The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 4 Palestinians during a raid in Arab ar-Rashaiyda. Israeli settlers also assault a Palestinian man near Dura, threatening to kill him if he continues to herd his sheep in the area. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers steal a tractor in Battir. Israeli settlers also throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling between Huwwara and Qalqilya. Israeli forces raid Balata refugee camp, demolishing homes and razing a main street. Israeli forces also arrest 10 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Nablus, Balata refugee camp, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 5 Palestinians during raids in al-Tur and Shu’fat refugee camp. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Maghazi, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, and Gaza City, killing at least 77 people, including 4 at a tent for journalists outside of al-Aqsa Hospital in Dayr al-Balah where a WHO team is visiting to the assess needs of the hospital. Israeli forces also continue to raid and besiege al-Shifa Hospital. 4 Palestinians die of starvation at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, bringing the number of hunger-related deaths to at least 34. An Israeli soldier is killed in combat and another soldier succumbs to wounds sustained on 3/29. In Ashdod, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man who allegedly stabbed and injured 3 Israelis in a shopping mall. In Beersheba, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian citizen of Israel who allegedly stabbed and injured an Israeli soldier at a bus station. In Jerusalem, tens of thousands of Israelis rally, calling for new elections. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb Kounine, killing Hezbollah commander Ismail al-Zin. Israeli forces also bomb Meiss Ej-Jabal, Blida, Markaba, and Kafr Kila. Hezbollah forces attack Israeli military sites in Metulla and al-Manara. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb Damascus, killing 2 people. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/31; AJ, HA, HA, NYT 4/1; UNOCHA 4/3)

More than 32,782 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 75,298 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 445 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 112 children. More than 4,700 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 254 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,520 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 226 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. U.S. forces airdrop 50,000 meals over northern Gaza. UK forces also airdrop aid over Gaza. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 3/31; UNOCHA 4/3)

Israeli military officials and soldiers tell Haaretz that Israel has designated “kill zones” in Gaza where all Palestinians entering the invisible zone are classified as terrorists and soldiers are ordered to kill all unarmed adult men. (HA 3/31)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas swears in the new PA government headed by prime minister Mohammad Mustafa, who also will be the new foreign minister. (HA 3/30; AJ, WAFA 3/31; WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/1)

A Hamas official tells Al-Aqsa TV that the PA has sent undercover security forces to Gaza using an Egyptian aid convoy and that 6 members of the security forces have been arrested. The PA denies the claim. (AJ, REU 3/31; HA 4/1)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a speech that “the whole world is ganging up on us,” calling on Israelis to unite in defending Israel physically and morally. Netanyahu also says the invasion of Rafah is not delayed due to U.S. pressure and rejects calls for early elections. After the speech Netanyahu undergoes surgery for a hernia, leaving Justice Minister Yariv Levin as acting prime minister. Netanyahu will be released from the hospital on 4/2. (AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU 3/31; HA, REU 4/1)

Israeli attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara sends letters to the ministers of defense and education, telling them that ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students must be drafted into the military starting on 4/1. (AJ, HA 3/31)

Pope Francis calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives during his Easter address. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, WAFA 3/31)

The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. is concerned that intelligence sharing with Israel is leading to civilian deaths. The Journal also says that the Biden administration wrote a memo after 10/7/2023 expanding the scope of intelligence sharing with Israel. (AJ, HA, WSJ 3/31)

UN sources tell the Guardian that Israeli military chief of staff Herzi Halavi presented to UN officials last week a plan to dismantle UNRWA, which would include the transfer of some UNRWA staff to a replacement agency that would focus on the delivery of aid in Gaza or expanding the World Food Programme’s operations in Gaza. (GDN 3/31; AJ 4/1)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Khalayel al-Looz near Bethlehem, causing injuries and damage to property. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man and injured 16 others during a late-night raid in Jenin to punitively demolish the home of a Palestinian accused of killing 3 Israelis in Tel Aviv in April. The Palestinian man killed was reportedly filming the Israeli raid with his mobile phone when he was shot in the chest. The punitive demolition was carried out with explosives and Israeli forces cleared out 29 nearby buildings before blowing up the apartment. 1 other Palestinian later succumbed to his injuries on 9/11. Israeli forces also raided Jalazun refugee camp, injuring 4 with live ammunition; 4 were arrested. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Arroub refugee camp, injuring 1 minor with a stun grenade to his head. Israeli forces also seized 2 caravans and building equipment and demolished 2 agricultural structures and a water well in al-Khader. 16 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in al-Bireh, al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, Kisan, Bethlehem, and Hebron. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers east of Dayr al-Balah and Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. (AJ, AP, CNN, HA, JP, MEE, MEMO, NAT, PCHR, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/6; PCHR 9/8; HA, MEE 9/11; UNOCHA 9/16)

