The Palestine Chronology

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)

The IDF allows EU monitors to open the Rafah crossing; makes an air strike destroying a storage shed nr. the Rafah border after warning residents to evacuate the area. In the West Bank, the IDF bars all Palestinians fr. entering East Jerusalem until 9/24 for the Rosh Hashanah holidays; patrols in al-Fara‘a r.c., Tamun, Tubas, Yamun nr. Jenin (firing percussion grenades, live ammunition on residential areas); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Jenin town and r.c. Fatah supporters rally in Gaza’s Jabaliya r.c. to protest Hamas’s refusal to recognize Israel. ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire in Bayt Lahiya, wounding 4 Palestinian bystanders. Unidentified Palestinian gunmen shoot, wound a Force 17 officer nr. Rafah Crossing. (NYT 9/23; OCHA 9/27; PCHR 9/28)

Overnight and during the day, the IDF continues to expand its presence in n. Gaza, entering populated areas for the 1st time since disengagement, meeting strong resistance fr. Palestinians, who use RPGs, rifles, roadside bombs and fire 8 rockets toward Israel (only 4 land inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries). The IDF uses air strikes, artillery, tanks, and gunfire as well as bulldozes fields, roads, and open areas to widen the n. Gaza buffer zone; the clashes, mostly concentrated in Bayt Lahiya but also in s. Gaza, leave at least 24 Palestinians (many reportedly Hamas mbrs., but also including at least 2 children), 1 IDF soldier (hit by friendly fire) dead and wound some 80 Palestinians (nearly a third of them children), 1 IDF soldier. The IDF also bulldozes areas around Khan Yunis, demolishing 3 Palestinian homes; opens Erez and Qarni crossings for several hrs. for the movement of international aid workers, humanitarian goods. Palestinian gunmen also fire on an al-Jazeera TV car in Bayt Hanun, believing it to be an IDF undercover unit, wounding the driver, 1 journalist. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into a memorial service in Jenin r.c. for an AMB mbr. killed on 7/5, attempts to assassinate the AMB’s n. West Bank cmdr. Zakariya Zubaydi and local Islamic Jihad leader Mahmud al-Sadi, fatally shooting 2 Palestinian teenagers, wounding 18; Sadi, Zubaydi escape. The IDF also raids an Islamic charity nr. Hebron; demolishes a Palestinian home nr. Jerusalem; patrols in ‘Anabta nr. Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Hebron and Qalqilya; issues military orders confiscating 45 d. of land along settler bypass road 60 nr. Hebron for construction of a military base nr. the separation wall. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa set fire to a Palestinian home; the IDF prevents firefighters fr. reaching the area. Israeli police arrest 5 senior Hamas mbrs. in East Jerusalem for illegally helping Change and Reform PC mbrs. conduct Hamas affairs in the city. (IMEMC, OCHA, NYT, WT, YA 7/6; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT, YA 7/7; HA, NYT, WP 7/8; PCHR 7/13)

Overnight in Gaza, the IDF makes air strikes on at least 20 targets, including PA Interior Min. offices (saying they were used to plan terrorist attacks), buildings used by the AMB and Hamas, an ESF training camp, a PA intelligence office, several roads, and open areas; continues to shell n. Gaza, to break the sound barrier over the Strip; conducts arrest raids in Rafah. The only reported casualties are 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. killed in an air strike on a rocket launching site in Rafah, 3 Palestinian gunmen (AMB or Islamic Jihad) wounded nr. Jabaliya r.c., and 7 Palestinian bystanders (including 5-yr.- old Palestinian girl) wounded in shelling of n. Gaza. Israel also revokes the residency rights of Hamas-affiliated PA Jerusalem Affairs M Khalid Abu ‘Arafa and Change and Reform PC mbrs. Muhammad Abu Tir, Ahmad Attoun, Muhammad Totah (detained on 6/28–29), giving them 30 days to appeal or renounce their positions within the PA. The PRCs fire at least 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit into Nablus, surrounding a cemetery, fatally shooting 1 Palestinian teenager, wounding and arresting a 2d Palestinian, arresting 2 others, firing on stonethrowing youths who confront the troops, wounding 31; also raids an Islamic charity in Nablus, confiscating a computer, files; conducts additional arrest raids in and around Nablus, in Jenin. IDF Central Command head Maj. Gen. Ya’ir Naveh says that the main crossing between Jerusalem and Bethlehem is now closed to Palestinians who hold Israeli IDs (including 237,000 East Jerusalem residents), enforcement (which reportedly is irregular at present) may be expanded to other crossings into the West Bank soon. (HA, IMEMC, MM, PCHR, WP, YA 6/30; OSC, XIN 6/30 in WNC 7/1; IMEMC, NYT, WP 7/1; VOP 7/1 in WNC 7/2; PCHR 7/6)

