The Palestine Chronology

In Gaza, the IDF closes the Nahal Oz pipeline; shells areas nr. Gaza City, killing at least 1 Palestinian militant, 1 Palestinian farmer working in her field; shells areas nr. Bayt Hanun (killing 1 Palestinian child outside his home, wounding 5 Palestinians), in al-Shuka; makes air strikes destroying 3 houses nr. Bayt Lahiya (killing 1 Palestinian bystander), in Bayt Hanun, Khan Yunis (also destroying 2 adjacent homes). In Jerusalem, a Palestinian gunman fires on Israeli police, wounding 2 before being shot dead. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Jenin r.c. in cars with Palestinian license plates, surrounds a home, opens fire (wounding a Palestinian bystander in an apartment building nearby), occupying several surrounding houses as sniper positions, evacuates and checks IDs of residents, arrests 1 Palestinian, fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 8 Palestinians (including 2 journalists covering the incident for al-Jazeera, Reuters); patrols in al-Bireh; begins construction of a new segment of the separation wall in Bayt Jala that will cut Palestinians off fr. 5,000 d. of agricultural land and cut off the access of Battir and Husan Nahalin villages to Bethlehem. The body of a Jewish settler fr. Yakir missing since early in the morning is found in a burnt-out vehicle nr. a West Bank Palestinian village; the AMB takes responsibility for kidnapping, killing him. In Israel, Israeli police free dual Israeli-Canadian citizen Falah after a Haifa District Court orders the police and/or Shin Bet to file formal charges against him or let him go (see 7/26). A Palestinian wounded during the 7/26 IDF raid on Kafr Qadim dies. A 2d Palestinian dies of injuries received during IDF operations in Nablus on 7/19. (OCHA 7/27; NYT 7/28; NYT 7/29; PCHR 8/3)

Israel’s security cabinet approves call-ups for up to 3 divisions of reservists (15,000–30,000 reserves) for the war on Lebanon. The IDF makes some 180 air and artillery strikes on targets across Lebanon, including hitting radio and TV relays in Amshit n. of Beirut, 3 trucks in the Biqa‘ Valley carrying emergency food supplies to Beirut. Ground clashes continue in Bint Jubayl, 2 residential apartment buildings nr. an Amal headquarters in Tyre; a Lebanese army base in n. Lebanon; roads, buildings in s. Lebanon and the Biqa‘ Valley, including al-Khiyam, Kafr, Nabatiyya, Sidon, Tuffah, Riyaq, Zahleh. The IDF broadcasts radio warnings to s. Lebanon residents that their villages would be “totally destroyed” if rockets are fired fr. them. Hizballah fires some 110 rockets into n. Israel, wounding 7 Israelis and hitting an empty factory in Haifa, also hitting sites in Carmiel, Nahariya Safad, Tiberias. (IFM 7/27; NYT, WP, WT 7/28)

The IDF withdraws troops fr. n. Gaza, leaving 60–130 Palestinian homes and a UNRWA clinic completely destroyed or uninhabitable; sends troops into al-Shuka village nr. Rafah, cutting electricity, bulldozing large areas of agricultural land, forcing 97 families (703 Palestinians) to flee their homes (UNRWA sets up 3 tent shelters in Jabaliya r.c. to house them); fires across the border into residential areas of Nussayrat r.c., wounding 1 Palestinian; shells and fires missiles fr. helicopters at areas in and around Abasan and nr. Khan Yunis; allows EU monitors to reopen the Rafah crossing for entry to Gaza; resumes shelling of n. Gaza late in the evening. Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Bethlehem, raiding an apartment building, checking residents’ IDs, detaining 1 Palestinian; raids, vandalizes an UNRWA office and a youth center in Aida r.c.; raids the Ramallah Governate offices and the nearby office of the Palestine News Agency (WAFA), vandalizing them, detaining 5 Palestinians, including 2 PA police officers; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin. Unidentified gunmen fire on the home of a senior PSF official, killing 1 bodyguard, wounding 2. (OCHA 7/18; NYT 7/19; PCHR 7/20; OCHA 7/27)

The IDF strikes at least 110 targets across Lebanon, hitting a Lebanese army base (killing 11 soldiers, wounding 35), a home in s. Lebanon (killing 9 Lebanese civilians), targets in Baalbek; targets trucks in what is seen as a new campaign aimed at preventing Hizballah from relocating rockets, though most trucks hit are civilian ones bearing essential goods to Lebanese towns, including destroying a convoy in the Biqa‘ Valley carrying medical supplies fr. the UAE; continuing to destroy roads and bridges. At least 20 Lebanese are killed during the day. The IDF confirms that small special forces teams have been conducting “pinpoint operations” in s. Lebanon, searching for arms caches and tunnels, withdrawing quickly; today some teams clash with Hizballah mbrs. reportedly leaving 2 IDF soldiers dead, 3 injured. Hizballah fires up to 130 rockets at some 10 cities in n. Israel, killing 1 Israeli, wounding around 20 in Nahariya, also hitting Haifa, Kiryat Shimona, Safad, Tiberias. The UN estimates that 500,000 Lebanese (out of a population of 4 million) have fled their homes to escape the violence. Lebanese begin to report shortages and rising costs of essential items, such as food and gas; begin withdrawing cash from banks and converting money into dollars in preparation for long-term deflation and economic hardship. (AP 7/18; AP, REU 7/19; NYT, WP, WT 7/19)

