The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops on the Gaza border shoot, wound a 14-yr.-old Palestinian who strays nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Hanun while hunting birds. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fisherman off the Rafah coast, arrests 3. In Gaza City, 2 Hamas mbrs. are killed when explosives they are handling detonate prematurely. (OCHA 1/3; PCHR 1/11)

The Israeli navy fires 4 shells at Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, causing no damage or injuries, but forcing fishermen to retreat to shore. In Rafah, Fatah security officer Maj. Hassan Jarbuh is seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting; Fatah blames Hamas, which denies responsibility. (NYT 12/24; OCHA 12/27; PCHR 12/28)

In Jerusalem, Abbas, Olmert hold talks on resuming the peace process and ways of improving Abbas position relative to Hamas, marking the 1st formal mtg. of PA and Israeli leaders since 2/05. (HA 12/28) (IFM, NYT, WP, WT 12/24; International Herald Tribune 12/27; HA 12/28; NYT 12/29)

Palestinians fire at least 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; 1 rocket lands inside Gaza, injuring a 2-yr.-old Palestinian boy; Hamas says that it has not fired any of the nearly 50 rockets fired since the 11/26 Gaza truce was declared; Islamic Jihad has taken responsibility for many. Jewish settlers fr. Tal Rumayda stone a Palestinian girl, vandalize her family’s home in Hebron. Abbas blocks a number of government appointments made by Hamas-led PA offices. In Gaza City, a Fatah-linked clan kidnaps a Hamas mbr., sparking heaving exchanges of fire btwn. Fatah-Hamas supporters that leaves 1 Hamas mbr. dead. In Nablus, PA security forces loyal to Abbas fire on a group of 1,000 Hamas supporters celebrating the anniversary of the movement’s founding, wounding 9; Fatah-Hamas tensions have been high in Nablus, where Fatah protests the Hamas-led PA’s efforts to form an ESF branch under Siyam’s control. (MM 12/22; NYT, WP, WT 12/23; OCHA 12/27; PCHR 12/28; AIC 1/17)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya fire on a group of Palestinian farmers who stray too nr. the border fence, wounding 1. The Israeli navy fire machine guns at Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, damaging several but causing no injuries. Palestinians fire 9 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF makes an overnight arrest raid on Silat al-Harithiyya, exchanging fire with and fatally shooting 2 wanted Islamic Jihad mbrs.; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Sahur (raiding the offices of the Islamic Association), Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem. The Fatah-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza generally holds, though just after it is announced, PA Preventive Security Force (PSF) mbrs. controlled by Abbas fire on a group of Hamas mbrs. in Gaza City, sparking an exchange that leaves 2 PSF mbrs. dead. During a funeral process for the men in Gaza City later in the day, Fatah mbrs. fire in the air, set cars on fire, but cause no injuries. (IFM, NYT, PCHR 12/21; OCHA 12/27; PCHR 12/28)

An IDF soldier is lightly injured by a roadside bomb placed along the Gaza border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit into Nablus in 2 vehicles with Palestinian license plates to ambush a carload of AMB mbrs., assassinating AMB mbr. ‘Inab Abu Kishik, wounding 2 others; sends an undercover unit in a taxi with Palestinian license plates into al-Til where they ambush, assassinate local AMB leader Muhammad Hamad, wounding 1 bystander; fatally shoots a 13-yr.-old Palestinian girl who strays close to the separation wall nr. Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Allar and al-Til nr. Tulkarm, ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Bethlehem, Nablus. Jewish settlers leave the Homesh settlement site after camping there overnight. Jewish settlers fr. Emmanuel bulldoze Palestinian land in Qalqilya to expand the settlement. Fatah-Hamas clashes continue across Gaza throughout the day (involving automatic weapons fire, mortars, RPGs), leaving 6 Palestinians dead, at least 22 wounded: an ESF mbr. is shot dead, 11 Palestinians are wounded in an hr.-long exchange with Fatah mbrs. outside al-Shifa hospital; 2 Fatah mbrs. are killed and 9 wounded in an ambush in Gaza City; 2 Fatah mbrs. are kidnapped, killed and a Hamas mbr. is fatally shot elsewhere in Gaza. In the evening, Egyptian mediators in Gaza bring together Interior M Siyam with the heads of the Fatah-dominated PA security forces to broker a new cease-fire agmt. that goes into effect immediately; the sides also agree to form a joint operating center to coordinate all of the security forces. A Palestinian wounded in the 12/14 IDF assassination of AMB mbr. Zaytawi in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. dies. (NYT, WT 12/20; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)