As the IDF continues to prepare for a ground invasion of Gaza, moving into place 2 infantry regiments, bringing the total buildup along the border to 5,000 troops, Palestinian militants in Gaza begin building sand berms, setting explosive devices along major routes an invading force might take; the U.S. urges Israel to give diplomacy time to work before launching a military operation. The IDF also reopens Gaza’s Erez crossing to reps. of international agencies and PA officials with VIP status (though they must cross on foot); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya; sends troops into al-Fara‘a r.c., firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qabatya, nr. Tulkarm; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall in Bayt Jala nr. Bethlehem, uprooting 200 Palestinian olive trees. The PRCs announced that they have kidnapped an 18-yr.-old Jewish settler fr. Itamar, who was last seen hitchhiking nr. French Hill settlement in East Jerusalem on 6/25. A car bomb explodes in Gaza City, killing Hamas military cmdr. Hamza Abu Mukharrib, wounding several bystanders; the IDF denies responsibility, no other group claims it. PSF mbrs. shoot, wound a Hamas mbr. in Khan Yunis in what may be a continuation of 6/23–24 clashes. (HA, MM, REU, PCHR 6/27; JP, MENA, OSC, PSCT, VOI, VOP 6/27 in WNC 6/28; HA, NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 6/28; PCHR 6/29)

Israel’s DM Peretz, fmr. Israeli DM and current Dep. PM and Transportation M Shaul Mofaz approve Israeli defense contacts with PA municipal officials and “PA functionaries not associated with Hamas on issues deemed essential by both sides,” but not with PA Ms or dir. gens. of the ministries. Israeli DMin. officials acknowledge that Hamas has been observing the cease-fire it announced on 6/15. The IDF makes an air strike on a car with 3 AMB mbrs. driving in central Gaza City, but the men escape before the rocket hits; 3 Palestinian children (ages 5, 6, 16) are killed, 2 AMB mbrs. and 13 bystanders including many children are injured. The IDF also demolishes a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin, Nablus (clashing with Palestinian gunmen, leaving 1 Palestinian gunman dead, 2 bystanders wounded) and nr. Hebron (searching an Islamic charitable society, confiscating files, computers, cell phones). Islamic Jihad fires 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Israel also deports Tulkarm resident Rasmi Subayh, held in administrative detention since 9/05, to Gaza for 2 yrs. Jewish settlers in Hebron stone to death a 30-yr.-old Palestinian. (HA, MM, PNN 6/20; OSC, PSCT 6/20 in WNC 6/21; MM, NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 6/21; HA, PCHR 6/22)

