The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, an Israeli settler was filmed shooting a Palestinian man point-blank in the stomach, critically injuring him during a settler raid in al-Twana. Israeli settlers also shot and injured 3 Palestinians with live ammunition in Nablus, Elsewhere, Israeli settlers vandalized 2 agricultural structures and uprooted fruit trees in Masafer Yatta, damaged vehicles near Nahalin, and homes in Silat ad-Dhahr. Israeli forces shot and killed 15 Palestinians, including 3 minors, during raids in Tulkarm, Beit Furik, Beit Ula, al-Ram, Atuf, Biddu, Bayt Liqya, and Hebron. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Halhul, Dheisheh refugee camp, Qalandia, Huwwara, Budrus, al-Khader, Bethlehem, al-Twana, Jenin, Hebron, and Qalqilya, injuring 53 with live ammunition and baton rounds. An Israeli soldier was killed in friendly fire in Nablus. 36 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Hebron, Fawwar refugee camp, Qalqilya, Dheisheh refugee camp, Beit Umar, and Halhul. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinians children in Isawiya. Israel also refused Palestinians under the age of 35 entry to the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, 70 Palestinians following Israeli evacuation orders were killed and more than 200 wounded in an airstrike on a road. Around 300 others were also killed and more than 1,100 were injured in Israeli airstrikes throughout Gaza. Israeli forces also made incursions into Gaza, retrieving the bodies of several Israelis. Rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza; no deaths were reported. In Lebanon, Israeli forces killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdullah and injured 6 others in a missile strike. Al Jazeera said Israel targeted the group of journalists intentionally. (AP 10/7; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/13; AJ, HA, HA, REU 10/14; AP, REU, REU 10/15)

The Gaza Ministry of Health said that as of 2 p.m. at least 1,799 Palestinians had been killed and 7,388 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. Hamas said 13 of the captives from Israel, including foreign nationals, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours. Israel said it hit 750 targets overnight and destroyed 12 high-rise buildings within a minute. 51 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 11 children. More than 700 have been injured. Israeli officials said 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 3,436 injured since 10/7. The UN reported that 423,378 Palestinians have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 9,283 housing units have been destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA 10/13)

The Israeli military told around 1.1 million Palestinians in the northern part of Gaza, including Gaza City, that they should flee south within the next 24 hours. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that would have “devastating humanitarian consequences” and strongly appealed to Israel to rescind the order. Many countries also called on Israel to reverse its order. The WHO called relocating severely ill people a “death sentence.” UNRWA offered its staff and their families shelter at an UNRWA compound in southern Gaza but said it did not have plans to evacuate Palestinians sheltering in UNRWA schools throughout Gaza as it does not have any capacity in the south and has no means of transporting the many thousands of people. Hamas’ refugee affairs authority called on Palestinians to remain in their homes, calling the Israeli evacuation order “disgusting phycological war.” Egypt moved thousands of troops to its Gaza border to prevent Palestinians fleeing Israeli attacks from breaching the border fence. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, HA, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/13; AJ, AJ, AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/14; WAFA, WAFA 10/15)

Adalah, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, ACRI, and HaMoked sent letters to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara, and Israel Prison Service head Katy Perry demanding that water and electricity be restored in the security wings of Israeli prisons that hold Palestinians. The Commission for the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs said on 10/12 that Israel had started collectively punishing prisoners in the Naqab prison on 10/11. (Adalah, WAFA 10/14)

The UN appealed for $294 million in aid to help around 1.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. (REU 10/13)

A Turkish cargo plane with humanitarian aid arrived in Egypt for transfer to Gaza. (AJ 10/13)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. (AJ 10/13)

Israeli president Isaac Herzog blamed Palestinian civilians in Gaza for the Hamas operation, saying “[i]t is not true this rhetoric about civilians [being] not aware, responsible for the attack . . . They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état.” (FT 10/13)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said Israel received a second plane carrying U.S. ammunition. (AJ 10/13)

Tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated in Baghdad and Tehran against the Israeli attacks in Gaza. Jordanians marched toward the border with the West Bank in protest against the Israeli attacks. Jordanian police violently dispersed protesters at the border. Large protests were also held in Yemen, Pakistan, and elsewhere. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, WAFA 10/13)

After meeting Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati and Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel that if it does not stop its attacks on Gaza the war could spread to other parts of the Middle East. (AP, REU, REU 10/13)

U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin III arrived in Israel to meet with Israeli leaders. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Jordan for meetings with Jordanian king Abdullah II and PA president Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas told Blinken that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people and called for the opening of humanitarian corridors and for aid to enter Gaza. Blinken offered condolences for the Palestinian victims of the Israel-Hamas war. Abbas also spoke with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. 55 members of Congress wrote a letter to U.S. president Joe Biden, urging him to pressure Israel to protect civilians in Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/13)

Russia introduced a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. President Vladimir Putin compared the siege of Gaza to the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II. (HA 10/13)

Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia had frozen normalization talks with Israel and the U.S. due to the attacks on Gaza. (HA, HA 10/13; AJ 10/14)

The New York Times and NBC News reported that they had obtained documents that allegedly show how Hamas instructed militants to target schools and seize captives during its 10/7 operation. Israeli schools were closed on 10/7 as it was a Saturday. The documents were allegedly found on the bodies of militants killed by Israel and were labeled “top secret” in Arabic. Other media outlets questioned whether the documents were fabricated. (HA 10/13; HA 10/14)

The Huffington Post reported that the U.S. State Department was telling its diplomats not to use the terms “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed,” and “restoring calm,” when referring to Israel and Gaza. (AJ 10/13)

New South Wales police force said it has sought legal advice on if it can use special stop-and-search powers for the first time since 2005 to demand the identities of pro-Palestinian protesters attending an unauthorized demonstration in Sydney, Australia on 10/15. (REU 10/13)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian minor succumbed to injuries sustained by Israeli forces during a raid in Kafr Dan on 4/14. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Qarawat Bani Hassan, injuring 1 Palestinian minor with live ammunition and others with tear gas; the minor was also arrested. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 3 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Hebron, injuring 1 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 3 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Qaryut, Beita, and Bazariya, leading to tear-gas related injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians at the Haram al-Sharif compound, including inside al-Aqsa Mosque, injuring more than 152 Palestinians with baton rounds, batons, and tear gas, including 8 who were admitted into intensive care facilities. Several Palestinian journalists at the compound were violently beaten by Israeli police, causing broken limbs. 3 Israeli police officers were lightly injured. Some 470 Palestinians were arrested at the compound before noon prayers, where some 50,000 worshippers were praying, about half from the West Bank. Around 440 were released within 24 hours, some of whom were banned from entering the compound until after the end of Ramadan. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, MDW, MEE, MEE, NYT, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/15; MEMO, REU 4/16 HA 4/18; PCHR 4/21; UNOCHA 4/23)

Hamas, the PA, Jordan, Morocco, UAE, Bahrain, the United Arab List, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned the Israeli-led violence at the Haram al-Sharif compound (see above). The U.S. state department released a statement urging “all sides to exercise restraint, avoid provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve the historic status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.” The spokesperson for UN secretary general António Guterres expressed grave concern about the situation in Jerusalem. (HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/15; HA, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/16)

Palestinians in the West Bank are under an Israeli-imposed curfew for the Jewish holiday of Passover, beginning at 4 P.M. and continuing until 4/17. Crossings between Gaza and Israel are closed. (HA 4/14; HA 4/15; HA 4/16)

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke to Arab League secretary general Ahmed Aboul Gheit about the Israeli attacks on Palestinians at the Haram al-Sharif compound. Haniyeh also spoke with Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and speaker of the Kuwaiti parliament Marzouq al-Ghanim in separate calls. (MEMO 4/16)