The IDF raids, occupies a Palestinian home in Nablus as an observation post. Jewish settlers set up tents at the evacuated Homesh settlement site. Dozens of Jewish settlers fr. several settlements in the Nablus march through Wadi Malih village e. of Tubas, rally in the area throughout the day, preventing Palestinian farmers fr. working their land. The Fatah-Hamas truce holds during the day, but in the evening, Hamas mbrs. kidnap and briefly hold fmr. Fatah PC mbr. Sufian Abu Zayda in n. Gaza; Fatah mbrs. kidnap and briefly holdlocal Hamas leader Imad Deeb in n. Gaza, also releasing several Hamas mbrs. kidnapped on 12/17; Hamas, Fatah gunmen trade fire in Jabaliya r.c., leaving 1 Fatah mbr. dead, 12 Palestinians wounded; PA security officers, ESF mbrs. trade fire in Gaza City, wounding 2 bystanders; suspected Hamas gunmen open fire on a car carrying Fatah mbrs. in Gaza City, wounding 1 Palestinian. (NYT, WP, WT 12/19; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jenin, searching several stores; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron; demolishes a new addition to a Palestinian home nr. Hebron. In a predawn raid on a Force 17 training camp in Gaza, suspected Hamas gunmen kill a Force 17 officer. In Gaza City, suspected Fatah gunmen fire on PA FM Mahmud Zahhar’s motorcade in an apparent assassination attempt, causing no injuries. Hrs. later, suspected Hamas mbrs. direct gunfire, several mortars at the presidential compound in Gaza City (Abbas is not there), hitting inside the compound and a nearby home, wounding 5 Palestinians; in response, PA security forces under Abbas’s control take over the Agriculture and Transportation Mins. to “secure the area.” Fatah-Hamas clashes continue in Gaza City and Jabaliya, leaving at least 3 Palestinians dead (a PSF colonel, a Presidential Guard mbr., a female bystander), at least 24 wounded. After nightfall, senior PA security officer and Fatah mbr. Col. Adnan Rahmi is found shot dead in n. Gaza. Fatah mbrs. kidnap several Hamas mbrs. in n. Gaza. In the evening, Fatah, Hamas agree on a cease-fire, removing armed mbrs. fr. the streets. (NYT, WP, WT 12/17; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

Jewish settlers fr. Haggai settlement nr. Hebron vandalize nearby Palestinian homes. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa nr. Hebron uproot 60 Palestinian olive trees in nearby al-Sammu‘. Jewish settlers fr. Avigail nr. Hebron rampage through nearby Um Fagarah village. Jewish settlers rampage through Madama village nr. Nablus, fire in the air, attack local Palestinians before being evacuated by the IDF. Fatah mbrs. hold rallies in Gaza, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah, Tubas, Tulkarm to celebrate Abbas’s decision today to call for early elections; in Gaza, Fatah and Hamas mbrs. clash, exchange fire, leaving 18 Palestinians injured (7 wounded by gunfire). Angry over the death of a Palestinian boy in Jenin on 12/15, Palestinian gunmen briefly kidnap a PA official, release him unharmed. (AP 12/16; NYT, WT 12/17; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)

The IDF patrols in al-Sammu‘ (firing flash bombs and live ammunition, searching a police station, causing no injuries), al-Zahiriyya nr. Hebron (searching cars, firing on weapons, percussion grenades, causing no injuries); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus. To mark the 19th anniversary of the movement, Hamas supporters stage rallies across Gaza and the West Bank after Friday prayers, with Haniyeh addressing 10,000s of supporters in Gaza City, where he said that the his government has the names of those involved in the 12/14 assassination attempt against him and will turn them over to the Interior Min. for investigation; Fatah mbrs. fire on some rallies in Gaza but cause no injuries. At a large rally in Ramallah, PA security forces controlled by Abbas clash with Hamas supporters, who denounce Fatah for the 2/14 attempted assassination of Haniyeh, beating marchers and firing into crowds, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding 32 unarmed Hamas supporters. A 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy injured in clashes btwn. the AMB and PA police in Jenin on 12/13 dies. (BBC, REU 12/15; NYT, REU, WP, WT 12/16; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