Overnight, the IDF drops 2 quarter-ton bombs on a 3-story building in Gaza City in an attempt to assassinate chief Hamas bomb-maker Muhammad Dayif, 4 times previously the target of Israeli assassination since 2000, wounding Dayif, killing senior Hamas mbr. Nabil al-Salima,his wife and 7 children, wounding Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades n. Gaza cmdr. Ahmad al-Gander and at least 33 bystanders, seriously damaging 15 surrounding homes. At the same time, the IDF also expands Operation Summer Rains with a major incursion into central Gaza, sending 10s of tanks, APCs, armored bulldozers across the Kissufim crossing under helicopter and drone escort and moving troops north fr. positions nr. Abasan, cutting the Strip in half, ordering PA security forces to leave the area, shelling and bulldozing surrounding areas. During the day, the IDF reportedly kills at least 22 other Palestinians and wounds at least 14 in major gun battles nr. Dayr al-Balah in central Gaza and in air and artillery strikes around Dayr al-Balah and Khan Yunis; the PRC’s Salah al-Din Brigades Khan Yunis leader Hisham Abu Nusayra, a PA policeman are killed in separate air strikes in Khan Yunis and a police station in alQarara is hit. The IDF also bulldozes 65 d. of agricultural land, partially demolishes 8 Palestinian homes and a car, and occupies 10 Palestinian homes as military posts in Dayr al-Balah; withdraws fr. the Qarni industrial estate (held since 7/8), allowing humanitarian and commercial imports to resume, and from Dahaniyya airport (held since 6/28), allowing PA security forces to enter the airport and the Rafah crossing and around 1,000 displaced Palestinians (see 7/8) to return to their homes. Palestinians try to fire rockets fr. Gaza toward Kissufim, but they fall short, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Dura, Nablus to conduct arrest raids. A Palestinian militant dies of injuries received during the 7/7 IDF air strikes on Bayt Lahiya. (BBC, HA, IMEMC, NYT, OCHA, PCHR, WP, WT 7/12; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 7/13; PCHR 7/20; NYT 7/21; B’Tselem 8/3)

Before dawn, Hizballah launches a crossborder attack on Israel, dubbed Operation True Promise, firing rockets across the Blue Line into n. Israel as a diversion; sending fighters in to n. Israel to attack an IDF patrol btwn. Zarit and Shetula, capturing 2 IDF soldiers, killing 3 soldiers, wounding 2. The IDF sends troops into Lebanon to search for the missing soldiers, where an IDF tank hits a mine, killing 4 IDF soldiers and marking Israel’s 1st ground incursion into Lebanon since its 5/00 withdrawal. (An 8th IDF soldier is killed, 2 others are wounded in Lebanon late in the evening as they try to recover the remains of the 4 tank occupants.) The IDF also launches air strikes and directs heavy artillery, tank fire on some 40 Hizballah positions, roads, bridges, power stations in s. Lebanon, killing at least 2 Lebanese civilians, 1 Lebanese soldier, wounding at least 10. The Lebanese government requests that UNIFIL broker a cease-fire, but Israel says a cease-fire would be contingent upon return of the captured soldiers. Hizballah leader Shaykh Hasan Nasrallah says the group plans to hold the 2 soldiers for the release of 3–4 Lebanese held by Israel. During the day, IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz calls up a reserve infantry division for deployment to the n. Israel border and sends the Israeli navy into Lebanese waters, threatening a massive invasion of Lebanon; makes air strikes on a Palestinian guerrilla base s. of Beirut. (BBC, HA, IFM 7/12; HA, IFM, NYT, WP, WT 7/13; UNIS 7/14)

