, based on videos, its experts have determined that it was likely an errant rocket that caused the explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital on 10/17. French and Canadian intelligence also suggested that an errant rocket fired by Palestinian militants caused the explosion. Investigations by UK Channel 4, Al Jazeera, and Forensic Architecture have concluded that it was likely an Israeli airstrike or artillery fire that caused the explosion. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AP 10/21; AJ, HA, HA 10/22)

Thousands of demonstrators attended pro-Palestinian rallies in many major cities throughout the world, including more than 100,000 in London. (AJ 10/20; AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort marched near Fawwar refugee camp and Dura, throwing stones at Palestinian vehicles. Israeli forces closed the entrances to the camp and village to facilitate the march. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinian shepherds in Khirbet Makhul. 40 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Fawwar refugee camp, Hebron, Bethlehem, Shu’fat, Biddu, Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, Jenin, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family was forced to demolish their own home in Sur Baher. In Gaza, an explosion at a Hamas military site in Dayr al-Balah killed 1 member of the Qassem Brigades and injured 1 other. Hamas called the explosion an accident. (AP, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/24; PCHR 8/31; UNOCHA 9/11)

Representatives from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Canada, and Norway toured Ras al-Tin and Burqa, condemning the demolition of an EU-funded school in Ein Samia and settler violence in the area. (WAFA 8/24)

The Israeli High Court of Justice approved the punitive demolition of the family home of a 13-year-old Palestinian who allegedly stabbed an Israeli police officer at the Shu’fat checkpoint on 2/13. The Palestinian child, whose trial is ongoing, was charged with murder as an Israeli settler opened fire at the child but instead shot and killed the police officer. The court rejected the argument that the family’s home should not be demolished due to the child’s age, saying the punitive demolition would deter other children from attacking Israeli forces. (HA 8/24; AP 8/31)

PA finance minister Shukri Bishara said that the Levine case against the PA and PLO had been dropped in a U.S. court. The plaintiff sought damages from the PA and PLO for $1 billion, claiming the PA and PLO were responsible for an attack that took place in Jerusalem in 2014. (WAFA 8/24)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas chaired the 11th session of the Fatah Revolutionary Council in Ramallah. (WAFA, WAFA 8/24)

Sierra Leonean president Julius Maada Bio issued a statement saying his country will open an embassy to Israel in Jerusalem. The announcement followed a phone conversation between Maada Bio and Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen. (JP, TOI 8/25)

The Guardian reported that in a 43-page amicus brief sent to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July the UK government opposed the ICJ review of the legality of the Israeli occupation. The UK opinion raised 4 main arguments against the review, saying that the issue is a “bilateral dispute,” that the court is not equipped to examine the issue, that the review would conflict with existing agreements, and that the review is not appropriate as it asks the court to “assume unlawful conduct on part of Israel.” (AN, GDN 8/24)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a report that Israel had carried out 25 attacks on Syria in 2023, including 18 air attacks and 7 ground-to-ground attacks, hitting 60 targets and killing 61 people. (HA 8/24)

The BRICS group of China, Russia, Brazil, India, and South Africa invited Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the UAE to join the group. (NYT 8/23; AP, AJ, MEE, REU 8/24; AJ, NYT, REU 8/25; AJ 8/28)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers began construction of a new settlement outpost in al-Sawahara. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian and injured 3 others during a raid in Nablus to facilitate a settler incursion at Joseph’s Tomb; Israeli police commissioner Kobi Shabtai took part in the settler tour of site. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian with live ammunition during a raid in al-Shuyukh. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seized 2 tractors in Khirbet Humsa. Israeli forces also razed olive, almond, and grape trees in al-Hardash near Tarqumiyah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. 1 Israeli settler was attacked in the Gilo settlement, Israel arrested 3 Palestinians said to be suspects in Bethlehem on 7/22. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/20; HA 7/22; PCHR 7/27; UNOCHA 7/29)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh met with a delegation from the Australian parliament, including the speaker, Milton Dick. Shtayyeh called on Australia to recognize Palestine and to pressure Israel to allow Palestinian elections to be held in East Jerusalem. (WAFA, WAFA 7/20)