Israel closes the Rafah border to prevent Haniyeh fr. returning to Gaza, alleging that Haniyeh’s delegation intended to bring in some $30 m. in cash donations collected during his 16-day regional tour. In response, 10s of Hamas mbrs. raid the Rafah crossing, exchanging fire with expelling Presidential Guard mbrs. guarding the post, occupying the transit hall on the Palestinian side of the border, later trading fire with Egyptian border police, leaving 15 Palestinians (mostly Hamas mbrs.) injured. Late in the evening, Israel allows Haniyeh to cross Rafah without the money, which is escorted to the Arab League by 2 Hamas officials under an arrangement brokered by Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Sulayman. Suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on Haniyeh’s convoy as it crosses into Gaza in an apparent assassination attempt, killing Haniyeh’s bodyguard, wounding his son and a political adviser, more than 10 other Palestinians; Hamas accuses fmr. PA security chief and powerful Fatah PC mbr. Muhammad Dahlan of orchestrating the attack; Dahlan denies responsibility. Separately in Gaza, PA security forces arrest PRC mbr. Hisham Mukhaymar for participation in the 12/11 shooting death of intelligence official Balusha’s children, sparking an exchange of gunfire btwn. PRC mbrs. and PA security forces. PRC mbrs. later kidnap a PA security officer, saying he would not be released until Mukhaymar is freed. In the West Bank, suspected Fatah gunmen fire on a rally in Balata r.c. marking Hamas’s 19th anniversary, leaving 4 Hamas supporters wounded. Other rallies to mark Hamas’s anniversary are held in Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Meanwhile, the IDF moves tanks, bulldozers 100 m into n. Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun, but no land leveling is reported. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel in violation of the 11/26 cease-fire, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in 2 vehicles with Palestinian license plates into ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus to ambush, assassinate wanted AMB mbr. Muhammad Zaytawi, wounding 1 woman, 5 children; fires on stone-throwing youths nr. Ariel settlement, fatally shooting a Palestinian bystander; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Tulkarm (confiscating film fr. journalists covering the incident). (BBC, al-Jazeera, REU 12/14; NYT, WP, WT 12/15; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

IDF troops at Gaza’s Qarni crossing fatally shoot a Palestinian who strays close to the border fence, marking the 1st IDF killing since the 11/26 cease-fire went into effect. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fisherman off the coast nr. Rafah, wounding 3. In the West Bank, a Palestinian stabs, wounds a private Israeli security contractor at Qalandia checkpoint outside Jerusalem. The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Tulkarm r.c. and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall s. of Tulkarm that will isolate 2,000 d. of Palestinian land btwn. the wall and the Green Line. The Israeli High Court rules that a section of the separation wall northeast of Jerusalem btwn. Dahiyat al-Barid and alRama may stand. In Jenin, AMB gunmen fire on the governorate building, set fire to a PA police station, exchange fire with police (injuring a 14-yr.-old bystander) to protest the fatal PA police shooting of an AMB mbr. in an incident involving a stolen vehicle. In Nussayrat r.c., unidentified assailants throw an explosive device into a crowd of Hamas supporters holding a rally, injuring several. In Gaza City, ESF, PSF mbrs. exchange fire, wounding a Palestinian girl. In Khan Yunis, suspected Fatah gunmen assassinate Hamas cmdr. Bassam al-Farra, forcing him to kneel, shooting him execution-style; Haniyeh, currently in the Sudan, cuts short his regional tour to return to Gaza to deal with the escalating intra-Palestinian violence. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/14; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)