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, the IDF launches Operation Summer Rains, sending ground troops into s. Gaza; retaking the Dahaniyya airport area as a base, demolishing 5 Palestinian homes and bulldozing land to improve lines of sight, and blowing up 3 bridges to control movement between the Rafah and Gaza City environs; conducting 7 air strikes on Gaza’s only electricity plant nr. Gaza City and 6 transformer stations, wounding 2 Palestinians, blacking out 45% of the Strip, and leaving Gaza fully dependent on electricity fr. Israel); shelling open areas of s. Gaza; repeatedly breaking the sound barrier over the Strip. The IDF’s elite Givati Brigade deploys outside n. Gaza, prepared to enter if rocket attacks resume. Midafternoon, IDF artillery begins shelling n. Gaza for the 1st time since the 6/9 incident that killed 8 Palestinians. After Palestinians fire 2 rockets into Israel in response (causing no damage or injuries), the IDF warns n. Gaza residents to evacuate the area, with Olmert saying that IDF operations will escalate until Shalit is released. In a warning to Syrian pres. Bashar al-Asad and Hamas’s Damascus-based leadership, the Israeli air force makes overflights of Asad’s residence in Latakia (where he is believed to be staying) and along the Syrian coast. Meanwhile, Palestinians fire 6 more rockets toward Israel, but all land inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. The AMB says it has kidnapped a 62-yr.-old Israeli man fr. Rishon Letzion, inside Israel, who has been missing since 6/26; issues a statement threatening to target Israeli embassies abroad. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Iktaba nr. Tulkarm; raids a Fatah office in al-Bireh, confiscating computers, arresting 3 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm, nr. Hebron. In Khan Yunis, 2 Palestinian children are killed when they accidentally detonate unexploded IDF ordnance. In West Jerusalem, around 100 ultra-Orthodox Jews attack a tour group of 50 pro-Israel Christians for wearing shirts saying “love your neighbor as yourself”; Israeli police intervene to stop the attack but make no arrests; 3 tourists, 1 police officer are injured. (AP, BBC, B’Tselem press release, HA, IFM, IMEMC, ITV, MM, NYT, PCHR, REU, Voice of the Arabs [Cairo], WP, WT, YA 6/28; OSC 6/28 in WNC 6/30; BBC, CSM, HA, IMEMC, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT 6/29; Globe, PCHR 6/29; HJ 7/1 in WNC 7/1; see also AFP, MENA, PSCT 6/27 in WNC 6/28; OCHA 6/30; PCHR 7/6; REU 7/11)

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)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus (firing on residential areas and stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, seriously wounding 1), in Hebron, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Abbas deploys mbrs of Force 17 (under his command) to Qarni crossing to take over security responsibility fr. security forces under Interior M Siyam’s control. Unidentified gunmen kidnap, shoot and wound a PA intelligence service officer nr. Gaza City. Following the ESF attack on 6/23, ESF, PSF mbrs. exchange fire in Khan Yunis, leaving 1 PSF mbr. wounded. (HA, XIN 6/24; VOI 6/24 in WNC 6/25; OCHA 6/28; PCHR 6/29)

The IDF makes its 1st arrest raid into Gaza since the 9/05 disengagement, temporarily closing the Rafah crossing and sending troops 1,000 m into Rafah to detain 2 wanted Palestinians, allegedly mbrs. of Hamas; Hamas denies the men belong to the group. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Tulkarm r.c. (firing on residential areas), and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Qalqilya. Islamic Jihad fires 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa s. of Hebron beat a Palestinian grazing animals nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar set fire to 3 Palestinian cars, a tractor outside Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Tal Rumayda in Hebron attack 4 international peace activists escorting Palestinian children to school; IDF soldiers observe but do not intervene. Mbrs. of the Hamas-dominated ESF fire on the home of a PSF mbr. in Khan Yunis, wounding 1 bystander. (MM 6/23; HA 6/24; WP, WT 6/25; OCHA, World Council of Churches press release 6/28; PCHR 6/29)

In Gaza, the IDF makes 2 air strikes on Islamic Jihad mbrs. driving in Khan Yunis, missing the car, hitting the street and a house, killing 2 Palestinian bystanders, including a pregnant woman, and wounding 15 bystanders; prevents EU monitors fr. reaching the Rafah crossing, forcing it to close for the day; closes the Sufa and Kerem Shalom crossings for the day, citing security threats; detains 2 unarmed Palestinians attempting to sneak across the Gaza border into Israel to find work; fires on 2 Palestinians swimming off the Gaza coast nr. the Egyptian border, suspected of smuggling, wounding 1. Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Dura (firing on residential areas, then firing live ammunition at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no injuries), Nablus (firing rubber bullets at stone-throwing youths, wounding 12); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron, and in Bethlehem and Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah. In Gaza City, a bomb goes off in a car driven by a mbr. of the Fatah-dominated PSF, injuring the 3 people in the car; no group claims responsibility. Unidentified gunmen shoot, wound 2 Fatah mbrs. in Khan Yunis. (OCHA 6/21; ITV, MENA, VOI, YA 6/21 in WNC 6/22; HA, MM, PCHR, WP, WT 6/22; VOI, YA 6/22 in WNC 6 /23; HA 6/24; OCHA 6/28; PCHR 6/29)

