The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raid Burin, setting fire to a vehicle and attacking homes. Israeli settlers also seize and occupy dozens of residential caves in Tuqu’, ‘Arab al-Rashayida, Kaysan, Za’atra, and Bayt Ta’mar. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling in Huwwara. Israeli settlers posing as soldiers also attack a school in Khallet al-Maiya. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers throw stones at a house in Turmus ‘Ayya and attempt to set fire to it, causing damage to the house, a solar panel, and several vehicles. Israeli forces fatally shoot 2 Palestinians and injure 9 others during a raid in Dura; a video shows that Israeli forces used a Palestinian man they took from his phone shop as a human shield. A video circulating on social media also shows 2 Israeli soldiers kicking a man lying on the ground during the raid. Israeli forces also fatally shoot a member of the PA security forces during a raid in Nur Shams refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man and demolish 2 homes and a barbershop, displacing 12 people during a raid in Qalqilya. Israeli forces also shoot and injure 8 Palestinians, including 2 children, at a checkpoint in Qalandia and in Bayt Liqya, Qiffin, and Nablus. Meanwhile, Israeli forces assault 2 Palestinians during raids in Dheisheh refugee camp and Beita. Israeli forces also demolish a greenhouse in al-Jalama. Israeli forces arrest 48 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bayt Awa, Dura, Bayt Rima, Jalazone refugee camp, Beitin, Zababdeh, and Nablus, including 25 students at an-Najah University in Nablus. In Ra’anana, Israeli police arrest 2 Palestinians from Hebron, saying they rammed and stabbed 13 Israelis, killing 1 of them. Israeli forces subsequently raid the family homes of the 2 Palestinians in Bani Na’im and Bayt ‘Amr, taking measurements for punitive demolitions; tear-gas related injuries are reported in both places as Palestinians resist the raids. In Gaza, telecommunications services are down for the fourth day in a row. Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Rafah, Gaza City, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Maghazi, killing at least 132 people. An Israeli soldier is killed in combat. Rockets are fired at Israel; no damage is reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces conduct airstrikes on Maroun al-Ras. Rockets are fired at Israel; no damage is reported. In the Red Sea, Houthi forces attack a U.S.-owned container ship, causing damage. In Iraq and Syria, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps attack what it calls a Mossad espionage headquarters near Erbil with ballistic missiles, killing 4 and injuring 6 others and alleged ISIS perpetrators of terrorist operations in Iran in eastern Syria. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, 1/15; AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA 1/16; HA 1/18)

More than 24,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 16,870 women and children, and around 60,834 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 348 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 87 children. More than 4,197 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, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 186 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,113 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 69,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 108 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing. (UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 1/15)

Hamas releases a video of the bodies of 2 Israeli captives it says have been killed in an Israeli airstrike. In another video a captive says she was injured in an Israeli airstrike. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, REU, REU 1/15)

Israel’s military says it has withdrawn an army division from Gaza, leaving 3 combat divisions in the area. The military also transfers the Duvdevan unit from Gaza to the West Bank as Israeli military officials say the West Bank is “on the brink of an implosion.” (AJ, HA, HA 1/15)

The Knesset approves the extension of an emergency regulation allowing Israel to deny Palestinian prisoners meetings with their lawyers for up to 180 days and approves the first reading of an extension of the temporary order which allows poorer conditions for prisoners. The Israeli cabinet approves the 2024 budget, slashing funds earmarked for the development of Palestinian communities in Israel by 15% and allocating $80 million to the Settlements and National Missions Ministry. 5 members of Benny Gantz’s National Unity party vote against the budget. (AJ, HA, REU 1/15; AJ, AJ, HA, HA 1/16)