Israel said it had arrested some 60 Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel who Israeli police said were suspects in weapons smuggling from Jordan to the West Bank and Israel. (HA 9/7)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo. (WAFA 9/6)

In Syria, for the 2d time in a week, Israeli forces attacked Aleppo Airport, killing 3 people, wounding 5, and damaging the airstrip. The Syrian transportation ministry said the damage put the airport out of commission and that flights would be diverted to Damascus Airport. The Aleppo Airport was operating again on 9/9. (AP, MEE, MEMO, REU 9/6; MEMO 8/7; AP 9/8; AP 9/9)

Haaretz reported that the U.S. state department has ordered the U.S. embassy in Israel to investigate reports of abuse of Palestinians by the Israeli ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion, including circumstances of the death of Palestinian American Omar Asad, who died in the battalion’s custody in January. (HA, MEE 9/6; MEMO 9/7)

The ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s said it would submit an amended lawsuit against its parent company Unilever after its 1st lawsuit had been rejected by a U.S. federal court. Ben & Jerry’s is suing Unilever for selling the rights to manufacture Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to an Israeli company after Ben & Jerry’s announced it would end sales of its ice cream in West Bank settlements and stop its licensing agreement with the Israeli company to produce its ice cream in Israel. (MEE, REU 9/6; HA, MEMO 9/7)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 3 Palestinian-owned vehicles and sprayed “Jews wake up, Arabs leave” and the Star of David on a wall near the vehicles in Marda. Israeli forces violently dispersed a funeral procession in Abu Dis for a Palestinian woman who was killed in June 2021 and whose body was handed to her family on 8/23; 1 was injured by a baton round to his head. Israeli forces demolished 1 agricultural structure and 1 carwash in Huwwara and residential and agricultural structures belonging to 8 families near Fasayil. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in al-Bireh, Jalazun refugee camp, Beit Rima, Silwad, Qatanna, al-Azza refugee camp, Husan, Beit Sahour, Nablus, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family demolished their own home in Silwan, displacing 10. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian agricultural lands east of al-Qarara; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/24; PCHR 8/25; UNOCHA 9/2)

1 6-year-old Palestinian boy died in Gaza after being denied exit permits for medical treatment at the Hadassah medical center in Jerusalem. The boy was unable to attend 2 appointments for medical treatment on 1/12 and 8/10, as the request for his exit permit remained “under review.” (HA 9/1)

The Israeli army suspended 4 soldiers of the Ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion after a video surfaced of them beating 2 Palestinians near Ramallah. The 4 soldiers had detained the 2 Palestinians after stopping their car. A statement from the Israeli military said that the soldiers used “unnecessary force.” (AP, HA, MEMO 8/24)

Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhala met with Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, discussing Israel’s latest offensive against Islamic Jihad in Gaza. (ALM 8/24)

Axios reported that the U.S. is pressuring Israel to keep its promise to open the Allenby Bridge crossing to Jordan 24/7, rather than the current limited hours of operations. (AX 8/24)

In response to U.S. air strikes in Syria on 8/23, groups said to be affiliated with Iran attacked the U.S. Mission Support Site Conoco in Syria, lightly injuring 1 U.S. soldier. The U.S. responded by attacking militants with helicopters, killing at least 2 people. (REU, REU 8/24; AJ, HA, MEE 8/25)

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu finalizes a deal to form a new coalition government comprising of his joint Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu list, Yesh Atid (19 seats), Bayit Yehudi (12 seats), and Hatnua (6 seats), giving the Likud leader control of 68 Knesset seats (out of 120). For the first time in a decade, an Israeli coalition government does not include any ultra-Orthodox parties. (BBC, REU 3/15)