Overnight, a senior mbr. of Hamas’s Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades is killed in Jabaliya r.c. when a large bomb goes off nr. his home; no group takes responsibility. The IDF makes an air strike on a car driving in n. Gaza, assassinating PRC mbrs. Imad Asaliyya, Majdi Hammad, wounding 2 PRC mbrs. in the car, 2 bystanders; sends bulldozers, tanks 200 m into Gaza nr. Bureij r.c. to level land for the construction of a cement wall along the n. Gaza border; sends an undercover unit into ‘Anabta nr. Tulkarm in a car with Palestinian license plates to raid a caf´e and arrest 11 Palestinians; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Jenin, 1 nr. Jericho, 1 nr. Nablus; patrols in Maithalun, stopping Palestinians for random ID checks; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Tulkarm, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin (firing on residential areas); issues military orders confiscating 600 d. of Palestinian land s. of Tulkarm, isolated btwn. the separation wall and the Green Line, for “security purposes”; accompanies an Israeli Archaeological Authority team into Battir nr. Bethlehem to conduct a test dig in the center of the village in search of Jewish historical remains. Gunmen affiliated with Hamas raid a Palestinian TV station in Khan Yunis, damage equipment, accusing the station of supporting Fatah at Hamas’s expense; the Hamas leadership denies the attack was authorized by the group. (MM 6/5; NYT 6/6; OCHA 6/7; PCHR 6/8)

The IDF reopens Sufa and Qarni crossings; patrols in Qarawat Bani Hassan nr. Nablus and Bidiyya nr. Nablus, conducting random ID checks; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. and nr. Bidiyya, Hebron, Ramallah; issues military orders confiscating 895 d. of land nr. Qalqilya for “security purposes.” Late in the evening, Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, accompanied by 10 IDF soldiers, raid 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron, beating the residents, setting fire to at least 30 olive trees, preventing firemen fr. reaching the area. In Gaza City and Khan Yunis, Fatah, Hamas gunmen trade fire, leaving 3 gunmen and 1 bystander dead. (MM, WP 6/5; NYT 6/6; OCHA 6/7; PCHR 6/8)

The IDF sends undercover units into Ramallah’s central shopping district, where they arrest Islamic Jihad’s Qalqilya military leader Muhammad Shubaki; when the unit is confronted by armed militants and stone-throwing protesters, the IDF sends in uniformed reinforcements that clash with the Palestinians, leaving 1 PA General Intelligence officer, 3 bystanders dead, at least 35 Palestinians and 1 IDF soldier wounded. The IDF also sends bulldozers, tanks, jeeps 200 m inside the Gaza border nr. Bureij r.c. to level land for ongoing construction of a cement wall along the n. Gaza border; raids the municipal offices in Maithalun nr. Jenin, removes the Palestinian flag fr. the building, fires tear gas; patrols in Farkha nr. Nablus (firing on residential areas), Kafr Dan; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Bethlehem, and nr. Hebron, Jenin. In central Gaza, PSF chief for central Gaza Nabil Hudud dies when a bomb rigged to his car explodes; no group claims responsibility; Fatah and Hamas gunmen, however, exchange fire outside Gaza’s Shifa Hospital after Hudud’s body is brought in. In Khan Yunis, unidentified gunmen kidnap, shoot 3 Hamas mbrs., killing 1; no group claims responsibility; Hamas accuses the PA security forces. (AFP, Guardian, HA, NYT, PCHR, Palestine Monitor [Internet], WP 5/25; OCHA, PCHR 6/1)

The IDF closes Qarni crossing for 2 days; closes the Kerem Shalom crossing for the day; shells Bayt Lahiya (wounding a Palestinian outside his home, damaging several homes); raids a PA police station in Tamun, confiscating a guard’s gun; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Madama nr. Nablus, ordering all of the village residents to gather the local school for ID checks. At the request of Jewish settlers fr. Suissa, the IDF beats and forcibly removes a Palestinian farmer and his 6-yr.-old son fr. their nearby farm land. Some 50 masked PA policemen (AMB mbrs.), firing in the air, block a main Gaza road in Khan Yunis, briefly seize a government building to protest a 2-wk. delay in their 3/06 salaries. A Palestinian bystander wounded in the 4/7 IDF assassination of PRC cmdr. Abu al-‘Aynayn dies of his injuries. (HA, IMEMC, XIN 4/15; WP, WT 4/16; PCHR 4/20; OCHA 4/23)

Overnight, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, Jenin town and r.c., Tulkarm and nr. Qalqilya. During the day, the IDF reopens the Qarni crossing. Late in the evening, IDF artillery fires 6 shells at open areas nr. Khuza’ e. of Khan Yunis, causing no injuries; resumes arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, in and around Jenin town and r.c. Birzeit University students suspend all classes, demanding the resignation of PA Interior M Yusuf over the conduct of the PA police on 10/29, the release of jailed student leader Barahma. (OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/10)

The IDF erects 2 observation towers, a military post on the Gaza border east of Khan Yunis nr. Khuza’ (cf. 9/8, 10/4); allows the PA to open the Rafah crossing for 48 hrs. to allow Palestinians making the hajj to leave for Saudi Arabia; conducts wide-scale arrest raids and house searches in Bayt Furik, Hebron, Ramallah, Tulkarm (also imposing a curfew). The IDF reportedly has recently started using a nonlethal crowd dispersal method, firing tightly packed mini bean bags at protesters demonstrating against the separation wall in Bil‘in. (AFP 10/23; HA, PCHR 10/27; OCHA 10/31)

