December 7, 2004

Hamas takes responsibility for planting a bomb in a chicken coop nr. Gaza’s Qarni crossing, luring an IDF bomb squad to the site, and detonating the device, killing an IDF solider and a bomb-sniffing dog, wounding 4 soldiers. The IDF retaliates with gunfire nearby, killing 2 Hamas mbrs., 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs., wounding 10 bystanders, bulldozing 30 d. of land. The IDF raids a charitable society, orphanage, and school reportedly tied to Hamas in Bani Na‘im, confiscating files, sealing 3 offices; raids the Prisoners’ Supporters Society in Hebron, confiscating computers, files; fires on residential areas of Brazil r.c., Khan Yunis, Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Beitunia, Hebron and nearby Bayt ‘Awwa, Qalqilya and neighboring ‘Azun and Jayyus, Taqu‘a, Zabbuba nr. Jenin; begins large-scale bulldozing operations nr. Jaba‘ village northwest of Hebron for construction of the separation wall; fires rubber bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall in Budrus nr. Ramallah, also arrests 40 Israeli protesters demonstrating with them. The AMB kills a Palestinian collaborator believed to have passed information to the IDF that led to the killing of 3 AMB mbrs. on 11/21. A carload of Jewish settlers twice attempts to run down a group of Palestinian teenagers on their way to school; the settlers then emerge fr. the car, attempt to kidnap a Palestinian boy, scuffle with teenagers; the IDF intervenes, orders settlers to leave but does not arrest them. (IMEMC, MM 12/7; VOI 12/7 in WNC 12/9; NYT, WP, WT 12/8; VOI 12/8 in WNC 12/10; PCHR 12/9; MEI 12/17)