DF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun open fire on Palestinian farmers who stray too nr. the border fence, seriously injuring 1. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries, bringing to 21 the number of rockets fired since the Gaza cease-fire went into effect on 11/26. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis, Jenin town and r.c., and nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm; bars a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a hospital in Nablus, allowing him to die. Following the 12/11 attack on Balusha’s car in Gaza City, Abbas deploys extra security forces under his command across the Strip, sparking an exchange of gunfire btwn. Fatah, Hamas mbrs. during a Fatah demonstration in Khan Yunis against the killings, leaving 4 Fatah mbrs. injured. Inside Israel, Israeli police demolish 4 homes in the unrecognized village of Um Mitnan in the Negev. (IMEMC, MM 12/12; OCHA, WP 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit into Tulkarm in a vehicle with Palestinian license plates to arrest 3 wanted Palestinians; demolishes a Palestinian home in Issawiyya nr. Jerusalem, partially demolishes a 2d home in nearby Ras al-Amud; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in ‘Askar r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya (firing percussion grenades into a Palestinian home causing a 56-yr.-old Palestinian woman to have a fatal heart attack). A Palestinian fires at an IDF checkpoint btwn. Sanur and Qabatya nr. Jenin, injuring 1 soldier. In Gaza City, suspected Hamas gunmen open fire on the car of PA General Intelligence col. and Fatah mbr. Baha Balusha on its way to drop off Balusha’s children at school, killing all 3 children (ages 6–9), the driver, wounding a bodyguard, 2 children outside the school in a failed assassination attempt; the gunmen are dispersed by ESF mbrs. who return fire; Hamas denounces the shooting as a “gruesome crime”; no group claims responsibility. (MM 12/11; NYT, WP, WT 12/12; OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14; MM 1/10)

The IDF sends tanks, bulldozers into al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis to bulldoze land, marking the IDF’s 1st such incident since the 11/26 Gaza cease-fire when into effect. IDF troops on the Gaza border shoot, wound a Palestinian farmer working his land nr. the border fence outside Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Bethlehem to arrest PA intelligence officer Muhammad Salahat, no explanation is given; patrols in Jenin, Tulkarm town and r.c. (firing on residential areas, causing no injuries); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., in and around Hebron. In Gaza, suspected Fatah gunmen open fire on Hamas-affiliated Interior M Said Siyam’s convoy in an apparent assassination attempt, causing no injuries. (NYT, WP 12/12; OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

The IDF conducts house searches in Hebron’s al-Takrusi neighborhood. In Sa’ir nr. Hebron, 2 Palestinians are killed, 1 is wounded by unexploded IDF ordnance. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai in Hebron beat 3 Palestinian children ages 7–17. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize Palestinian homes in Hebron. In Bureij r.c., ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire, leaving 1 bystander wounded. PA security forces in Jenin protest the Hamas-led government’s failure to pay back salaries. Some 1,000 PA security forces protest on the same issue in Gaza, where demonstrators storm the PC building, fire in the air, exchange fire with PC security guards and the ESF. (OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14; AIC 1/17)

The AMB fires a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, violating the unilateral Palestinian truce but causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Anabta nr. Tulkarm (firing on residential areas and shops, causing no casualties), ‘Azun (firing on residential areas and stone-throwing youths who confront troops, wounding a 13-yr.-old Palestinian), Tulkarm (firing on homes, causing no injuries); conducts arrest raids in Bayt Sahur. Possibly related to ongoing Fatah-Hamas violence, a PSF officer is found shot dead in his home in Jabaliya. (MM 12/1; NYT 12/2; OCHA 12/6; PCHR 12/7)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a car driving nr. Gaza City, killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding a bystander; fatally shoots a Palestinian nr. Bayt Lahiya attempting to fire a rocket into Israel, also wounding 8 bystanders; shells a group of armed Hamas mbrs. nr. the Qarni crossing, killing 1 Hamas mbr., a PA Preventive Security Forces (PSF) officer at a post nearby; fires into al-Qarara, wounding 1 Palestinian farmer; shells the PA Education Min. offices nr. Bayt Lahiya; directs shells, air strikes on Bayt Hanun and Jabaliya, severely damaging 1 Palestinian home, an UNRWA clinic, a PA school; warns residents of a pending air strike on another Palestinian home nr. Jabaliya, but 10s of neighbors gather in the home, forcing the IDF to call off the operation. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas phones Israeli PM Ehud Olmert to offer a total cease-fire in Gaza (including halts to rocket fire, digging of tunnels) in exchange for a halt to IDF operations in the Strip. Olmert agrees that if Palestinians halt actions first at 6:00 A.M. local time on 11/26, the IDF would halt operations, quickly withdraw troops fr. Gaza if the truce holds. Some Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades factions say they will not adhere to the truce until Israel halts actions first. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, IDF troops patrolling in Abu Dis chase a group of Palestinian children who throw stones at their vehicles, firing into the air and firing percussion grenades, detaining 4 children ages 11–13 for questioning; demolishes 4 shops nr. Salfit. PA security forces demonstrate in Gaza City against the Hamas-led government’s failure to pay back salaries. (IFM, NYT, WP, WT 11/26; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30)