The IDF closes the Qarni crossing (reopened on 10/9); begins construction of a 6-m.-high concrete wall 15 m inside the n. Gaza border (see 9/18); conducts arrest raids in and around Hebron (targeting Hamas), Nablus, Yatta. Jewish settlers fr. Elkana beat, chase off a Palestinian family harvesting their olive trees nr. Salfit. AMB mbrs. briefly kidnap an American journalists, British photographer in Khan Yunis, giving no reason; Fatah secures their quick release unharmed. (AFP, IMEMC 10/12; IMEMC, NYT, WP, WT 10/13; PCHR 10/20; OCHA 10/31)

The IDF begins dismantling observation posts around Gaza settlements, replacing them with armored vehicles and tanks in preparation for disengagement; sends troops into Nur al-Shams r.c., searches homes, fires on stone-throwing youths who confront them, killing 1 Palestinian bystander, wounding at least 1; fires tank shells at a graveyard in Khan Yunis where Palestinian reportedly were preparing to launch a mortar, causing damage but no injuries; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in ‘Azun, Balata r.c., Dura, al-Khadir; occupies a house in Silat al-Dahir, turns it into an observation post; patrols in Nablus. Palestinian gunmen loyal to Fatah head Qaddumi kidnap 2 foreign UN workers, their Palestinian driver in Khan Yunis to pressure the PA to secure the release of Fatah mbr. Farah (arrested 8/7); the PA security forces storm the home of a local AMB cmdr., exchange fire with the kidnappers (2 kidnappers, 1 bystander are injured), free the 3 captives unharmed; Farah remains in custody. Citing incidents in Khan Yunis today and on 8/7, the ICRC suspends operations in Gaza to protest the lack of security. (FT, IMEMC, UNIS, XIN 8/8; FT, HA, IMEMC, JP, NYT, PRCS, WT 8/9; OCHA, PR 8/10; PCHR 8/11)

The IDF begins delivering letters to the roughly 1,600 Jewish settler families in the Gaza Strip and 4 West Bank settlements slated for removal under disengagement, giving them until 8/15 to evacuate their homes and receive full compensation; those remaining on 8/17 will be forcibly removed, will not be allowed to return to collect their belongings (which will be packed and shipped by the IDF), will not receive full compensation. (HA 8/8; NYT 8/9)

The IDF fires on residential areas of Rafah, killing 1 Palestinian; opens fire in Nur al-Shams r.c., killing 1 Palestinian teenager, wounding 5 after a Molotov cocktail is thrown at a passing IDF jeep fr. the area; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Jenin and in ‘Azun, Hebron, Khan Yunis, Tulkarm; occupies 3 houses in Jenin, Hebron, Tulkarm as observation posts; bulldozes a grove of Palestinian olive trees in Bayt Surik nr. Jerusalem; arrests 5 Palestinian farmers working their fields nr. the separation wall around Qalqilya nr. ‘Azun, releasing 3 after questioning, holding 2. In response to the 8/4 Shafa ‘Amr killings, AMB gunmen fire on a Jewish settler vehicle in the West Bank, wounding 2 settlers. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on attack, beat 4 Palestinian farmers working their nearby fields. Palestinian gunmen fire on the International Comm. of the Red Cross (ICRC) headquarters in Khan Yunis, causing damage but no injuries. The PA security forces arrest Khan Yunis Fatah official and Qaddumi spokesman Sulayman al-Farah on suspicion of building a local militia; Farah earlier announced that Qaddumi ordered his office to set up a 1,500-man force to help the PA maintain law and order in Gaza during disengagement (see 7/16). (IMEMC, UPI 8/7; NYT 8/8; HA, NYT, WT 8/9; OCHA, PR 8/10; PCHR 8/11)

The IDF makes a predawn raid on Mughraqa in s. Gaza, sending in troops backed by more than 20 armored vehicles to search houses; raids al-Quds University campus in East Jerusalem, arresting Palestine National Council mbr. Ali Abu Hilal, dir. of the university’s Center for Democracy and Human Rights; imposes a curfew on ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron and al-Ram nr. East Jerusalem, nr. Nablus; patrols in Araba nr. Jenin, Ubaydiyya nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm town and r.c. (firing on stone-throwing youths, wounding 1), Za‘tara nr. Bethlehem; fires on unarmed Palestinians attempting to sneak into Israel w. of Hebron to find work, wounding 2. The AMB, DFLP fire mortars at the IDF post at Erez crossing, causing no injuries. The Fatah offshoot Abu Rish Brigades fires a rocket at Neve Dekalim, causing no damage or injuries. Palestinians fire on an IDF patrol nr. Tulkarm r.c., causing no injuries but prompting troops to enter the camp, return fire, injuring 1 Palestinian bystander. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Hadasah severely beat a 16-yr.-old Palestinian in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba severely beat a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy in Hebron. A Jewish settler driving nr. Hebron chases, fires on a carload of Palestinian workers returning fr. their jobs in Israel, seriously wounding 1, lightly wounding a 2d. In Jerusalem, 20 Jewish settlers try to force their way into the al-Aqsa Mosque but are barred by Palestinian guards. PA judges go on strike and demonstrate outside the main court headquarters in Gaza. PA High Court chief justice Surani (whose home was attacked on 8/2) resigns to protest inadequate security (he retracts the resignation on 8/8). (HA, REU, XIN 8/6; REU 8/8; OCHA, PR 8/10; PCHR 8/11)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Jenin; bulldozes 5 d. of olive trees in Kafr Qadim nr. Qalqilya; confiscates 8 d. of land outside Nablus to expand a buffer around an IDF post. A rocket fired by Palestinians at Gush Katif bloc hits a Palestinian house in Khan Yunis, killing 1 Palestinian child, wounding a 2d. A mortar fired by Palestinians at an IDF post in Gaza injures 1 IDF soldier. After an NIHC mtg. in Gaza, the PA, Palestinian factions announce that all factions have reaffirmed their pledge to observe a cease-fire, will remove all armed forces fr. the streets (except those of the PA security forces), will halt provocations and incitement. Israel agrees to renew contacts with the PA regarding coordination on the disengagement, which were suspended following the 7/12 suicide bombing. (IMEMC 7/21; NYT, WT, XIN 7/22; OCHA, PR 7/27; PCHR 7/28)