PLO member Azzam al-Ahmad led a Palestinian delegation to the BRICS summit held in South Africa. The BRICS members, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa passed a resolution calling for a Palestinian state. (WAFA 7/20)

U.S. senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Jim Risch (R-ID) introduced the Regional Integration and Normalization Act, earmarking funds to countries that would normalize relations with Israel. (MEE 7/21; HA 7/22)

Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to allow all UNESCO member states free access to a World Heritage Committee meeting in Riyadh in September, including Israel. Axios had reported that Saudi Arabia had refused to sign the agreement because of the participation of an Israeli delegation. (AX 7/20; ALM 7/21)

The EU donated $450,000 through UNRWA to families affected by the Israeli assault on Gaza in May. (WAFA 7/20)

In the West Bank, Palestinians protested in Hebron and Bethlehem against high consumer prices. Israeli forces started razing 30 dunams (7.5 acres) of Palestinian land in Kisan to expand a nearby settlement. 3 Palestinians, including 2 minors, were arrested during late-night raids in Beit Fajjar. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. 3 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Sheikh Jarrah. (MEMO, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/7; PCHR 2/10; UNOCHA 2/11)

The PLO Central Council convened for its 31st session in Ramallah. PA president Mahmoud Abbas said he seeks to hold presidential and legislative elections as soon as they can hold them in all the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. The session was titled “Developing and activating the Palestine Liberation Organization, protecting the national project, and popular resistance.” It was the 1st PLO Central Council meeting in 4 years. The meeting was attended by 2 Palestinian Israeli politicians: MK Ayman Odeh and former MK Mohammad Barakeh. (WAFA 2/5; HA, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/6; MEMO, TOI 2/7)

The Israeli cabinet approved legislation to bar Palestinians married to Israeli citizens from obtaining permits to live with their family in Israel. Meretz and the United Arab List (UAL) opposed the bill, while centrist parties in the government coalition such as the Blue and White party and Labor supported it. Lawmakers from both UAL and Meretz called the bill racist. The bill will be voted on in the Knesset next week. (HA, WAFA 2/6; MEMO 2/7)

U.S. president Joe Biden spoke with Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett, discussing Iran and the U.S. discussions to reenter the Iran Nuclear deal. (AP, AX, CNN, HA, REU 2/6)

The African Union (AU) suspended debating the issue of Israel’s status as an observer state to the AU until the next AU summit in 2023. The new AU Chairperson Macky Sall of Senegal told reporters that a committee had been set up to discuss the issue to avoid a conflict about Israel’s membership amongst the AU nations. Officials said that 6 countries will be represented in the committee, including South Africa, Algeria, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Cameroon, and Nigeria. South Africa and Algeria have both been vocal opponents of granting Israel observer status, while Rwanda and the DRC have been proponents. (F24, JP, MEE, MEMO, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 2/6; AJ, ALM, MEMO 2/7)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, injuring 2 with rubber-coated bullets. Israeli forces also leveled agricultural land near Bethlehem. 13 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Shufa, Dheisheh refugee camp, al-Khader, Beit Fajjar, ‘Anata, and Dura. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a house raid in al-Tur. In West Jerusalem, 5 Jewish Israelis attacked 1 Palestinian man, stabbing and beating him while he was on his way home after work. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of al-Sudaniyya; no injuries were reported. (WAFA 8/19; MEMO, MEMO 8/20; PCHR 8/26; TOI 8/29)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, thanking him for his support of Palestine. South Africa has been 1 of the most vocal opponents of the African Union decision to readmit Israel as an observer state on 7/22. (WAFA 8/19)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with UN special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland in Ramallah. Prime Minister Shtayyeh stressed that all aid to Palestine must go through the PA. Later, Qatar announced that an agreement to transfer Qatari aid to Palestinian families had been made and that the process does not involve the PA. The agreement that will remain in effect until the end of 2021 will see some 100,000 Palestinian families in Gaza receiving a monthly stipend of $100 from Qatar, which will be transferred to banks in Gaza via a UN bank account in New York. The UN World Food Programme provides ATM cards to the Palestinians in Gaza for the aid and Israel will approve the list of Palestinian families eligible. Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz said a separate mechanism would be set up for Palestinians in the West Bank where the PA will distribute funds. Haaretz sources said that part of the reason the PA was circumvented in the process of providing aid to Gaza was due to the possible legal procedures against the PA if aid money was provided to people affiliated with Hamas. Hamas later praised the agreement. (HA 8/17; AJ, ALM, AP, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 8/19; AJ, HA, JP, MEE, MEMO 8/20)

