Most American broadcast media is horribly biased when it comes to reporting on any Middle East conflict, but especially anything Israel is involved in. There is a reflex to always protect Israel and excuse their every action, that is very obvious. That’s not what news is supposed to be, but the media here is all very unapologetic about it. To hear American media talk the whole conflict between Palestinians and Israel started on October 7th, out of the blue, for no reason at all! Therefore, they claim, all Palestinians are evil and so are the pro-Palestinian protesters. It’s a ridiculous and surreal narrative but it’s everywhere now in mainstream media in America. Like this recent example from newly right-wing CNN.
CNN’s Disgraceful Propaganda https://t.co/PR7TNuybQv
This segment from Dana Bash on the Palestine protest movement is one of the most shameful things I have ever seen on cable news. pic.twitter.com/SnsvOMr8hE— ZaRdOz420WPN (@ZaRdOz420WPN) May 3, 2024
It would be shocking if we hadn’t watched CNN devolve over the last 2-3 years.
Below is a list of things that have happened in Gaza and Israel since April, 2023. Some people may be surprised to find that Israel routinely attacks and kills Palestinians and has been doing this for decades. If the Palestinians try to resist or fight back, even just throw a rock or two, things generally end very badly for them. Lately the violence has greatly increased, culminating in the horrible October 7the attacks and then the war in Gaza. Arming Israel is still acceptable to the governments of Europe and the United States even after 7 months of genocide. The US seems to accept a whole lot of violence perpetrated by Israel on everyone they get pissed off at. The “red line” has been said to be an attack on Rafah, in Gaza, but even that day has come and gone, and still the Biden administration does little.
Oh, did you know good old normal people were protesting on the streets of New York City, and other cities in the US, yesterday, against the war in Gaza, against Israel? Yes they were. The US media isn’t showing it to us. This screen capture is from Al Jazeera.
The rumor today is that Joe Biden has stopped the shipment of some weapons and 2,000 lb. bombs to Israel because of the invasion of Rafah. But, Israel will continue to kill Palestinians in Gaza anyway, because they apparently have plenty of weapons even without the US. In fact, Israel exports many of its weapons to other countries. Meanwhile Biden is still bloviating about college students not having the right to inconvenience other students while they protest. It’s like he doesn’t even know what a protest is. Biden is also repeatedly saying that antisemitism is rising in the US, which is mainly a talking point of the ADL and AIPAC. I don’t believe it’s worse than it was last year or the year before that. The ADL just keeps adding to the definition of “antisemitism” which now means, according to them, any form of criticism for Israel. So I don’t believe antisemitism is growing more than other kinds of ethnic or religious hate. I do believe Islamophobia and racism against migrants from central and South America are rising astronomically, thanks to MAGAts and Republicans.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson can’t stop lying about Palestinians and protesters, so it’s no use even discussing him. He’s a completely lost little man.
In any case, because US media is so abysmal, I highly recommend people watch and read news from non-MSM sources. I recommend Al Jazeera very highly. I also recommend BBC News, Reuters, and these print sources online: The Guardian, the Electronic Intifada, and Juan Cole’s website. And Democracy Now does a good daily podcast that frequently talks about Israel and Gaza issues. Most US mainstream media is hopelessly biased towards Israel and against Palestinians so it’s best to avoid most of their coverage of anything. Even the ones who aren’t so biased are obsessed with Trump again, so you won’t get much out of them except Trump talk and huge photos of Trump that rotate and float around the screen. Like we don’t know what his ugly face looks like.
A Timeline of Death and Destruction
All dates below are in 2023. This is directly from Wikipedia
25 March
The Israeli military said that two Israeli soldiers who were securing the Route 60 highway in the town were wounded, one seriously, in a drive-by shooting in Huwara.[289][290]
31 March
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 14–27 March 2023. During the reporting period, 6 Palestinians (81 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces, 1 Israeli (14 year to date) was killed by Palestinians. There were 130 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (998 year to date), and 5 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (278 year to date including 79 in East Jerusalem).[291]
April
1 April
Israeli police killed a 26-year-old Palestinian near the Chain Gate leading into Al-Aqsa Mosque. The police said the man tried to take a police officer’s weapon. Palestinian sources dispute the police account.[292][293][294][295][296]
Israeli forces killed a 24-year-old Palestinian in his car near Beit Ummar. The military said that the man rammed his car into a group of soldiers wounding three, at least one seriously.[297][298][299]
3 April
Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinians during a raid on Nablus. The military said they were there to arrest three Palestinians reportedly involved in a shooting in Huwara that injured two Israeli soldiers on 25 March and that they were fired on and returned fire. One of the dead Palestinians was claimed by the Lions’ Den group and the other by Fatah.[300][301][302]
5 April
Clashes erupted after Israeli police entered the Al-Aqsa mosque to eject Palestinians who had barricaded themselves in the mosque overnight to pray. Some 400 Palestinians were arrested. Ten rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza and Israeli forces bombed sites in the strip in response with no casualties reported. The Israeli raid on the mosque was condemned by Palestinians and Arab countries.[303][304][305][306]
6 April
Israeli forces carried out a second expulsion raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The United Nations Security Council is to meet in closed session to discuss the situation.[307][308]
