The Palestine Chronology

The IDF seals the Gaza Strip following the 1/13 Qarni attack; fatally shoots an unarmed Palestinian in Khan Yunis; conducts helicopter strikes on an Islamic charity in Dayr al-Balah; conducts arrest raids in Tulkarm. A Palestinian dies fr. injuries received during the IDF’s Operation Days of Penitence in Bayt Lahiya in 10/04. (HA 1/14; OCHA 1/19; PCHR 1/27)

Israel suspends all contact with the PA, saying it is not moving quickly enough to stop Palestinian violence; says it will not reopen contacts until the PA carries out a complete investigation into the 1/13 Qarni attack, arrests the perpetrators, takes “real steps to stop terrorism.” (HA 1/14; NYT, WP, WT 1/15; JAZ, VOI, YA 1/15 in WNC 1/20; MM 1/17; PR 1/20; MEI 1/21, 2/4)

Ramadan begins; the IDF restricts access to Jerusalem for Friday prayers. The IDF shells Jabaliya r.c. fr. the surrounding hills to the east; carries out an air strike on the camp, killing 1 Hamas mbr., 2 AMB mbrs; fatally shoots a 65-yr.-old Palestinian woman eating dinner in her Jabaliya home. In the evening, the IDF withdraws troops to the periphery of most n. Gaza population centers, formally ending Operation Days of Penitence. The UN estimates that during the 17-day operation, the IDF killed 114 Palestinians, demolished as many as 95 Palestinian homes, leveled more than 1,000 d.; Palestinian Center for Human Rights puts the figures at 112 Palestinians killed, 87 houses demolished, 839 d. leveled. The IDF says that soldiers killed a number of AMB, Hamas, Islamic Jihad military cmdrs. and destroyed a number of factories and workshops where Qassams could be made, that Palestinians fired 14 Qassam rockets fr. the area during the 17-day period. Palestinians fire 2 Qassams at Sederot today, causing no damage. Late in the evening, the IDF bulldozes another 3 Palestinian homes, 2 stores in Bayt Hanun. The IDF also shells residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Nablus; arrests 2 Jewish settlers who attack Palestinians harvesting olives outside Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo nr. Ramallah attack Palestinians harvesting olives in neighboring al-Mughayyir; IDF soldiers observe but do not intervene. (BBC 10/15; IDF Radio, VOI, VOP 10/15 in WNC 10/19; NYT, WP, WT 10/16; HA, NYT 10/17; B’Tselem press release 10/18; PR 10/20; PCHR 10/21; MEI 10/22)

The IDF pulls tanks out of Bayt Lahiya, marking the 1st de-escalation of Operation Days of Penitence; makes an air strike on Jabaliya r.c., killing 2 Hamas mbrs. allegedly planting a bomb, before withdrawing late in the evening. In Rafah, the IDF conducts an air strike, killing 2 Hamas mbrs., a 70-yr.- old Palestinian bystander; bulldozes 30 Palestinian homes. The IDF also bulldozes a Palestinian home in Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Jenin r.c., Nablus, Yamun. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa nr. Hebron prevent Palestinian olive pickers fr. reaching their groves. ( JT 10/14; VOI 10/14 in WNC 10/16; NYT, WP 10/15; ITAR-TASS 10/15 in WNC 10/19; PR 10/20; PCHR 10/21)

The PA opens an embassy in Belarus. (Interfax, VOP 10/14 in WNC 10/16; PR 10/20)

The IDF further expands Operation Days of Penitence into Bayt Lahiya, sending in another 45 tanks, 20 armored bulldozers to level 30 d.; shells Bayt Lahiya and Jabaliya from land and sea, killing 1 Hamas mbr. and wounding 2 in the Bayt Lahiya cemetery; directs heavy machine gunfire at residential areas of Jabaliya. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, seriously injuring a 10-yr.-old Palestinian girl in an UNRWA classroom. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Jalbun nr. Jenin, 1 in Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and surrounding camps, and in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah. Unidentified assailants attempt to assassinate the PA’s Gaza public security head Musa Arafat, remote detonating a car bomb outside his Gaza City office; no one is injured. Unidentified gunmen break into the Fatah headquarters in al-Bureij r.c., fatally shoot senior Fatah figure Muhammad Issa; Fatah, Hamas mbrs. take to the streets to in protest. (HA 10/12; AFP, VOI, VOP 10/12 in WNC 10/14; MEZ, NYT, PR, WP, WT 10/13; al-Quds 10/13 in WNC 10/19; NYT, PCHR, WP 10/14; JPI, MEI 10/22; PR 10/27)