The IDF sends troops into Gaza to level 20 d. of land along the s. border nr. alQarara; sends undercover units into Bala’a and Thinnaba nr. Tulkarm to arrest 5 wanted Palestinians; conducts additional arrest raids in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron; patrols in al-Fara‘a r.c., firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 1; raids a girls’ high school in ‘Anata, East Jerusalem, firing tear gas to disperse students and parents attending graduation ceremonies. Jewish settlers fr. the unauthorized outpost of Brakha Bet nr. Nablus break into a Palestinian quarry in nearby Hawara, set fire to several trailers, including 1 in which they know a Palestinian guard is inside; they beat the guard when he escapes the fire; settlers attacked the same quarry on 4/22. Fatah, Hamas mbrs. clash in n. Gaza, leaving 4 mbrs. fr. each side wounded; no reason for the violence is reported. (MM 5/12; HA, IMEMC 5/13; HA 5/14; PCHR 5/18)

The IDF arrests without charge Hamas’s chief West Bank spokesman Farhad Asad; raids an elementary school in Hebron, arresting a 12-yr.-old Palestinian for throwing stones; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 6), in Jenin r.c., nr. Hebron. In a rare move, Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality approves 17 proposals for Arab construction in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Bayt Hanina, Shu‘fat on approximately 1,000 d. of land; Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski calls the decision a “revolutionary step” that constitutes a “breakthrough” for Palestinian residents of the city. (JP 4/25; IMEMC, WP 4/26; PCHR 4/27)

IDF undercover units raid Bethlehem, open fire on a car, assassinating wanted AMB mbrs. Daniel Abu Hammami and Ahmad Muslih, wounding a 3d. The IDF also closes Kerem Shalom crossing for the day; raids al-Amal Hospital in Nablus, searching wards for wanted Palestinians; raids a PA police station in Azariyya in East Jerusalem, detaining 2 officers; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm. In Gaza City, armed Fatah mbrs. protest outside the PA Health Min. offices in Gaza City, demanding assistance for relatives in need of medical treatment abroad, and begin to riot when they are told that budget constraints have forced the government to slash funding for medical transports abroad; when PA police are unable to quell the demonstration, the Health M calls in Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbrs. to support the police, sparking an exchange of gunfire with the Fatah mbrs., leaving 3 Fatah mbrs. wounded. In Nablus, AMB gunmen (mbrs. of the PA security forces) fire on the historic Nablus municipal building, forcing employees to evacuate, demanding that the Hamas mayor close his offices, that the PA pay their salaries. To calm tensions, Abbas orders the PA security forces to cancel plans for a massive pro-Fatah rally in Ramallah against Mishal’s 4/21 statements. (IMEMC, PNN, YA 4/23; MM, WP, WT 4/24; OCHA 4/26; PCHR 4/27)

Israel says that the Hamas-led PA is responsible for the 4/17 suicide bombing but that it will not launch a large-scale military operation in retaliation so as to “avoid escalation”; instead it will increase “diplomatic pressure” on the government, including revoking the Israeli residency rights of 3 Change and Reform PC mbrs. (including Jerusalem Affairs M Abu ‘Arafa) from East Jerusalem, meaning they would have to leave the city. The AMB, ARB, PRCs issue a joint statement demanding that Abbas “apologize to the entire Palestinian people for the offense he committed” by condemning the 4/17 suicide bombing. Meanwhile, the IDF steps up Operation Southern Arrow, shelling areas of n. Gaza, hitting a sewage treatment facility, seriously injuring 3 Palestinian children, and wounding a farmer working his field, a shepherd grazing his sheep, a Palestinian outside his home in Bayt Lahiya, a Palestinian walking in a residential area of Bayt Hanun, a truck driver nr. the customs bureau in Jabaliya; detains, severely beats a 16-yr.-old Palestinian boy at a Bethlehem checkpoint for allegedly carrying a knife; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, in Nablus (confiscating the camera of an AP journalist covering the raid). Israeli police detain PA Jerusalem Affairs M Abu ‘Arafa at a checkpoint on the outskirts of East Jerusalem as he is en route to a PA cabinet mtg., delaying him 2 hrs. (AFP, AP, IMEMC, JP, NYT, PNN, REU, WP 4/18; MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/19; MM, PCHR 4/20; HA 4/24)