Israel’s foreign and alternate prime minister, Yair Lapid, told Israeli Channel 11 that there will not be a 2-state solution during the current government. Foreign Minister Lapid said that a 2-state solution is his preferred outcome, but that there is not any agreement for it within the current government. (JP 8/20)

Israeli forces used Lebanese air space to attack areas surrounding Damascus and Homs in Syria, allegedly killing 8, including 4 civilians. Lebanese defense minister Zeina Akar condemned Israel for violating its air space and flying at low altitudes. (AJ, AP, HA, TOI 8/19; MEE 8/20)

A shipment of Iranian fuel embarked toward Lebanon after a group of Shiite businessmen with help from Hezbollah bought the fuel. Lebanon has suffered a severe fuel shortage in recent months as its economy continues to deteriorate. Lebanese president Michel Aoun said that the U.S. will help Lebanon with its fuel shortage by providing electricity through Egyptian natural gas via Jordan and Syria. (AJ, AP, HA, MEMO, REU, REU 8/19; HA, MEMO 8/20)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 8 Palestinian-owned cars and sprayed racist graffiti on buildings in Yasuf. Israel settlers and military escort toured Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus, leading to confrontations with Israeli protesters; 4 Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated bullets and 16 others suffered tear-gas related injuries. 25 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around al-Ram, Hizma, Ramallah, Nablus, Qalqilya, Jericho, and Bethlehem. During a raid in Hebron, Israeli forces seized machinery from a blacksmith. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Bayt Hanina. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian agricultural lands east of Dayr al-Balah; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; PCHR 2/27)

50 former foreign ministers and leaders of European countries wrote an open letter sharply criticizing the U.S. administration’s peace plan, saying it “evoke[s] chilling associations with South Africa’s bantustans.” The letter called on the EU to reject the U.S. peace plan. (Guardian 2/26; WAFA 2/27)

In the West Bank, a group of Israeli settlers attacked Jibiya village north of Ramallah overnight by throwing stones, leading to 2 Palestinian injuries. Settlers also attacked Palestinian shepherds in the northern Jordan Valley. Also in the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 19 during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, al-Bireh, Nabi Salih, Silwad, Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Hebron. The raid near Jenin triggered confrontations with locals trying to block the soldiers’ entrance to their village. Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli forces handed out demolition orders for 9 residential structures in Yatta and for animal barns in Bayt Jala near Bethlehem. In Hebron, students and teachers suffered from tear gas inhalation after Israeli soldiers fired the gas into the yard of their school. Some students were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. A Palestinian man arrested in July 2018 was convicted by an Israeli military court for killing an Israeli soldier in May 2018. According to Israeli forces, the Palestinian man had confessed to throwing a marble slab on the soldier, leading to his death. In East Jerusalem, the Islamic Waqf Council Chairman Sheikh Abdel-Azim Salhab returned to Haram al-Sharif after a 40-day ban issued by Israeli authorities. In Gaza, 4 Palestinian fishermen detained last week by Egyptian authorities were released. Israeli forces also opened fire on Palestinian farmers east of Khan Yunis and on Palestinian fishermen on the northwestern coast of Gaza. There were no reports of injuries. Also in Gaza, some 40 animals were evacuated from Rafah Zoo to sanctuaries in Jordan and South Africa. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, 4/7; MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA 4/8)