A Palestinian man dies from heart problems brought on by inhaling tear gas fired by the IDF during clashes 3 weeks ago. After his funeral in al-Ram nr. Jerusalem, Palestinians clash with IDF forces (no serious injuries reported). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning; in Hebron, al-Fawar r.c. and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron in the afternoon; and 1 in village nr. Jericho and 1 village nr. Tulkam at night. IDF soldiers conduct house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Jenin in the afternoon and in 2 villages nr. Hebron at night. The regular weekly nonviolent demonstrations by Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals against the Israeli occupation this week also express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The demonstrations are also more widespread that usual (cf. 3/8), occurring in 5 villages nr. Ramallah (Abud, Bayt Liqia, Bil`in, Budrus, Ni’lin), 2 villages nr. Bethlehem (al-Khader, al-Ma’sara), Shuhada Street in Hebron, and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum). The IDF violently disperses the demonstrations, but no serious injuries are reported. (MNA 3/15; PCHR 3/21)

The IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm (synchronized) and 1 nr. Ramallah during the day; patrols in Jenin, Jericho and 2 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah late at night; and conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Hamas authorities in Gaza hang 3 Palestinian prisoners (all convicted of murder in 2004, 2009, and 2010). (PCHR 7/19; OCHA 7/20)

The Knesset education comm. votes to grant full university status to an academic center in Ariel settlement, deep in the West Bank, making it the first accredited Israeli university in occupied Palestinian territory. The decision comes as Palestinian medical students from al-Quds University in Abu Dis, just outside East Jerusalem, await a verdict on their appeal of a 2/2012 Israeli ruling that denied their request to be allowed to sit for Israeli exams that would certify them to practice in East Jerusalem or Israel. The Israeli government had denied the students permission to sit for the exams on the grounds that al-Quds was not an accredited Israeli university and could not gain accreditation because it was a Palestinian entity located in the West Bank. When they then sought permission to take the tests as foreigners, the Israeli court denied permission on the grounds that al-Quds could not be considered a foreign university, since it also has a campus in East Jerusalem. There has long been a shortage of doctors to treat Palestinians in East Jerusalem, where most Palestinian doctors are forced to work without licenses. (HA 2/13/12)

After 2 weeks of unsuccessful efforts to draft plans that would integrate ultraOrthodox Jews and Palestinian citizens of Israel into the Israeli military, Kadima head Shaul Mofaz quits PM Netanyahu’s governing coalition; Netanyahu does not try to dissuade him. Analysts believed the decision (e.g., NYT 7/19) hurts both Kadima and Likud, and might hasten early elections. (NYT 7/18, 7/19)

Fmr. Israeli government attorney David Scharia is named the UNSC’s chief counterterrorism lawyer, marking the first time that an Israeli has been appointed to a security post within the UN Secretariat. (WP 7/18)

A day after completing disengagement fr. 25 Jewish settlements, Israel confirms plans to seize some 1,588 d. of West Bank Palestinian land to complete 10 mi. of separation wall around the southern part of Ma’ale Adumim settlement, to add 3,500 housing units there (more than twice the number of units removed under disengagement), to build a police headquarters in the E-1 area btwn. Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem. In Gaza, the IDF raids, searches, occupies 2 Palestinian homes in Khan Yunis as observation posts; raids, occupies a Palestinian home in Dayr al-Balah. In the West Bank, IDF undercover units raid Tulkarm r.c, fatally shooting ‘Adil Abu Khalil al-Ghawi (Islamic Jihad),Mahmud Ahadib (AMB), and Majdi Attiya (AMB), also killing 2 bystanders and wounding 3; local Hamas military cmdr. Ribhi Amara, also possibly a target, escapes unharmed. The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Jenin, and in Nablus, Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, a Palestinian stabs 2 ultraOrthodox British Jews, killing 1 before escaping. (HA, JP, REU 8/24; VOP 8/24 in WNC 8/25; BBC, HA, JAZ, PCHR, WP, WT 8/25; MENA 8/25 in WNC 8/26; HA, NYT 8/26; al-Quds 8/26 in WNC 8/27; HA 8/30; PR 8/31; PCHR 9/1; MEI 9/2; HA 9/7; DS 10/10)