The IDF fires artillery shells at the Bayt Hanun industrial zone, hitting a nearby cattle farm, killing 46 cows; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, and in and around Jenin town and r.c. (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 4), Nablus. Israeli police arrest Change and Reform PC mbr. Muhammad Abu Tir in East Jerusalem, where he is a resident, arrest 7 Palestinians thought to be planning a Hamas rally in the city. Jewish settlers in Hebron attack a Palestinian boy, attempt to break into a Palestinian home nr. Beit Hadasah settlement. (HA, IMEMC 4/16; PCHR 4/20; OCHA 4/23)

A Palestinian hitchhiker dressed as an observant Jew detonates a bomb inside an Israeli car that picks him up outside Keddumim settlement, killing 4 Jewish settlers and himself; AMB–Nablus faction claims responsibility. PA FM Mahmud Zahhar (Change and Reform) defends the bombing as legitimate resistance, whereas Abbas denounces it; Israel accuses the PA of encouraging terror. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF responds by shelling n. Gaza fr. land and sea, causing no damage or injuries; makes 6 F-16 air strikes outside Bayt Hanun and Bayt Lahiya, damaging an electricity network, several roads; warns the PA that it will increase pressure on Palestinians firing rockets fr. Gaza, will fire on any place fr. which fire is directed at Israel, even if PA security forces are operating in the area. The IDF also closes the only checkpoints allowing Palestinian access to the n. Jordan Valley (at least through 4/5); closes all but 1 road leading into Tulkarm; erects a permanent observation post and tower on the Bethlehem– Hebron road into Hebron; issues military orders seizing part of a Palestinian home in Hebron nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs, 200 sq. m. of Palestinian land in al-Arub r.c. nr. Hebron to expand an IDF outpost; searches the offices of the Cultural Forum in Sur al-Bahir outside Jerusalem, confiscating files, damaging furniture; breaks up a Land Day rally in East Jerusalem, arresting 4 Palestinians, including 2 journalists; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers, escorted by IDF troops, attack Palestinian farmers, international peace activists planting trees on Palestinian land in Hebron. (IMEMC 3/30; MM, NYT, WP 3/31; NYT 4/1; PCHR 4/6)

Mofaz orders Qarni crossing to remain closed despite warnings by international agencies (see 3/1) that some food supplies are dwindling in Gaza. The IDF conducts 4 air strikes on the n. Gaza no-go zone, damaging several roads, cutting electricity to parts of Bayt Hanun; begins construction of a new 20-mi segment of the separation wall s. of Hebron that will isolate 3,000 Palestinians and 80,000 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of Palestinian land; tightens restrictions on Palestinian travel around Tulkarm; demolishes a Palestinian home nr. East Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c., Balata r.c., Tulkarm (firing on residential areas). In retaliation for the 3/1 assassination of Islamic Jihad mbr. Dadu, the AMB, PRCs fire 10 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Palestinian gunmen occupy the PC building in Gaza, fire weapons, demand to speak to the newly elected Hamas leadership to demand the reinstatement of some PA employees who were laid off 2 wks. ago. A Palestinian stabs, wounds an Israeli truck driver at the Atarot industrial zone in n. Jerusalem. (AFP, HA, IMEMC 3/2; NYT 3/3; NYT 3/4; PCHR 3/9)

The PA says it will be 2 wks. late in paying civil servants their 2/06 salaries because of Israel’s decision to cut off VAT transfers and the time it will take to secure additional funds. (REU 3/2)