At a Passover seder hosted by U.S. vice president Kamala Harris and 2nd gentleman Doug Emhoff, the couple served wine made by the settler winery Psagot Winery in the West Bank. The senior advisor for communications to Vice President Harris said in a tweet that “the wine served at the Seder was in no way intended to be an expression of policy.” (HA, MDW 4/17; MEE 3/18)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians and critically injured a 3d after claiming that the 3 had opened fire at Israeli soldiers at an Israeli military installation near Jenin; no Israeli was reported injured. Israeli forces also assaulted Palestinian journalists trying to cover the incident and smashed 1 camera. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 1 with live ammunition; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also raided the home of an alleged attacker in Turmus ‘Ayya and took measurements for a punitive demolition. 6 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 during late-night raids in and around Aida refugee camp and al-‘Arub refugee camp, and 4 at checkpoints in Qalandia and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces attacked Palestinians at the Haram al-Sharif compound, wounding 205 Palestinians, including 88 who were hospitalized and 3 who lost eyes; 17 Israeli police officers were also reported injured. Israeli forces threw stun grenades inside of al-Aqsa Mosque. 17 Palestinians were arrested in the Old City and Shaykh Jarrah. In Gaza, Israel said incendiary balloons from Gaza had started 7 fires in Israel. (AA, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, HA, MEE, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/7; AJ, MEE, PCHR 5/8; HA 5/10; PCHR 5/11; MEE 5/21; HA 5/31)

The High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel called on Palestinians in Israel to support Palestinians in East Jerusalem after the Israeli attacks on worshipers at the Haram al-Sharif compound and on protesters in Shaykh Jarrah. (MEMO, WAFA 5/8)

The Kahanist lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir from the Otzma Jehudit (Jewish Power) party closed his makeshift office on the opposite side of the street from where Palestinians have been eating iftar meals in protest over Israeli threats of evicting Palestinian families in Shaykh Jarrah. Ben-Gvir said he closed the office after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested he do so. (HA 5/7)

Palestinians reported that information shared about Shaykh Jarrah had been censored by social media companies like Instagram and Twitter and in some instances, Palestinian accounts sharing information about Shaykh Jarrah had been closed by the companies. Instagram and Twitter later blamed technical errors for the problem. (AJ, MEE 5/7; HA 5/10; AJ 5/11; HUFF 5/12)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Israeli aggression in Jerusalem, saying he has called on the PA ambassador to the UN to request an emergency session at the UN security council. (WAFA 5/7)

A Saudi official confirmed that Iran and Saudi Arabia are in direct talks to resolve the issues between the 2 countries. (HA 5/7; MEMO 5/8)

The U.S. issued a statement saying that the country “is extremely concerned about ongoing confrontations in Jerusalem, including the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount and in Sheikh Jarrah, which have reportedly resulted in scores of injured people . . . It is absolutely critical that all sides exercise restraint, refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve the historic status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount—in word and in practice.” The UN also warned Israel that forced evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem could amount to war crimes. (AJ 5/7; HA, WAFA 5/8)

U.S. senators Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Andy Levin (D-MI), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) called on Israel not to evict Palestinians from their homes in Shaykh Jarrah. Representatives Marie Newman (D-IL) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) circulated a letter in congress calling on secretary of state Antony Blinken to pressure Israel not to move forward with the eviction and to stop home demolitions in al-Bustan. (HA, MEE 5/7; HA 5/8; WAFA 5/9)

IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Dayr al-Balah and Jabaliya fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers and agricultural areas nr. the border fence, causing damage. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and raids in and around Qalqilya, 2 villages nr. Ramallah, 1 village nr. Jenin, and Tulkarm, arresting 4 Palestinians; patrols in 1 village each nr. Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Salfit. IDF troops arrest 3 Palestinians at a checkpoint nr. Jerusalem and 2 more at an entrance to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc. Israeli forces deliver stop-work orders to Palestinians in 1 village each nr. Hebron and Tubas; demolish a well, a wall, and 10 olive trees in a village nr. Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian woman as she is exiting Haram al-Sharif and 6 youth playing in the sanctuary. They also conduct house searches and raids in al-Jdayra, arresting 4 youth and sparking light clashes; arrest 2 Palestinian youths in Bayt Hanina. Israeli authorities issue demolition orders for 5 Palestinian-owned buildings in Silwan. (MNA, WAFA 3/23; MNA 3/24; PCHR 3/26)

Swiss amb. to the PA Paul Garnier visits Gaza to discuss a possible long-term cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. UN Special Coordinator Serry conducted similar meetings in Gaza on 3/2. (MNA 3/23; ALM 4/14)

Fearing that the continued tax revenue freeze could spark an uprising in the West Bank, Senior IDF officers say that the IDF has issued 10,000 permits for Palestinian laborers in the West Bank and has directed its troops to engage in clashes with Palestinian protesters less frequently. (TOI 3/23; YA 3/24)

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough clarifies the Obama admin.’s response to Israeli PM Netanyahu’s campaign rhetoric and subsequent attempts to defend himself from international criticism in a speech at the annual J Street conference. “After the election,” McDonough says, “the PM said that he had not changed his position, but for many in Israel and in the international community, such contradictory comments call into question his commitment to a 2-state solution, as did his suggestion that the construction of settlements has a strategic purpose of dividing Palestinian communities and his claim that conditions in the larger Middle East must be more stable before a Palestinian state can be established.” (YA 3/23; HA, TOI 3/24)

In Geneva, the UNHRC holds its scheduled debate on Israeli violations of Palestinian rights in the oPt. Israel is absent, pursuant to its longtime boycott of the council, but so is the U.S. Israel’s FM denies a Reuters report claiming that the U.S. absence stems from the Obama admin.’s recently announced reassessment of its policy on defending Israel in international institutions. Later, U.S. amb to the UNHRC Keith Harper confirms that the U.S. has joined the Israeli boycott due to the UNHRC’s focus on Israel. (JP, REU, TOI 3/23; JP 3/24)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Hebron at night; patrols in 1 village nr. Hebron in the morning, in Aida r.c. in Bethlehem in the afternoon. IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli and international protesters at weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation wall, settlements and occupation in 4 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Nabi Salih, Nil‘in, and Wadi Fukin), 1 village nr. Bethlehem (al-Ma‘sara), and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum). There are no serious injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israel bars men under 50 years old from entering Haram al-Sharif. (MNA 9/26; PCHR 10/2)

PA Pres. Abbas addresses the UNGA, announcing that the PA, in coordination with the Group of Arab States at the UN, is working on a draft UNSC res. that will call for immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood and a specific timetable for the end of the Israeli occupation, with bilateral negotiations on key issues to be held over the course of that time. Several Palestinian officials later elaborate on the plan, saying that the exact timetable is not set, though it will be either 2 or 3 years. Abbas also uses unprecedentedly strong language to condemn Israel’s most recent assault on Gaza, calling it a “genocidal crime.” The U.S. and Israel are both critical of Abbas’s rhetoric and his proposals. (See Docs. B2 and B3 in JPS 174 for excerpts of the speech and a copy of the draft res. that the Associated Press published on 10/1.) (HA, JP, MNA, REU 9/26; AP, HA 9/27)

After a week of negotiations, reps. of Iran and the P5+1 group conclude this round of talks in New York. They do not make any significant agreements or compromises ahead of the 11/24 deadline, with the key sticking points being Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity and the pace at which the U.S. will lift its sanctions. (State Dept., special briefing 9/26; Bloomberg 9/27)

