Wednesday, March 27, 2019

IDF troops shoot and injure 4 Palestinians during clashes sparked by an overnight arrest raid in Dahaysha refugee camp near Bethlehem. One of the injured Palestinians, a paramedic, succumbs to his wounds later in the day. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians gathering at Birzeit University to protest the recent killing in the West Bank and the recent violence in Israeli prisons; 8 protesters are injured. Israeli forces deliver stop-work orders to 5 Palestinian water wells under construction near Salfit. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian approaching the border fence near al-Bureij refugee camp. They also violently disperse Palestinians gathering near Khan Yunis in the evening to set tires on fire, throw stones, and otherwise continue the Great March of Return; 3 Palestinians are injured. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 3/27; MNA, MNA, MNA, PCHR 3/28)

A delegation of Egyptian officials arrives in Gaza to continue the ongoing talks with Hamas on the situation in Gaza. The Egyptians reportedly caution restraint ahead of the planned protests on 3/29 and 3/30, which will mark the 1-year anniversary of the first Great March of Return demonstration. They also present new terms for a possible cease-fire with Israel. (AP, TOI 3/27; HA, YA 3/28)  

The UN Security Council convenes to discuss the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which President Donald Trump formally conveyed on 3/25. The other 14 members of the council all condemn the move as detrimental to the long-term chances for peace in the region. During the meeting, a senior U.S. representative says that the U.S. would like for the UN Disengagement Observer Force to stay in the Golan Heights, where it has monitored the buffer zone between Israel and Syria since 1974. (TOI 3/27; TOI 3/28)

The Israeli Air Force conducts air strikes on ammunition depots outside the Aleppo International Airport late at night. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 7 Iranian troops are killed in the strike. The Syrian army reports that the strike causes only material damage. (HA, JP, REU, YA 3/28)