A 64-yr.-old Palestinian woman detonates a suicide bomb nr. IDF soldiers in Bayt Lahiya, lightly wounding 3; the attack is claimed by Hamas, marking its 1st suicide bombing in 2 yrs., in retaliation for the 11/8 shelling of Bayt Hanun that killed 19 Palestinians; the woman’s family says that she was motivated to stage the attack because her son had been killed, a grandson severely injured, and her mother’s house demolished by the IDF. (Separately, Israel reportedly is considering paying compensation to the families of those killed on 11/19; Israel has previously refused to pay compensation for such artillery errors.) Also in n. Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a car, assassinating PRC cmdr. Fa’iq Abu alQumsan, whom Israel claims have been responsible for rocket fire into Israel, his dep. Mahmud al-Basyuni, and Ahmad Abu al-Qumsan, also a PRC mbr.; kills 4 Palestinians (at least 2 of them armed, 1 a bystander), wounds at least 18 (at least 17 of them bystanders) in clashes, shelling related to ongoing operations in which 4 IDF soldiers are lightly wounded by an antitank rocket. The IDF also fires on Palestinian fishermen on the Gaza shore, causing no damage or injuries. Palestinians fire at least 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home, an animal farm in Qarawat Bani Hassan nr. Salfit; fires on stonethrowing Palestinian children nr. Hebron, seriously wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. PA security forces demonstrate in Gaza City against the Hamas-led government’s failure to pay back salaries. (MM, NYT, WT 11/24; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30)

The IDF sends additional tanks, troops into n. Gaza, bringing the total number of troops in n. Gaza to around 1,000, placing snipers on the rooftops of Palestinian homes, occupying the home of Reform and Change PC mbr. Jamila Shanti, fatally shooting 2 Hamas mbrs., a Palestinian woman, a 17-yr.-old Palestinian boy and wounding at least 1 gunman, 14 bystanders in Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Jabaliya r.c. An IDF soldier is wounded by an antitank missile in Bayt Hanun. The IDF also fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Rafah coast, wounding 1. In Gaza City, the IDF makes an air strike destroying a money exchange, damaging several nearby homes. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PRCs claim responsibility for firing 8 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel today, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF assassinates al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. Fadi Armur in Jenin r.c., wounding a 2d target, Islamic Jihad mbr. Ashraf al-Sa‘di; bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes, 2 animal pens nr. Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qabatya and in and around Hebron, Nablus. A Jewish settler injures a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy in a deliberate hitand-run nr. Bethlehem. (MM 11/22; MM, NYT, PCHR, WP 11/23; NYT 11/24; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30)