The Chairman of the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission Qadri Abu Baker said that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails had shelved their planned hunger strike protesting the deterioration of their conditions to facilitate the progress in dialogue with the Israeli Prison Service (IPS). Abu Baker said that the IPS had agreed to install pay phones in the jails and to release some prisoners from solitary confinement. (WAFA 4/7)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces violently dispersed the weekly anti-settlement protest in Kafr Qaddum; 1 Palestinian was hospitalized after being shot in his mouth by a rubber-coated bullet. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians protesting in Ni‘lin village. Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinians driving on Route 60 near Burqa; no injuries were reported. Parts of Route 60 south of Bethlehem were closed for a marathon arranged by Israeli settlers. An Israeli settler critically injured a 15-year-old Palestinian by ramming into him with his car by Tuwanah near Hebron. Palestinians were detained at a flying checkpoint east of Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 3 Palestinians were arrested: 1 during a late-night raid in the Old City of Jerusalem and 2 at Haram al-Sharif. In Gaza, 1 Palestinian was critically wounded by an Israeli sniper using live ammunition during the weekly Great March of Return protest. Over 10,000 Palestinians protested and at least 80 were injured. (HA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/5; MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA 4/6)

A new settler bypass road in the Nablus district of the West Bank was approved for construction by the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The road will bypass the Palestinian town Huwwara and parts of the road will be built on Palestinian-owned land previously seized by Israel. (MNA 4/5)

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas departed for Jordan for a 3-day trip to partake in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa by the Dead Sea. (WAFA 4/5)

The South African foreign minister Lindiwe Sisulu announced that South Africa would not reinstate its ambassador to Israel who was recalled in 2018 due to Israel’s lethal response to the Great March of Return. (HA 4/6)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes escalate again. In Ramallah, 2 IDF reservists--"at least partially in uniform," driving a private vehicle, most likely armed--stray deep into area A, cross paths with a funeral procession. The crowd, assuming the soldiers are on an undercover operation, attack them and set their car afire. (Some reports say a body burned beyond recognition, possibly a 3d IDF soldier, is found in the vehicle.) PA police intervene and take the 2 reservists into protective custody, removing them to a nearby police station. When news of the incident spreads, 1,000s of Palestinians descend on the station (manned by 21 officers), break in, and kill the soldiers, injuring 15 policemen in the process. Declaring that the PA has "crossed the line," Barak seals borders with Egypt and Jordan, authorizes IDF air strikes against Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah and Gaza, the Palestinian Broadcasting Center in Ramallah, the Gaza port, various PA police stations, including those in Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah. When the strikes occur, Arafat is in his Gaza office waiting for CIA Dir. Tenet to arrive to discuss the possibility of convening the U.S.-Israeli-PA trilateral security comm. (formed in 1998) to explore ways of halting the violence. Neither Arafat nor Tenet is injured, but 43 Palestinians are wounded. In Gaza City, Palestinians pack belongings into cars, prepare to flee. In Jericho, Palestinians set fire to a 6th-century synagogue. Jewish settlers attack, fire on Palestinian cars nr. Bethlehem, Jinin. In retaliation, IDF helicopters fire rockets at the PA police academy in Jericho. During the Israeli air strikes, the PA releases around 60 Hamas, Islamic Jihad prisoners for their safety. (ADM, AP, LAW, MM, NYT 10/12; ATL, AYM, IRNA, LPA, MENA, XIN 10/12 in WNC 10/13; MENA, XIN 10/12, SA 10/13 in WNC 10/16; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/13; WP, WT 10/14; MENA 10/16 in WNC 10/17; WJW 10/19; JP 10/20; MEI 10/27; MA 11/6 in WNC 11/9)

In Yemen's port of Aden, a small, explosive-laden boat rams the USS Cole, an Aegis destroyer in port for refueling, killing 17 U.S. servicemen, injuring 35. (AP, MM 10/12; AFP [Internet], CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/13; NYT, WP, WT 10/14, 10/15, 10/16; MEI 10/27)

In the U.S., the primary concern of the public, government, and media is the attack on the USS Cole, while Israel's attacks on the Palestinian infrastructure, PA offices are viewed as a limited military response to the death of Israeli soldiers in PA custody, if not at the hands of the PA. Clinton, Albright express outrage over the murder, call on both sides to halt the violence. Clinton says he appreciates Palestinian frustration, but "there can be no possible justification for mob violence." 96 senators send Clinton a letter urging him to express solidarity with Israel "at this critical moment." (NYT, WP, WT 10/13; MEI, MM 10/27; MEI 11/10) (see Doc. D4)

