The Palestine Chronology

Senior PRC cmdr. Abu Yusuf Abu Quka (allied with Hamas) is killed in a car bombing in Gaza City; the PRCs blame PA security forces linked to Fatah (specifically to Gaza strongman and PC mbr. Muhammad Dahlan) in collaboration with Israel; the IDF denies involvement. Clashes erupt btwn. PRC mbrs., PA security forces allied with Dahlan at Abu Quka’s funeral later in the day, leaving 3 Palestinians dead, 35 wounded. In light of the 3/30 bombing, the IDF tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement in the n. West Bank, barring Palestinians ages 15–32 fr. crossing checkpoints in the Nablus area; carries out early morning air strikes, fires 10s of shells fr. naval vessels at the n. Gaza no-go zone, a soccer stadium in Gaza City, causing damage to a number of homes but no injuries; makes late-night F-16 air strikes on a hotel under construction nr. Bayt Lahiya, partially destroying it; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron (violently beating a 78-yr.-old Palestinian woman), nr. Nablus. Some 40 Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh nr. Nablus (including 2 off-duty IDF soldiers) beat, fire on Palestinian farmers working their fields nr. Salim. (AFP, REU 3/31; HA, JAZ, NYT, WP, WT 4/1; XIN 4/2 in WNC 4/3; MM 4/5; MM, PCHR 4/6; HA 4/16)