The IDF begins dismantling 1 of its main posts in Khan Yunis in preparation for disengagement; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c. and Wadi al-Silqa, around Hebron, nr. Qalqilya. Major Hamas-Fatah clashes erupt in Gaza City when PA preventive security force officers outside the force’s headquarters open fire on a car driven by an Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr. Within the hr., Hamas political leaders, senior PA officials hold a press conference appealing for calm, say they are ready to put aside all differences and hold talks on improving relations. Hrs. later unidentified gunmen (some reports say Hamas mbrs.) fire on the Gaza City homes of PA police cmdr. Abu Shibak (see 6/10), Fatah Gaza head Abdallah Franji, Fatah Revolutionary Council mbr. Majid Abu Shammala, Force 17 head Faisal Abu Sharkh, PA security forces Col. Nabil Tamus, and the offices of leading Fatah mbr. Samir Masharawi and the PA preventive security forces headquarters; exchange gunfire with Abu Shibak’s and Franji’s bodyguards, leaving at least 7 Palestinians (at least 2 Franji bodyguards, 2 Abu Shibak bodyguards, 1 attacker) injured. In Jericho and Ramallah, 10s of Palestinians, including some political leaders and heads of organizations, organized by the National and Islamic Higher Committee for the Follow-up of the Intifada (NIHC) stage marches to demand that the PA take action to end lawlessness, support rule of law. A PA police officer dies of injuries received during the IDF incursion into Tulkarm on 7/13. In s. Israel, 1,000s of Israeli protesters observe a 3d and final day of demonstrations against disengagement. (AFP, IMEMC, PCHR, PR, REU, XIN 7/20; AYM 7/20 in WNC 7/21; NYT, PCHR, WP 7/21; OCHA 7/27; PCHR 7/28)

The IDF continues massing tanks, armored vehicles on the n. Gaza border; Sharon instructs security officials to take “all measures, without restrictions, in order to stop the wave of terrorism,” though his advisers suggest that any push into Gaza likely would not happen until after Condoleezza Rice’s visit on 7/22. An IDF sniper (reportedly firing fr. a nearby Jewish settlement) assassinates senior Hamas cmdr. Sa‘id Siyam (not Shaykh Sa‘id Siyam, the Hamas spokesman) outside his home in Khan Yunis. The IDF also lifts the curfews on Tulkarm and surrounding areas imposed on 7/13; fires missiles at a Palestinian vehicle in Bayt Lahiya, injuring 1 Hamas mbr., injured 2 bystanders in an apparent assassination attempt; fires on stone-throwing youths in Tulkarm, wounding 1; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Ramallah and in ‘Azun, Hebron, Kafr Thuluth, Qalqilya, Saida nr. Tulkarm, Wadi al-Silqa. In retaliation, Hamas fires Qassam rockets into Neve Dekalim (hitting a house, injuring 6 settlers), Sederot (causing no injuries). Israel bars indefinitely all visits to Palestinian prisoners as punishment for the 7/12 Netanya bombing. A Palestinian injured in the IDF assassination of 3 Hamas mbrs. in Salfit on 7/15 dies. (HA, IMEMC, PRCS, XIN 7/17; VOI, VOP, YA 8/17, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation 7/18 in WNC 7/18; NYT, WP, WT 7/18; XIN 7/18 in WNC 7/19; OCHA, PR 7/20; PCHR 7/21)