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid claims Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are not speaking to each other. Gallant reportedly stormed out of a cabinet meeting this weekend after 1 of his aides was refused entry. (AJ, HA 1/15)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor and injured 2 others with live ammunition during a late-night raid in Balata refugee camp. Israeli forces also seized 1 tractor in Maeen in the Masafer Yatta area and demolished 8 residential structures and 1 agricultural structure in Duma, displacing 25. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Bayt Rima, Ein Yabrud, Tubas, Jenin, Faqqua, Balata refugee camp, Hebron, and Yatta. In East Jerusalem, the Israeli Jerusalem municipality issued demolition orders for 2 homes and 1 agricultural structure in the al-Saadi community and 3 homes in the Abu al-Nuwar community. 2 Palestinians were arrested in Sur Baher and at the Haram al-Sharif compound. (AJ, AP, HA, MDW, MEE, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/5; PCHR 1/12; UNOCHA 2/16)

The Gaza Health Ministry said Israel is halting the delivery of 8 different types of x-ray machines and spare parts to repair existing machines. (MEMO, REU 1/5)

The Palestinian prisoner Karim Younis was released after 40 years in Israeli prison for allegedly partaking in the kidnapping and killing of an Israeli soldier in 1980. Younis was driven to a train station in Ra’anana where a passerby helped him reach his family. The decision not to release him directly from the prison was made by Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Israel’s interior minister Arye Dery asked the attorney general to revoke Younis’ Israeli citizenship earlier in the week. (AJ, ALM, BBC, HA, HA, MEE, MEMO, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/5; MEMO 1/6)

National Security Minister Ben-Gvir also toured the Nafha Prison “to make sure murderers of Jews don’t receive better conditions since the construction of new prison cells,” saying “I was happy to see that the Israel Prison Service does not intend to improve the condition of their incarceration. I will continue to deal with the conditions of security prisoners so they won’t have excessive rights.” (HA 1/6)

The U.S. handed over a 2,700-year-old looted artifact back to the PA in Bethlehem. The artifact, described as a “cosmetic spoon,” was seized from the American venture capitalist Michael H. Steinhardt in 2021 who had bought it from an Israeli antiquities dealer and is said to have been stolen from Hebron. (NYT, WAFA 1/5; ALM, MEE 1/6; AP, HA 2/3)

At the UN Security Council, Israel received criticism from several security council members, including the U.S., for National Security Minister Ben-Gvir’s tour of the Haram al-Sharif compound on 1/3. PA UN ambassador Riyad Mansour said “[o]ur people are running out of patience and the moderation and sense of responsibility we display should never be construed as weakness. The record shows that Israel’s persistence on this path does not lead to surrender, but to uprising.” U.S. envoy Robert A. Wood criticized “unilateral actions” at the Haram al-Sharif compound. The emergency session was requested by China and the UAE on behalf of the PA and Jordan. (REU 1/3; AJ, MEE, WAFA, WAFA 1/4; HA, WAFA, WAFA 1/5; AJ, AP, MEE, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 1/6)

The Nation reported that Kenneth Roth, who led Human Rights Watch for 29 years, was denied a position as a senior fellow at Harvard University at the late stages of the hiring process due to alleged “anti-Israel bias.” The dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School Douglas Elmendorf apologized for his initial decision after weeks of negative publicity and Roth was offered the position on 1/19. (NA 1/5; AJ, GDN, MEE 1/6; AP, HA, MDW, MEE, NYT 1/19)

In Israel, a Palestinian stabs and injures 3 Israelis in Ra’anana nr. Tel Aviv, and Israeli police arrest him after he attempts to flee the scene. Then, IDF troops conduct a late-night raid of the suspect’s Tubas-area home, sparking clashes with stone-throwers and injuring 4 Palestinians. During the day, Israeli soldiers shoot and injure a Palestinian in c. Hebron after she allegedly attempts to stab them; patrol in 4 villages and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron. Meanwhile, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians protesting the recent Israeli crackdown on the oPt in 1 village each nr. Qalqilya and Ramallah, injuring 1; conduct further raids and house searches in Hebron and 1 nearby village, as well as 1 village nr. Jenin, arresting 3 Palestinians. Palestinian youths throw Molotov cocktails at an Israeli military structure nr. Ramallah late at night, setting it on fire and sparking minor clashes. Armed Palestinians then throw pipe bombs at an Israeli checkpoint nr. Ramallah, sparking a brief firefight with Israeli troops; 2 young Palestinian bystanders are lightly injured. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, YA 12/19; HA, MNA 12/20; PCHR 12/31)