Overnight, the IDF sends troops back into Gaza City, surrounding the home of senior Hamas military cmdr. Ayman Dayif Allah Hassanian, ordering him to surrender, fatally shooting him and 2 bystanders (including a 70-yr.-old woman) in an exchange of gunfire, also bulldozing 20 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of olive, citrus groves. Palestinians fire 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting a factory, killing an Israeli. Early in the morning, the IDF sends troops back into n. Gaza, clashing with Palestinians in Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Jabaliya and also shelling the area, killing 1 Palestinian gunman, wounding at least 17 Palestinians; also leaving 2 IDF soldiers injured. The IDF also fires on Palestinian fisherman off the s. Gaza coast, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin (firing on stone-throwing Palestinians, wounding 2) and Nablus, in al-Bireh, Jericho, Tulkarm r.c. In Gaza City, an unidentified gunman shoots, wounds fmr. Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Shahin (Fatah) as he leaves a radio studio after giving an interview criticizing Hamas. In Khan Yunis, unidentified gunman kidnap, hold for several hrs. 2 Italian Red Cross employees, releasing them unharmed without comment. (MM 11/21; MM, NYT, OCHA, WP 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a car driving in Gaza City, assassinating Hamas mbrs. ‘Abd al-Qadir Habib, Basil Obaid, wounding 5 bystanders, including a 2-yr.-old boy; sends bulldozers into areas nr. the Sufa crossing to demolish 2 Palestinian homes, into Khan Yunis to demolish 3 greenhouses. In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian teenager who approaches soldiers nr. Jericho carrying a toy gun; sends undercover units into Bethlehem, arresting a wanted Islamic Jihad mbr.; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem (sealing the Orphan Care Society in Bethlehem) and in Abu Dis nr. East Jerusalem, Qabatya nr. Jenin. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in a 1/5 attack on Jabaliya. (NYT, WT 11/21; OCHA 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the IDF pulls out of Bayt Lahiya early in the morning. Later in the day, the IDF calls off air strikes on the Jabaliya r.c. homes of local PRC leader Muhammad Barud, a senior Hamas mbr. when, after warning residents to leave, 100s of Palestinians, including Palestinian Authority (PA) PM Ismail Haniyeh, arrive to act as human shields to protect the homes. Also in Gaza, an IDF drone fires on a car of Hamas mbrs. driving nr. Gaza City, killing a 75-yr.- old Palestinian bystander, wounding 2 Hamas mbrs., 7 civilians (including 4 children) in an apparent assassination attempt. Hamas mbrs. fire 8 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, seriously wounding 1 Israeli, lightly wounding 2. In the West Bank, IDF undercover units make an arrest raid on Yatta nr. Hebron. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Kahil nr. Hebron, in and around Nablus. (NYT, WP, WT 11/20; OCHA 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

The IDF continues operations nr. Bayt Lahiya, firing on residential areas, fatally shooting 1 Palestinian teenager, wounding 5 Palestinians ages 6–18; makes air strikes on a Hamas training camp n. of Shatti’ r.c., causing damage but no injuries. A Jewish settler severely beats a Swedish human rights worker, injures another international human rights worker escorting Palestinian children past Tal Rumayda settlement in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Tal Rumayda also throw stones at a Palestinian woman and her 3-yr.-old son, leaving the boy with a head injury. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on settlement nr. Hebron prevent Palestinian farmers fr. working in their fields nearby. A Palestinian woman dies of injuries sustained during 11/6 IDF air strikes on Jabaliya. A Palestinian man dies of injuries received during an 11/4 IDF attack on Jabaliya. (International Solidarity Movement press release 11/18; OCHA 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pulls out of al-Shuka nr. Rafah, ending a 3-day incursion, during which 7 Palestinian homes were destroyed, roads and water networks were damaged; makes an air strike on the homes of a mbr. of the Popular Resistance Comms. (PRCs) in Jabaliya refugee camp (r.c.), a mbr. of the Hamas-dominated Executive Support Force (ESF) in Rafah (also destroying 3 neighboring houses) after warning the residents to leave; makes air strikes destroying another home in Rafah, 1 in Bayt Lahiya, a workshop in Khan Yunis also giving advanced warning; bulldozes 3 homes nr. the Sufa crossing in Rafah; sends bulldozers into Abasan nr. Khan Yunis to level land. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and in Bethlehem, Balata r.c. and Dayr Ishtiyya nr. Nablus (searching a mosque), Tulkarm. (NYT 11/17; OCHA 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the IDF launches air strikes destroying the homes of 5 Palestinian militants in Jabaliya, Gaza City, and Rafah after warning residents to leave, destroying the homes of 2 bystanders, wounding 1 bystander. Hamas, Islamic Jihad fire at least 13 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, killing 1 Israeli woman in Sederot (marking the 1st fatality in a rocket strike since 7/05, the 7th fatality since rocket strikes began in 1/02; see Quarterly Update in JPS 123), wounding 2 Israelis in Ashqelon and Sederot, damaging a home. In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian bystander during an arrest raid in Nablus; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Qabatya, Tulkarm. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 11/16; PCHR 11/23)