IDF tanks and infantry begin massing on Gaza’s northern border in apparent preparation for a major incursion. The IDF continues operations in and around Tulkarm; conducts predawn missile strikes on 3 auto repair garages, machine shops in Gaza City, Khan Yunis thought to be weapons factories, injuring 3 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and Tulkarm, arresting 26 Hamas, 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs.; also raids, searches homes in Mughraqa; fires on a group of Palestinians trying to cross the closed Abu Huli crossing into Gaza, wounding 4; conducts patrols nr. Ramallah, Tulkarm and in Dahaysha r.c., Nablus (firing on residential areas), Qalqilya, Tubas nr. Jenin. Hamas fires 10 mortars, 8 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza at Sederot and Nisanit settlement (lightly injuring 7 settlers). In Gaza City, some 10,000 Hamas supporters attend the funeral of 4 Hamas mbrs. assassinated on 7/15. In Bayt Lahiya, Hamas gunmen shoot, wound a PA security officer. In Khan Yunis, Palestinian gunmen associated with a Fatah splinter group set fire to the newly opened offices of Fatah head Faruq Qaddumi, then fire on PA security forces posts in the area. In Ramallah, AMB mbrs. fire in the air, order stores to close to protest Palestinian deaths in recent days; PA security forces deploy in response, ordering stores to reopen. (HA, IMEMC, JAZ, REU, YA 7/16; VOI, VOP 7/16 in WNC 7/17; HA, JAZ, JP, NYT, WP, XIN 7/17; VOP 7/17 in WNC 7/18; OCHA, PR 7/20; PCHR 7/21)

Israel releases the leader of the Islamic movement in Israel Shaykh Ra’id Salah, arrested in 5/03, after serving a sentence for directing funds to West Bank and Gaza charities that allegedly support “terrorism”; his sentence was reduced by more than a yr. for good behavior. (REU 7/17; VOI 7/17 in WNC 7/18; JP 7/18 in WNC 7/19; PR 7/20)

Israel confirms that disengagement will begin ca. 8/17. The IDF continues arrest raids in Hebron, Husan nr. Bethlehem, Jenin targeting Islamic Jihad; fires on Palestinian children playing btwn. Ganei Tal and Neve Dekalim settlements outside Khan Yunis, seriously wounding an 11-yr.-old boy; arrests 4 unarmed Palestinians who attempt to cross the Gaza fence into Israel to find jobs. Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza at the Negev, fires on IDF posts in s. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian stonethrower wounded in Nablus on 7/6 dies. (HA 7/9; HA, VOI 7/9 in WNC 7/10; PRCS 7/10; OCHA 7/13; PCHR 7/14)

An Israeli civilian security guard responsible for separation wall construction area outside Bayt Laqia fires on stonethrowing youths, fatally shoots a 15-yr.-old Palestinian working in his family’s vineyard nearby; the IDF bars an ambulance fr. reaching the area for 2 hrs. The IDF conducts arrest raids in Hebron and Jenin, targeting Islamic Jihad; fires on Palestinians holding a daily nonviolent protest against the separation wall nr. Bil‘in, critically wounding 1 Palestinian with a bullet to the head; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; arrests 2 Palestinian farmers working their land nr. Hebron for being too close to the separation wall; raids, occupies 2 Palestinian homes nr. Tulkarm as observation posts. The AMB detonates a roadside bomb nr. an IDF patrol in Rafah, injuring 4 IDF soldiers. Palestinians fire an antitank rocket at an IDF patrol nr. Neve Dekalim, causing no damage or injuries. (AFP, IMEMC 7/8; VOI, YA 7/8 in WNC 7/9; AFP, HA, NYT, WP, WT, XIN 7/9; HA 7/10; AYM 7/10 in WNC 7/11; OCHA 7/13; PCHR 7/14)

The IDF fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, wounding an 8-yr.-old Palestinian; demolishes 5 Palestinian homes outside Nablus that were built without permits; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron. IDF soldiers escorting Jewish settlers to Joseph’s Tomb nr. Balata r.c. exchange gunfire with local Palestinians, leaving 1 AMB mbr. dead, 1 AMB mbr. and 1 bystander wounded. In Gaza, 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. attempt to infiltrate Morag settlement, 1 is fatally shot by the IDF, 1 is wounded. In Gaza, a Jewish settler injures 3 Palestinians in a hit-and-run incident outside of Kefar Darom, local Palestinians race to the scene and IDF soldiers, other Kefar Darom settlers race to the driver’s defense, sparking clashes that leave 9 Palestinians injured, 2 seriously. In a separate incident in Gaza, a Jewish settler fr. Gadid injures a 57-yr.-old Palestinian farmer in a hit-and-run incident outside Khan Yunis. (XIN 7/6; VOP 7/6 in WNC 7/7; AFP, IMEMC, PCHR, PRCS 7/7; VOI 7/7 in WNC 7/8; ISM 7/12; OCHA 7/13; PCHR 7/14)