In n. Gaza, the IDF fatally shoots 3 Palestinian bystanders during the day; Palestinian observers estimate that the IDF has demolished 60 Palestinian homes, bulldozed 100 d. of agricultural land in n. Gaza since Operation Days of Penitence began on 9/28. In s. Gaza, the IDF fatally shoots 3 Hamas mbrs. attempting to infiltrate Kefar Darom settlement; the gunfire sets off explosives the Hamas mbrs. are carrying, killing a Thai laborer at the settlement. The IDF also bulldozes 25 d. in Dayr al-Balah. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids in Saida nr. Tulkarm, fires on stone-throwing youths who confront troops, killing a 16- yr.-old Palestinian. (NYT, PCHR, WP 10/7; WP 10/8; PR 10/13; PCHR 10/14)

The IDF expands Operation Days of Penitence, using some 200 tanks and APCs to seize control of a 3.5 mi2 of costal territory in n. Gaza. In Jabaliya r.c., IDF missile strikes kill 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. and 2 Hamas mbrs., wound 4 bystanders; gunfire kills at least 3 Palestinians (possibly Islamic Jihad mbrs.); demolitions of Palestinian homes continue; the IDF uses loudspeakers to urge 10s of Palestinians to evacuate their homes. The IDF fatally shoots another 4 Palestinians trying to infiltrate Israel fr. n. Gaza. A Palestinian militant dies of injuries sustained in Jabaliya on 10/1. The IDF also opens fire on Palestinians in central Gaza protesting against Days of Penitence; shells residential areas of Rafah, killing a 62-yr.-old Palestinian; evacuates, demolishes 4 Palestinian homes in Rafah, shooting and seriously wounding a Palestinian woman (6-mos. pregnant) in the process; fires on several residential areas of Khan Yunis, bulldozing 14 d., damaging an elementary school and forcing students to evacuate; conducts arrest raids in al-Qarara. In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a 1-day curfew on Palestinian areas of Hebron, fires on stone-throwing youths; conducts arrest raids at Hebron University and in Abu Nujaym and Artas nr. Bethlehem, Bayt Umar nr. Hebron, Silwad, Tulkarm, Tura nr. Jenin. A 4-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received on 7/30/04. (HA, NYT, XIN 10/2; AFP, JAZ, VOI, VOP 10/2, VOI 10/3 in WNC 10/5; NYT, WP, WT 10/3; PCHR 10/7)

The IDF launches Operation Days of Penitence, sending 3 brigades (ca. 2,000 troops) with 100 tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs), armored bulldozers to cordon off the n. Gaza Strip, killing 8 Palestinians (including at least 3 Hamas mbrs., 3 other armed Palestinians, 2 bystanders), wounding 17 in clashes during the day (some casualties, according to hospital workers, were hit by internationally banned flechettes); 2 Palestinians (including 1 militant) die of injuries received in n. Gaza on 9/29, 9/30; the IDF also drops a bomb on a factory in Jabaliya r.c. Armed Palestinians build sand berms to block streets, lay booby-traps along roads in Jabaliya, wounding 2 IDF soldiers with a roadside bomb. The IDF fatally shoots 1 Palestinian, captures 7 attempting to cross the Israel-Gaza border nr. the Erez crossing; the AMB, Hamas say the 8 (who are wearing PA police uniforms, carrying 88 lbs of explosives) are their mbrs. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Rafah; fires missiles at a workshop in Gaza City, causing serious damage, no injuries. In Sakhnin, Israel, 3,000 Israeli Palestinians hold a demonstration to commemorate the 4th anniversary of the 10/00 riots, during which 18 Israeli Palestinians died (13 killed by Israeli police, 5 by Israeli civilians). (HA 10/1; JAZ, VOI, VOP 10/1 in WNC 10/5; HA, NYT, WP 10/2; PCHR 10/7)