The Palestine Chronology

The IDF conducts an overnight raid of Nablus, detaining regional Hamas spokesman Adnan Asfur; continues house-to-house searches in Balata r.c. for the 6th day, during which a 5-yr.-old Palestinian playing in his yard is killed by stray gunfire, a 53-yr.-old Palestinian dies fr. tear gas inhalation during a raid on his home; demolishes 7 Palestinian homes in Rafah, also firing on residential areas; begins implementing an order to raze 3,000 dunams of land in and around Tarqumiyya nr. Hebron for Jewish settlement infrastructure; bulldozes 14 dunams of land in Wadi al-Silqa nr. Dayr al-Balah. A Palestinian teen dies of injuries received on 12/16. 13 reservists of the IDF elite commando unit Sayaret Matkal sign an open letter to Sharon refusing to serve in the occupied territories, stating, “We have long ago crossed the line between fighting a just cause and oppressing another people.” (HA, REU 12/21; IDF Radio 12/21 in WNC 12/23; HA, MM, NYT, PM, PRCS, WP, WT 12/22; MM 12/23; PR 12/24; PCHR 12/25)

The IDF sends naval commandos into Nablus, shells and destroys 2 floors of a 7-story apartment building in an apparent attempt to assassinate or capture wanted Hamas mbr. Muhammad Hanbali; the incursion sparks a gun battle in which Hanbali, 1 IDF commando are killed, 4 commandos are wounded; the IDF then demolishes the entire apartment building, saying it suspects Hamas mbrs. are still inside; no bodies are found. The IDF also bulldozes 1 Palestinian home, 22 dunams of land, 2 irrigation networks in Rafah; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Bayt Furik, wounding 2. An Israeli dies of injuries received in the 8/19 suicide bombing, bringing that toll to 22. (AFP, BBC, HA, MM 9/5; WP, WT 9/6; PCHR 9/11; MA 9/12 in WNC 9/16)