Hamas political bureau chief Khalid Mishal meets with Turkish pres. Erdoğan in Istanbul, marking their 1st meeting since the reported 12/ 16 Turkish-Israeli understanding. They reportedly discuss recent regional developments. (JP, TOI 12/19)

Stabbing and other small-scale attacks continue in Israel and Jerusalem. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians attack a group of Jewish Israelis on an Israeli bus in Jabal Mukabir, killing 2 and injuring at least 10 (a 3d Israeli will succumb to injuries sustained in the attack on 10/27). Israeli police shoot the 2 Palestinians, killing 1 and seriously injuring the other. In West Jerusalem, a Palestinian driver rams an Israeli pedestrian, then gets out of his car and stabs 5 other Israelis (1 Israeli will succumb to his injuries later in the day). Israeli police shoot and critically injure the Palestinian before arresting him (the Palestinian succumbs to his injuries later in the day). In Israel, Israeli police shoot and seriously injure a Palestinian after he stabs and moderately injures an Israeli in Ra’anana, n. of Tel Aviv. Later, a Palestinian stabs and injures 4 Israelis in the same city. Several Jewish Israelis assault and detain him as he attempts to flee, including 1 Israeli driver who rams the man with his vehicle. An Israeli man attacks a Palestinian citizen of Israel in Netanya, lightly injuring him. In Kiryat Ata nr. Haifa, a Jewish Israeli stabs and moderately injures another Jewish Israeli, mistakenly identifying him as a Palestinian. Following the morning’s attacks, Israel’s security cabinet meets and decides not to return the bodies of Palestinians shot and killed by Israeli forces after carrying out attacks on Israeli citizens. Instead of returning the bodies to their families, they will bury them secretly. The cabinet also decides to revoke the residency status of Palestinian attackers, bar any homes punitively demolished from being rebuilt, and allow the police to “impose a closure on, or to surround, centers of friction and incitement in Jerusalem, in accordance with security considerations”. (HA, JP, NYT, TOI 10/13; EI, HA, MNA, NYT 10/14; HA 10/27)

For the 5th day in a row, IDF troops open fire on hundreds of Palestinians protesting along Gaza’s border fence e. of al-Bureij r.c. and nr. the Erez border crossing, injuring 51. They also disperse and drive back around 30 Palestinians who cross the s. border. The Israeli authorities close the Erez crossing shortly after the clashes. Later, Palestinians open fire on Israeli forces patrolling along the border fence e. of Khan Yunis, causing no damage. Off the coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Gaza City, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI 10/13; HA 10/14; PCHR 10/15; PCHR 10/22)

Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops clash with and violently disperse Palestinians protesting and throwing stones throughout the region, killing 1 Palestinian in Bethlehem and injuring at least 33. Israeli forces raid the Jenin home of the Palestinian who allegedly stabbed and injured an Israeli soldier in Afula on 10/8, preparing for a possible punitive demolition. The IDF also conducts raids and house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus, and Tulkarm, arresting 13 Palestinians. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian drivers nr. Nablus and nr. Hebron, injuring 1 Palestinian in the former and sparking minor clashes in the latter. Israeli settlers also assault and moderately injure a Palestinian youth outside a settlement e. of Jerusalem; assault 4 Palestinian farmers working nr. Ramallah. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 10/13; PCHR 10/15; PCHR 10/22)

In Israel, many schools, public institutions, and businesses in predominantly Palestinian cities go on strike, and around 20,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel and solidarity activists march through Sakhnin protesting the recent Israeli restrictions at Haram al-Sharif and violations in the oPt. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 10/13; EI, HA 10/14; PCHR 10/15; PCHR 10/22)

Three errant mortar shells launched from Syria land in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF fires artillery shells at 2 Syrian army targets nr. the border, causing damage. (HA, JP, TOI 10/13)