A 19-year-old Israeli soldier was injured in a shooting attack near the Geva Binyamin junction in the West Bank. The gunman fled the scene. The soldier was hospitalized in light-to-moderate condition.[309]
7 April
Two Israeli women in their 20s were killed and their 45-year-old mother critically injured in a shooting attack on a car near the settlement of Hamra in the northern West Bank. The women, British citizens who had emigrated to Israel, were residents of the Efrat settlement.[310][311][312][313][314] The mother died of her wounds on 10 April.[315][316]
8 April
Israeli forces killed a 20-year-old Palestinian man allegedly attempting to detonate an explosive device near Azzun.[317][318]
10 April
Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian during a raid on the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho.[319][320]
Two Palestinians and 2 Israeli soldiers were injured during a raid on Al-Ain refugee camp in Nablus.[321]
Thousands of Israeli settlers marched to the illegal outpost of Evyatar, heavily guarded by Israeli forces. The march was accompanied by 20 Knesset members and 7 coalition ministers, including Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. The settlers are demanding that the Israeli government legalize the outpost.[322][323]
11 April
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian men. The army said troops at Deir al-Hatab opened fire at Palestinian gunmen firing from a vehicle at a military post near the adjacent Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh.[324][325][326]
17 April
An 36-year-old Israeli man was stabbed and moderately injured by a Palestinian woman at the Gush Etzion Junction in the West Bank. The suspected assailant was shot by soldiers and was then hospitalized in unclear condition.[327]
18 April
Two Israeli men were shot and wounded in an attack near the Tomb of Simeon the Just in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The attacker opened fire on the victims with a makeshift “Carlo” submachine gun while they were in their car and then fled the scene. An extensive manhunt was launched.[328][329] On 19 April, a 15-year-old Palestinian resident of the Askar refugee camp near Nablus was arrested in suspicion of the attack.[330]
20 April
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 28 March – 17 April 2023. During the reporting period, 8 Palestinians (89 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 3 Israelis (17 year to date) were killed by Palestinians. There were 131 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (1165 year to date), and 10 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (290 year to date including 79 in East Jerusalem). There were 54 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (314 year to date).[331]
24 April
Israeli forces killed a 20-year-old Palestinian during a raid on Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho, where the army has been blockading the city for three days.[332][333][334] Three other Palestinian men were wounded.[335][336]
A car-ramming attack in West Jerusalem’s Davidka Square left five people wounded, including an elderly man in serious condition and a woman in her 30s in moderate condition.[337] The driver, a 39-year-old resident of East Jerusalem, was shot dead by a civilian at the scene.[338] The Times of Israel reported the driver as a father of five from Beit Safafa. He known to have mental health issues although he was unknown to security forces. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli police called the incident a terror attack.[339][340]
27 April
[Accounts are somewhat contradictory] Israeli forces killed a 39-year-old suspected Palestinian assailant that the military alleged tried to ram civilians and security forces at an intersection. Palestinian media said the incident may have been an ordinary collision. In a video, a damaged minivan beside the Palestinian’s car has a Palestinian license plate. The video shows an Israeli police officer approaching the driver’s seat and the Palestinian apparently lunging at the officer when a nearby soldier “unleashes a torrent of gunfire until [the Palestinian] is reduced to a bloody pulp”.[341][342][343]
28 April
Israeli forces killed a 16-year-old Palestinian during clashes in Tuqu, near Bethlehem. The military said the incident was under review.
May
1 May
Israeli forces killed a 17-year-old Palestinian during clashes at Aqabat Jabr refugee camp. WAFA reported that it is the 10th consecutive day with all entrances leading to the city of Jericho subject of intensified Israeli security checks.
2 May
Palestinian activist Khader Adnan died in Israeli prison after nearly three months on hunger strike, the first such fatality in thirty years. Three rockets and a mortar shell were fired from Gaza into Israel.[351][352][353] The military stated that Israeli tanks retaliated by firing into Gaza, which prompted Hamas and Islamic Jihad to launch a barrage of 22 rockets at Israeli towns situated along the border, activating the IDF’s Iron Dome interception system.[353] A construction site in southern Israel incurred shrapnel that resulted in the injury of three foreign nationals, one seriously and two lightly. According to Hamas, a Hamas security position was shelled.[354] The extent of casualties in the Gaza Strip is uncertain.
According to a report by Amnesty International, titled Automated Apartheid, Israel is increasingly relying on facial recognition to track Palestinians and control their movement. The report states “Israeli authorities are using facial recognition technology to entrench apartheid.”[355][356]
3 May
Following the death of Khader Adnan militants fired over a hundred rockets into Israel and Israeli warplanes bombed Gaza. A 58-year-old Palestinian was killed as a result of the bombings. A “reciprocal and simultaneous” ceasefire went into effect at 3:30 A.M. (0030 GMT) after mediation from Egyptian, Qatari and United Nations officials.[357][358][359][360]
4 May
Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in a raid on Nablus. Hamas confirmed that the Palestinian men were members and that they had carried out a 7 April attack that resulted in the deaths of three British-Israelis.
