The Palestine Chronology

As the quarter opens,Israel’s blockade of Gaza enters its 6th mo., allowing no goods or people out (except for very limited medical emergencies) and letting only limited food and fuel supplies and a handful of diplomats and international aid workers in; Palestinians are receiving on average 6–8 hrs./day of electricity and 2–3 hrs./day of water after Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s sole generator on 6/28. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continues Operation Summer Rains (see Quarterly Update in JPS 141), which began on 6/28 after the capture of an IDF soldier in a Palestinian cross-border raid fr. Gaza on 6/25, making occasional ground incursions into Gaza, maintaining troops at the Dahaniyya airport site outside of Rafah. In Gaza, the IDF launches air strikes, destroying a empty Palestinian home in Gaza City, causing no injuries; sends at least 50 armored vehicles into the outskirts of Bayt Hanun, firing on residential areas, bulldozing large areas of agricultural land, ordering residents of 15 houses to surrender for ID checks, arresting 2 before withdrawing across the border. Also in Gaza, 1 Palestinian is killed, 3 are injured when they apparently prematurely detonate explosives they are handling. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Azun nr. Qalqilya (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 2), Fahma nr. Jenin (firing on residential areas, damaging homes), Jenin town and refugee camp (r.c.; wounding 1 Palestinian), al-Khadir nr. Bethlehem (firing on residential areas); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Salfit. In Khan Yunis, a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy is killed in crossfire btwn. Hamas Executive Support Force (ESF) mbrs., Fatah gunmen. (PCHR 8/17; OCHA 8/23; PCHR 8/24)

Two days after an Israel-Hizballah cease-fire went into effect ending 34 days of war (Israel dubbed its offensive Operation Change of Direction; see Chronology in JPS 141), the Lebanese government reaches a compromise agreement with Hizballah under which only the army will be allow to “carry weapons” s. of the Litani (allowing Hizballah to store weapons nr. the border with Israel) and the Lebanese cabinet votes to order the army to prepare to deploy across s. Lebanon (a precondition for an Israeli withdrawal). The UN estimates that since 8/14, more than 200,000 Lebanese have returned to their homes and 60,000 have returned fr. Syria, leaving more than 700,000 still internally displaced. The Lebanese government now puts the comprehensive toll at 1,152 Lebanese killed and some 3,700 wounded, with numbers expected to rise as more bodies are recovered. (UN Information Service, WP 8/16; NYT, WP, WT 8/17)

Overnight, the IDF drops 2 quarter-ton bombs on a 3-story building in Gaza City in an attempt to assassinate chief Hamas bomb-maker Muhammad Dayif, 4 times previously the target of Israeli assassination since 2000, wounding Dayif, killing senior Hamas mbr. Nabil al-Salima,his wife and 7 children, wounding Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades n. Gaza cmdr. Ahmad al-Gander and at least 33 bystanders, seriously damaging 15 surrounding homes. At the same time, the IDF also expands Operation Summer Rains with a major incursion into central Gaza, sending 10s of tanks, APCs, armored bulldozers across the Kissufim crossing under helicopter and drone escort and moving troops north fr. positions nr. Abasan, cutting the Strip in half, ordering PA security forces to leave the area, shelling and bulldozing surrounding areas. During the day, the IDF reportedly kills at least 22 other Palestinians and wounds at least 14 in major gun battles nr. Dayr al-Balah in central Gaza and in air and artillery strikes around Dayr al-Balah and Khan Yunis; the PRC’s Salah al-Din Brigades Khan Yunis leader Hisham Abu Nusayra, a PA policeman are killed in separate air strikes in Khan Yunis and a police station in alQarara is hit. The IDF also bulldozes 65 d. of agricultural land, partially demolishes 8 Palestinian homes and a car, and occupies 10 Palestinian homes as military posts in Dayr al-Balah; withdraws fr. the Qarni industrial estate (held since 7/8), allowing humanitarian and commercial imports to resume, and from Dahaniyya airport (held since 6/28), allowing PA security forces to enter the airport and the Rafah crossing and around 1,000 displaced Palestinians (see 7/8) to return to their homes. Palestinians try to fire rockets fr. Gaza toward Kissufim, but they fall short, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Dura, Nablus to conduct arrest raids. A Palestinian militant dies of injuries received during the 7/7 IDF air strikes on Bayt Lahiya. (BBC, HA, IMEMC, NYT, OCHA, PCHR, WP, WT 7/12; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 7/13; PCHR 7/20; NYT 7/21; B’Tselem 8/3)

Before dawn, Hizballah launches a crossborder attack on Israel, dubbed Operation True Promise, firing rockets across the Blue Line into n. Israel as a diversion; sending fighters in to n. Israel to attack an IDF patrol btwn. Zarit and Shetula, capturing 2 IDF soldiers, killing 3 soldiers, wounding 2. The IDF sends troops into Lebanon to search for the missing soldiers, where an IDF tank hits a mine, killing 4 IDF soldiers and marking Israel’s 1st ground incursion into Lebanon since its 5/00 withdrawal. (An 8th IDF soldier is killed, 2 others are wounded in Lebanon late in the evening as they try to recover the remains of the 4 tank occupants.) The IDF also launches air strikes and directs heavy artillery, tank fire on some 40 Hizballah positions, roads, bridges, power stations in s. Lebanon, killing at least 2 Lebanese civilians, 1 Lebanese soldier, wounding at least 10. The Lebanese government requests that UNIFIL broker a cease-fire, but Israel says a cease-fire would be contingent upon return of the captured soldiers. Hizballah leader Shaykh Hasan Nasrallah says the group plans to hold the 2 soldiers for the release of 3–4 Lebanese held by Israel. During the day, IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz calls up a reserve infantry division for deployment to the n. Israel border and sends the Israeli navy into Lebanese waters, threatening a massive invasion of Lebanon; makes air strikes on a Palestinian guerrilla base s. of Beirut. (BBC, HA, IFM 7/12; HA, IFM, NYT, WP, WT 7/13; UNIS 7/14)