Islamic Jihad senior military cmdr. Khalid Dadu, 9 times the target of failed IDF assassination attempts, is killed in Gaza City when he opens the door of his bombrigged car; Israel, which has evacuated its troops fr. Gaza in 9/05, denies responsibility; Palestinian collaborators are suspected; Islamic Jihad vows retaliation. IDF undercover units, driving a car with Palestinian plates, enter Anza nr. Jenin, raid a store, arrest a wanted Palestinian. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, searches in Bani Na‘im and in and around Jenin, Nablus. Israeli police arrest 2 Change and Reform PC mbrs., a 3d Hamas mbr. touring al-Makassid hospital in East Jerusalem for “conducting illegal political activities.” AMB gunmen fatally shoot 1 Jewish settler, wound a 2d at a West Bank gas station nr. Migdalim settlement nr. Nablus. (HA, IMEMC 3/1; AFP, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 3/2; PCHR 3/9)

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that stocks of basic goods (including flour, sugar, cooking oil) in Gaza could run out within days unless Israel reopens the Qarni crossing (closed from 1/15–2/5, then closed again on 2/21); says shortages are so severe that aid programs are being affected (e.g., the World Food Program, which delivers flour to around 146,000 Gazans, has used up its 2 mo. supply buffer and is currently on hold). Meanwhile, costs of basic goods in Gaza are up by 25% due to shortages. Israel claims the closing is in response to an “enhanced terrorist threat” and concerns over avian flu, is not punishment for Hamas’s 1/06 election victory. (REU 3/1; AFP 3/2; NYT 3/6; WP 3/16)

The IDF bars CEC officials fr. transporting election boxes through a Tulkarm checkpoint to 21 al-Sha‘rawiyya polling stations; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin. The Shin Bet summons PNN correspondent Mais Abu Ghazaleh for questioning, releases her with an “offer” to “consider cooperating with them to inform them on her future work with PNN.” Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into the Negev, causing no damage or injuries. Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality fines Fatah, Hamas, the PFLP $100,000 each for hanging campaign posters in East Jerusalem. Fatah gunmen in Nablus fatally shoot Fatah election official Yusif Hassuna after he tells them to stop shooting at campaign posters for Ghassan Shaka‘a (opposed by some Fatah mbrs.) on his house; 1,000 Palestinians later march to Nablus’s main police station to protest the killing, the police’s failure to end lawlessness. Some 40 Islamic Jihad mbrs. march in Tulkarm, demanding the release of prisoners fr. Palestinian jails, calling for an election boycott, firing on a PA police station (causing no injuries); PA police disperse the crowd. (AP, HA, IMEMC, PCHR, YA 1/24; PCHR 1/26; PNN press release 1/28)

An Islamic Jihad suicide bomber fr. Nablus detonates a device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing only himself, wounding 24 Israelis (1 critically). The PA accuses Islamic Jihad of trying to derail the 1/25 elections. The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian throwing a Molotov cocktail at troops in Hebron; arrests Fatah candidate fr. Jerusalem Ahmad ‘Abd al-Rahim at a campaign rally in Shu‘fat, East Jerusalem; raids, seals an office in East Jerusalem linked to Change and Reform campaigning, confiscating computers, documents; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes nr. Jenin for construction of the separation wall; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and nr. Hebron, nr. Ramallah, and in Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. n. Gaza towards Israel, but it lands in Bayt Lahiya, damaging a Palestinian home, lightly injuring a 7-yr.-old girl. (AP, IMEMC, JTA 1/19; HA, NYT, IMEMC, WP, WT 1/20; WT 1/21; PCHR 1/26)

Responding to the 1/17 Ayadi assassination, an AMB gunman fires across the Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun, fatally shooting an IDF soldier inside Israel. In response, the IDF recloses Gaza’s Erez crossing (reopened on 1/16 after 1 mo.) and Sufa commercial crossing. The IDF also arrests 7 Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa list candidates in Jerusalem as they prepare to hold a press conference on the upcoming elections; raids Jenin town and r.c., exchanges fire with wanted Palestinians, leaving 2 soldiers, 3 Palestinians wounded; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn al-Bayda nr. Jenin, Amara r.c., Dura, Qalqilya and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Qabatya, Tulkarm. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; one lands inside Gaza. Israeli police in East Jerusalem arrest Palestinian candidates (including Change and Reform, Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa) slated to speak at an election rally, accusing them of belonging to outlawed groups and forcing the cancellation of the rally. (IMEMC, JP, YA 1/18; HA, NYT, PCHR, REU, YA 1/19; PCHR 1/26)