In the Gaza Strip, armed Palestinians fire a rocket into s. Israel, causing some damage but no injuries. Afterward, an Israeli air strike in the n. Gaza Strip kills 1 mbr. of an armed group, and wounds 3, including a 10-year-old boy. PA Pres. Abbas calls on the Palestinian factions to hold their fire and “not give Israel any pretext” to strike the Gaza Strip. Mark Regev, spokesperson for the Israeli PM’s office, describes Abbas’s comments as “nothing but empty rhetoric.” The IDF patrols in 1 village, al-Fawar r.c. and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron at night. (HA, JP, MNA, REU, YA 6/11)

Gunmen shoot and kill an Egyptian soldier and wound 2, including 1 civilian, in an attack in al-Arish. (MNA 6/11)

U.S. Secy. of State Hillary Clinton announces that the U.S. will host Palestinian Authority (PA) Pres. Mahmud Abbas and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on 9/2 for their 1st face-to-face peace negotiations since late 2008, with the U.S. believing a final status deal could be reached within a yr. The Quartet simultaneously issues a statement reiterating its endorsement of direct talks toward a final agreement that “ends the occupation which began in 1967” and results in the creation of a Palestinian state; calls on “both sides to observe calm and restraint, and to refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric.” Netanyahu’s office quickly welcomes the proposal. (AP 8/20; NYT, WP 8/21)

Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, al-Ma‘sara, and Dayr Nizam/ Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation, and 1 Norwegian activist is arrested. (PCHR 8/26; OCHA 8/27)

For 2d day in a row, Pres. Clinton aborts a strike on Iraq, this time accepting Iraq's clarifications on renewing cooperation with the UN. Clinton also halts new deployments to the Gulf, but warns that next time Iraq fails to comply, U.S. may not stand down. Arab states welcome U.S. decision; Israel remains skeptical. (CSM, GIU, NYT, WP, WT 11/16)

In a radio address, Arafat says that Palestinians will retain the right to stage a new intifada if Israel blocks their access to Jerusalem's holy sites. (WP, WT 11/16; NYT, WP, WT 11/17)

Further escalating the rhetoric, Israeli FM Sharon urges Jewish settlers to "grab" unoccupied West Bank land so it does not fall under PA control in a final agmt. (AFP [Internet] 11/16; NYT, WP, WT 11/17)

Nr. Bethlehem, Palestinian protesters attempting to prevent bulldozing of 40 acres. of Palestinian land for creation of settler bypass road clash with IDF, leaving 2 soldiers injured. (WP 11/16)

The Sunday Times of London reports that Israel is working on a genetic weapon that would target Arabs but not Jews. Jane's, the respected British defence monitor, finds rumors credible. Porton Down, Britain's biological defense facility, says such a bacterial or viral weapon is theoretically possible. The British Medial Association has reportedly opened an investigation out of concern. (Sunday Times 11/15)

After 2 weeks of denials, Israeli officials acknowledge that Shamir's caretaker gov't. was helping fund controversial occupation by Jewish nationalists of Hospice of St. John in Jerusalem's Christian quarter [NYT, WP, LAT, WT 4/23].

Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine frees American educator Robert Pohill after 39 months in captivity [NYT, WP, WT 4/23]; New York Times reports Iran gave weapons and financial assistance to Islamic Jihad to persuade group to release Pohill [NYT, LAT 4/23]; Pres. Bush tells reporters he does not plan any gestures to respond to release of Pohill, says release of all hostages is "bottom line" for any reciprocal "goodwill" action [WP 4/23].

Israeli officials insist that 4/19, 4/20 air force raids on PFLP-GC and Hizballah bases in Lebanon have no impact on fate of American hostages, and dismiss as rhetoric warning that such attacks could endanger future hostage releases [WP 4/ 23].

PLO officially requests extraordinary Arab summit to discuss Soviet Jewish emigration (cf. 4/24) [TDS 4/23 in FBIS 4/ 24].

Meeting for the 3d time in 15 days, Hakam Balawi and Robert Pelletreau discuss latest developments as part of U.S.-PLO dialogue [WAFA 4/24 in FBIS 4/25].