Friday, June 27, 2003

Overnight, the IDF raids Jenin, arresting local Hamas cmdr. Wa’il Aljui. The IDF also raids 2 Palestinian homes in Gaza City, fatally shooting 4 Palestinians, including wanted Hamas mbr. Amran al-Gul in an apparent assassination, also wounding 15 Palestinians, demolishing 3 Palestinian homes, partially destroying another 8. Hamas mbrs. respond with gunfire, killing 1 IDF soldier, wounding 1. (HA, MM, NYT 6/27; NYT, WT 6/28; PCHR 7/3)

Dahlan, Gilad finalize an agmt. for the IDF to redeploy fr. Bayt Hanun in n. Gaza, share security control of Gaza roads, turn over security control for most of Gaza (except settlements and security zones that make up roughly 35% of the Strip); discussions on an IDF pullout fr. Bethlehem continue. Meanwhile in Cairo, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah finalize a unilateral cease-fire agmt. Formal declarations of the 2 agmts. are expected to be made on 6/29, during Rice’s visit. (Forward, HA, MM 6/27; NYT, WP, WT 6/28) (see 6/14)