The IDF reopens Gaza’s Erez crossing (closed on 12/16); fatally shoots an armed Palestinian in Nablus who reportedly was guarding his home after recent clashes with other Palestinians, also killing 1 Palestinian inside the home and wounding 5; detains 3 of Hamas’s Change and Reform candidates in East Jerusalem; bars several candidates running in the Hebron district fr. entering al-Ramadin village to campaign; raids offices in East Jerusalem allegedly linked to Change and Reform campaigning; sends troops into Kafr Dan west of Jenin, fires on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Alar, Jalazun r.c., Qalqilya, al-Til.Israeli police break up a Change and Reform campaign rally in East Jerusalem, detaining 3 candidates, 3 other Palestinians. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino set fire to 6 Palestinian shops in the Hebron cloth market. (IMEMC, JP, PCHR 1/15; NYT, WP, WT 1/16; PCHR 1/19; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23)

Sharon suffers a massive stroke. Sharon, who was expected to win a 3d term in the 3/06 elections at the head of his new Kadima party, is not expected to return to politics, throwing the elections into question. Political powers are transferred to Vice PM Ehud Olmert, Sharon’s close ally. (BBC, JTA 1/4; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 1/5; DS 1/6; CSM 1/9)

The IDF seals the West Bank, Gaza for the 4-day Muslim holiday of Id al-Adha; conducts predawn mock air raids over Gaza, breaking the sound barrier; raids a house in East Jerusalem, breaks up a mtg. being held by Change and Reform candidate Ahmad Attoun; bulldozes a Palestinian home nr. Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. (firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 9), in and around Bethlehem, Ramallah, Tulkarm. In continued retaliation for the 1/2 killings (see 1/3), Islamic Jihad, the AMB fire 8 rockets fr. Gaza towards Ashkelon, Sederot, and the IDF base at the Erez crossing, causing no damage or injuries. IDF soldiers, Israeli police scuffle with Jewish settlers when serving them with notices that they must evacuate by 1/15 Palestinian-owned buildings they have occupied in the Hebron central market; 4 policemen are injured. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize Palestinian homes in Hebron, bar Palestinians fr. using a road linking the settlement to the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs; the IDF observes but does not intervene. About 40 armed AMB mbrs. occupy 4 PA government buildings in Gaza, fire on a police station to protest the 1/3 arrest of AMB leader Hams; other AMB mbrs. set burning barricades on the road to the Rafah crossing (barring all but medical cases fr. reaching the border), detonate an explosive device under the Rafah border wall (causing only minor damage). AMB mbrs. later steal 2 bulldozers, tear down a 15-ft stretch of the concrete Gaza border wall; as many as 1,000 Palestinians, some armed, overrun the Egyptian border guards, who fire in the air, call in reinforcements, declare the area a closed military zone, arrest around 100 Palestinians and injure 3; during the skirmish, some Palestinians set fire to an Egyptian armored vehicle, throw hand grenades and fire at the Egyptian contingent, leaving 2 Egyptian border guards dead and around 30 injured; Egypt closes the Rafah border until further notice. The PA says it will release Hams on 1/5 in response to the protests. PA police in Gaza City, fatally shoot a Hamas mbr. hanging campaign posters. Meanwhile, 5 armed Palestinians raid a Gaza house, attempt to kidnap the parents of Rachel Corrie, an American college student who was killed by the IDF in Gaza in 2003; the gunmen back off when the owners of the home explain who the Corries are. (IMEMC, JAZ, YA 1/4; AP, HA, IMEMC, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 1/5; HA, NYT 1/9; al-Ahram Weekly 1/10; PCHR 1/19; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23)