In Gaza, the IDF makes predawn artillery strikes on Bayt Hanun in retaliation for 11/7 rocket fire, hitting a residential area, killing 19 Palestinian civilians (17 in 1 family, including 8 children, 6 women), wounding 60–80 (including at least 26 children) in what the army says is a regrettable error; Israel suspends artillery fire on n. and e. Gaza pending an investigation. The IDF also fatally shoots 2 Palestinians (at least 1 armed), wounding 6 in Jabaliya; makes an air strike demolishing 1 Palestinian home in Gaza City after warning residents to leave. By nightfall, the IDF completes withdrawal of its forces fr. n. Gaza population centers into the border area btwn. the Strip and Israel officially ending Operation Autumn Clouds, leaving a total of 78 Palestinians dead (including 1 PSF officer and 50 civilians, including 16 children, 10 women), 262 wounded (including at least 67 children, 58 women), 250 d. of land razed, at least 16 homes and a mosque demolished, some 120 homes, 3 mosques, several schools, a hospital severely damaged Palestinians fire 13 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel in retaliation, causing no damage or injuries. In Damascus, Hamas leader Mishal calls on all factions to retaliate; a n. Gaza faction of Hamas’s Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades issues a statement blaming the U.S. for the casualties for its support of Israel and calls for attacks on U.S. targets worldwide, but a spokesman for Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades rejects the call, saying Hamas’s only theater of operations is Palestine. Bush sends his condolences, calls on all sides for restraint. The IDF also makes an air strike on a car in Gaza City, assassinating Hamas mbrs. Ahmad Awad (reportedly a chief rocket maker and son-in-law of PA FM Mahmud Zahhar), Ramzi Shuhaybir. In the West Bank, the IDF fires on Palestinians demonstrating against Operation Autumn Clouds, wounding 5; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and Nablus, nr. Bethlehem and Jerusalem; orders 71 bedouin to evacuate land nr. Ramallah on the grounds that it is “state land.” (BBC, HA, IFM, al-Mezan Center for Human Rights 11/8; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 11/9; OCHA 11/15; PCHR 11/16)

The IDF pulls most troops out of Bayt Hanun before dawn; bulldozers and tanks remain positioned nr. Bayt Lahiya. Clashes continue in Jabaliya during the day, leaving at least 8 Palestinians dead, including an AMB mbr. assassinated in an air strike on his car in n. Gaza (3 AMB mbrs. are wounded), 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. nr. Bayt Lahiya, the sister-in-law of Change and Reform PC mbr. Jamila al-Shanti (who helped organize the 11/3 women’s demonstration in Bayt Hanun), 2 Palestinians affiliated with Hamas are killed in Jabaliya r.c. when the IDF fires tank shells at Palestinians who allegedly fired RPGs fr. Shanti’s home, a Palestinian civilian fatally shot nr. Bayt Lahiya. IDF air strikes destroy the Gaza City home of a senior Hamas military cmdr., damage several neighboring homes after ordering the residents to leave. A Palestinian wounded in Bayt Hanun on 11/6 dies. Palestinians fire 6 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel (4 hitting nr. Ashkelon), causing no damage or injuries; IDF artillery shells Bayt Hanun in response. The IDF says it seized “large amounts of weaponry” during the operation, including rocket launchers, RPGs, mines, rifles, ammunition but no rockets or antitank weapons. The UN estimates that some 250 Palestinians were wounded, 30 Palestinian homes demolished, 100 damaged (residents put the number at around 40 demolished, 400 damaged), water and sewerage systems damaged, large tracks of trees uprooted during the operation. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Qalqilya (in a car with Palestinian license plates to arrest several wanted Palestinians, wounding 1), al-Yamun nr. Jenin (assassinating AMB mbrs. Tahir ‘Abahra, Salim Abu al-Hayja, Mahmud Abu Hasan, ‘Ala’ Khamaysa and killing 1 Palestinian bystander, wounding 3 Palestinians); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. (IFM, REU 11/7; NYT, WP, WT 11/8; PCHR, WP 11/9)