An IDF aircraft fires 2 missiles at a well in Bayt Hanun, destroying it. Around 40 Jewish settlers fr. Tal Yam outpost in Gaza (see 6/27) chanting “Death to Arabs” occupy 2 Palestinian homes in al-Mawasi, throw stones at Palestinians and IDF soldiers nearby, severely beat 1 Palestinian in what observers describe as a near lynching (the incident, caught on video by an Israeli cameraman, is described by Sharon on 6/30 as “a barbaric, wild, and heartless act”); an Israeli reporter pulls the critically injured Palestinian to safety; the IDF arrests the settlers, evicts them fr. the area. The IDF fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, wounding 2 Palestinians; raids, occupies 2 Palestinian homes in al-Til as observation posts; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c. and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Tulkarm. The AMB, Islamic Jihad, the PRCs take joint responsibility for firing 2 mortars at Netzarim, causing no damage or injuries. During the day, Palestinians fire 10s of rockets, at least 1 mortar at Gaza settlements, lightly injuring 1 foreign worker in Gush Katif. Israeli police arrest around 150 Israeli disengagement protesters who attempt to block roads across Israel during rush hour, causing limited tie-ups. (AFP, XIN 6/29; VOI 6/29 in WNC 6/30; BBC, PCHR, Palestine News Network, WP, XIN 6/30; HA 7/2; JP 7/2 in WNC 7/3; UPI, YA 7/3; NYT 7/5; OCHA, PR 7/6; PCHR 7/7; NYT 7/15)

The IDF uncovers, demolishes a tunnel leading fr. Khan Yunis to Neve Dekalim settlement, passing under an IDF checkpoint; fires on residential areas of Aida r.c.; raids, occupies 5 houses outside Hebron, 4 outside Tulkarm as observation posts. Islamic Jihad fires 4 mortars at Gaza’s Morag settlement, causing no damage or injuries. Hamas fires 3 Qassam rockets at Sederot; 2 hit inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries; the 3d does not fire. Jewish settlers occupy a 3-story Palestinian building nr. the site of beachfront buildings demolished by the IDF on 6/26, declare establishment of a new unauthorized settlement outpost, Tal Yam. Jewish settlers fr. Efrat occupy a Palestinian home nr. the s. entrance to Bethlehem, are evicted by the IDF. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba throw stones, Molotov cocktails at a house and farm, causing damage, burning several trees. As many as 40,000 Israeli motorists protesting the government’s disengagement plans pull over to the side of the road and pause for 15 mins. during rush hour, creating traffic tie-ups. (HA, REU, XIN 6/27; PCHR, WT 6/28; OCHA 6/29; PHRC 6/30)

The IDF demolishes 11 long-abandoned bungalows along the s. Gaza shore outside Shirat Hayam settlement being used by some 100 West Bank Jewish settlers who recently came to Gaza to block disengagement; the settlers scuffle with soldiers, break into a nearby Palestinian clinic, damage 12 d. of Palestinian crops and an irrigation network nearby; 1 IDF soldier is arrested, ordered jailed for 56 days for refusing to follow orders to carry out the demolition. The IDF also conducts arrest raids in, fires on residential areas of ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; imposes a curfew on Saffa nr. Ramallah; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Bethlehem, Tulkarm; begins construction of a new separation wall segment northeast of Jerusalem nr. ‘Anata. In Rafah, 4 Palestinian children are injured when they trigger either a roadside bomb or unexploded IDF ordnance. A Palestinian stabs, wounds an IDF soldier in East Jerusalem, is arrested. A Jewish settler beats, injures a Palestinian man in Hebron; the IDF intervenes, arrests the settler. Another group of Jewish settlers fr. Beit Haggai beat 2 Palestinian employees of the Hebron Reconstruction Comm. doing work on local Palestinian homes. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino in Hebron burn down a Palestinian shop, vandalize several others. A Jewish settler wounded in the 6/24 shooting outside Hebron dies. (HA, IMEMC, XIN 6/26; VOI 6/26 in WNC 6/27; NYT, WP, WT 6/27; PCHR 6/28; OCHA, PR, WP, WT, XIN 6/29; PHRC 6/30)

Israel announces that the IDF will resume targeting Islamic Jihad mbrs. for assassination. The PA warns that the move could rupture the unofficial cease-fire, but Israel argues that the targeting would still be in line with truce provisions, which it claims allow Israel to defend itself against imminent attack if the PA security forces fail to do so; the PA rejects this. Later, the IDF fires missiles at a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Bayt Lahiya in an apparent assassination attempt. The IDF also conducts major arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. and Nablus, clashing with local gunmen, leaving no reported casualties; conducts other arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, nr. Jenin; demolishes 10 Palestinian homes in Jiftlik nr. Jericho; bulldozes 5 d. of land in, fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts patrols in Kafr Dik nr. Nablus, Tamun nr. Jenin. A Palestinian grabs the gun of an Israeli security guard at the Barkan industrial zone nr. Ariel settlement, shoots and wounds the guard, flees. Palestinian gunmen fire on an IDF outpost nr. Gush Katif, causing damage but no injuries. Palestinian gunmen fire on a building in Balata r.c. where Qurai‘ is giving a speech, detonate a roadside bomb as he and his convoy leave the area; no injuries are reported in either incident, no group claims responsibility. (AFP, HA, WP, WT, XIN 6/22; PCHR 6/23; VOP 6/23 in WNC 6/24; OCHA, PR 6/29; PHRC 6/30)