Mubarak invites Arafat, Barak, Clinton to Sharm al-Shaykh for a summit. Mubarak also meets with King Abdallah of Jordan on the escalating crisis, upcoming Arab summit. (MENA 10/12 in WNC 10/13; MM, NYT, WP 10/13)

In Biarritz, France, Pres. Chirac convenes an emergency EU mtg. to discuss the escalation of Israeli-Palestinian violence, implores both sides to halt the fighting. (MM 10/13; AFP, EFE [Madrid] 10/13 in WNC 10/16; WP 10/14; SA 10/15 in WNC 10/17)

UN Secy.-Gen. Annan, in Lebanon to discuss the Hizballah kidnapping of 3 IDF soldiers, cuts short his visit, returns to Israel to try to calm the situation. (WP 10/13)

The Arab League denounces the Israel air strikes, warns that "all options" are open to the Arab world if the escalation continues. In Cairo, angry crowds march through the streets demanding Egypt take military action against Israel. In Beirut, demonstrations break out on university campuses. Elsewhere in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria--including in the Palestinian camps--the streets are quiet; the governments release no official statements on events but heighten visibility of police, military. Anti-Israeli, anti-U.S. demonstrations are noted in Indonesia, South Africa. In the U.S., demonstrations are held in Boston, Dearborn, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Raleigh, San Diego, Washington. In France, numerous acts of anti-Jewish vandalism, including attacks on synagogues, are noted in Lille, Paris, Rouen. (AP 10/12; AFP [Internet], WP 10/13; JT 10/13 in WNC 10/16; WP 10/14)

At the UN, U.S. Amb. Holbrooke warns Arab, nonaligned diplomats they may "jeopardize" relations with the U.S. if they push for a special session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to censure Israel, for a UNSC res. calling on Israel to cease hostilities. (TT 10/12 in WNC 10/13; MM 10/13; NYT, WP 10/14)

PC concludes weekly 2-day session in Ramallah. Talks focus on Jerusalem: PC mbrs. complain that numerous ministries deal with issues related to Jerusalem, but without coordination; ask Waqf's to account for its use of donations to the city fr. diaspora Palestinians; suggest a Jerusalem ministry be established. (PR 12/6)

In Jericho, Jordanian PM `Abd al-Karim Kabariti, Arafat discuss peace process, bilateral ties. (RJ 11/28 in WNC 12/2)

South Africa calls on Israel to withdraw fr. Hebron; to take action to show that it intends to comply with existing peace agmts.; to refrain fr. provocative actions, such as the 9/24 tunnel opening. (South African Press Association 11/28 in WNC 12/2) (see 9/10)

Jewish settlers confiscate 120 acres of Palestinian land around Urtas village nr. Bethlehem. (PR 12/6)

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israel says it will give the U.S. a timetable for the expiration of its military contracts with South Africa [WP 2/3].

Jerusalem Domestic Service reports that Israel is sending 150,000 aliyah invitations per month to USSR [FBIS 2/14].

Military Action

Occupied Palestine/Israel: IDF closes 2 gov't-run schools in Khan Yunis indefinitely for rock-throwing incident [FJ 2/ 12].

Israeli army bulldozes 4 Palestinian homes in Bethlehem area, 1 in Shaqba village, near Ramallah [FJ 2/12].

Army places Bayt Anan, northwest of Jerusalem, under curfew [FJ 2/12].

At least 4 Palestinians wounded in clashes with IDF throughout O.T. [FJ 2/5].

Social/Economic/Political

Other Countries: NBC News reports Israel has helped South Africa build a medium range missile [WP 10/26; NYT 10/27]; Israel denies reports [MET 11/7].

Military Action

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Palestinian is shot dead in Bethlehem after hitting Israeli police officer with car. Nurse in Gaza accused of collaboration is stabbed, killed. Masked Palestinian is shot, killed by IDF in Gaza clash [FBIS 10/27].