The IDF expands operations in n. Gaza, launching an air strike on a minivan in Gaza City, assassinating Hamas cmdr. Luay alBurnu, 2 other Hamas mbrs.; shelling Jabaliya r.c., killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding 4; later making an air strike on Jabaliya, killing 2 Hamas mbrs., wounding a by stander in what may be an assassination. An IDF sniper fatally shoots a 12-yr.-old Palestinian girl in the head in Gaza; the IDF say he was aiming at an armed Palestinian. In Bayt Hanun, the IDF fatally shoots a Hamas mbr. in exchanges that also leave an IDF officer seriously wounded; fires an antitank rocket to demolish the home of a Palestinian militant, collapsing the walls of a neighboring home, killing a Palestinian civilian; demolishes at least 4 other Palestinian homes; continues house to house searches; lifts the curfew for 3 hrs. to let residents buy food. IDF operations along the Rafah border also continue. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Ramallah, in Jenin and Nablus; demolishes a Palestinian home in Bethlehem. (NYT, WP, WT 11/5; PCHR 11/9)

In ongoing operations in Bayt Hanun, the IDF overnight fires tear gas, stun grenades, exchanges gunfire with Palestinian militants in al-Nasir Mosque, sending bulldozers in to demolish parts of the structure, prompting some gunmen to surrender. During the day the IDF fatally shoots 2 Palestinian women, wounds around 40 who are part of a group of 2,000 women heeding Hamas’s call to position themselves outside the mosque as human shields; the IDF claims that wanted gunmen were hiding among the women; some 60 gunmen inside the mosque escape; the IDF bulldozes the entire mosque. (Later, 1,000 Palestinian women march outside Egypt’s diplomatic mission in Gaza City, denouncing Israel’s actions and calling for Egypt’s intervention.) During the day, the IDF also expands operations to Bayt Lahiya and Jabaliya r.c., killing at least 9 Palestinians (including 4 Hamas mbrs., 2 Palestinian medics in an ambulance), shelling areas, making at least 1 air strike destroying a Palestinian home; makes an air strike on a car in Gaza City (assassinating Hamas mbrs. Muhammad Farhat, Tamir Hillis, Imad Mushtaha) and on a car in Rafah (assassinating Hamas mbr. Ahmad Abu Humayd); bulldozes 19 d. of Palestinian land e. of Gaza City; fires on farmers who stray near the border fence outside al-Maghazi, wounding 1; conducts a series of late-night air strikes in Rafah. A Palestinian wounded in Bayt Hanun clashes on 11/2 dies. Palestinians fire at least 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem (demolishing a Palestinian home, killing 1 Palestinian; raiding and searching a hospital), Nablus (killing 2 Palestinians including 1 civilian), Tulkarm. A Palestinian wounded nr. Bethlehem on 11/2 dies. (NYT, WP, WT 11/4; NYT 11/5; PCHR 11/9)

Overnight, the IDF launches a major raid into Gaza, dubbed Operation Autumn Clouds, sending 100s of infantry soldiers, tanks, helicopters into Bayt Hanun, sealing and imposing a curfew on the town, clashing with Palestinians (who fire automatic weapons, antitank rounds), conducting air strikes, occupying some Palestinian homes as operational bases and sniper posts, bulldozing 18 d. of land, killing 5 Hamas mbrs., 1 Islamic Jihad mbr., 1 PA security officer, 2 civilians, wounding 41 Palestinians (the majority gunmen, but including 8 children, 2 women); 1 IDF soldier is also killed. Palestinians fire at least 8 rockets fr. n. Gaza into Israel in response, lightly wounding 2 Israelis, marking the largest 1-day barrage in wks. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Abasan, wounding 1 Palestinian. Meanwhile, the Israeli cabinet debates, rejects requests by the IDF, frustrated over continued (though declining in recent wks.) rocket fire fr. Gaza, to expand military operations in Gaza, voting instead to continue pinpoint operations. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and Tulkarm (firing on residential areas, stone-throwing youths, wounding 5), in Qalqilya, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin. (REU 11/1; NYT, PCHR, WP 11/2; IFM 11/6)