Israeli forces killed a 26-year-old female Palestinian in Hawara. She was alleged to have carried out a stabbing attack against a soldier who was lightly wounded in the incident.
5 May
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 18 April – 1 May 2023. During the reporting period, 5 Palestinians (94 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 0 Israelis (17 year to date) were killed by Palestinians. There were 110 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (1279 year to date), and 2 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (292 year to date including 80 in East Jerusalem). There were 38 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (352 year to date).[367]
6 May
Israeli forces killed two 22-year-old Palestinian fighters during a raid on Nur al-Shams refugee camp, Tulkarm. The military said the pair were suspected of a shooting attack at a nearby Israeli settlement.
7 May
Israel demolished a school in the Palestinian village of Jubbet al-Dhib. The school was funded by the European Union and the EU’s delegation to the Palestinians called on Israel to cease demolitions and evictions, saying “Demolitions are illegal under international law, and children’s right to education must be respected”. OCHA estimates that at least 58 schools in the West Bank (50 in Area C and 8 in East Jerusalem) are subject of demolition or stopwork orders.[371][372][373]
9 May
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed 13 people, including three leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry 10 of the dead were civilians, including four women and four children, among them wives and children of the PIJ leaders. The Israeli military stated that the air attacks targeted members of the group who were responsible for recent rocket attacks on Israel, including the commander of the al-Quds Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip. The PIJ confirmed the deaths of three of its leaders.[374][375][376][377][378][379]
Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air attack on a car in Gaza. The military tweeted that the Palestinians were carrying anti-tank guided missiles.[380]
10 May
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in a raid on Qabatiya near Jenin. The military said they were shot at from a vehicle and returned fire. Islamic Jihad claimed the men as members.[381][382][383] Subsequently, a 30-year-old Palestinian succumbed to wounds received during the incident.[384]
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continued and the Palestinian death toll rose to 21. Shortly after renewed strikes commenced, militants launched hundreds of rockets into Israel, over 300 according to Israeli media.[385][386][387]
11 May
Palestinian deaths rose to 25 according to the Gaza Health ministry (27 according to Al Jazeera[388]) as Israeli airstrikes continued for a third day while efforts to reach a ceasefire continued. According to the military a senior Islamic Jihad commander and two other militants were killed in a targeted strike. Although the claim could not be independently verified, the military also said that rockets falling in Gaza killed at least four, including a 10-year-old girl, two 16-year-olds and a 51-year-old man. Approximately 500 rockets have been fired into Israel.[389][390][391]
An 80-year-old Israeli woman was killed and five others injured, for moderately and one lightly, after a rocket launched from Gaza hit an apartment building in Rehovot. Two homes in Sderot were also hit by the rockets, causing damage to the buildings but no casualties.[392]The Israel Defense Forces stated that a technical problem occurred with an Iron Dome interceptor missile, causing it to miss the rocket launched from the Gaza Strip and that the problem was likely an isolated incident, as the missile defense system successfully intercepted 91 percent of the targeted projectiles.[393]
12 May
A PIJ senior leader and his aide were killed bringing total deaths in the current Gaza flareup to 33 Palestinians and 1 Israeli.[394]
13 May
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in a raid on Balata refugee camp in Nablus. Witnesses said that the two were from protestors and not the subjects of the arrest raid.[395][396]
Israeli forces killed a 33-year-old Palestinian at a Jenin checkpoint. The military said that the man ran towards soldiers with a knife.[397]
A 34-year-old Palestinian laborer from Gaza was killed by a rocket fired from Gaza during the final hours of the five-day flareup. His 39-year-old brother was also seriously injured in the same incident, and an Israeli Bedouin guard was moderately wounded. The rocket struck an agricultural construction site near Shokeda, where the brothers were working in violation of IDF Home Front Command instructions, and there was no available bomb shelter for them to seek refuge. The incident highlighted the challenges and endangerment faced by foreign workers who are often unfamiliar with safety precautions and lack access to crucial information during emergencies. During the flareup, six foreign workers in areas near Gaza were injured, including individuals from Thailand, China, and Moldova.[398] Israel declared that the killed laborer would be recognized as a victim of terror in a decision made by the defense minister and the National Insurance Institute, entitling his family to state benefits, including financial support for his widow and six children.[399]
15 May
Israeli forces killed a 22-year-old Palestinian in Askar refugee camp, Nablus during clashes that broke out when troops entered the area to measure a house for demolition.[400][401]
For the first time the United Nations officially commemorated the Nakba. The event was attended by many member states from Asia, Africa, Central and South America and the Middle East including the majority of EU member states. The US and United Kingdom did not send a representative. The Israeli UN Ambassador called the event despicable, false and anti-Semitic while the Israeli foreign minister accused the Palestinians of spreading lies and distorting history. In his speech, the Palestinian president said that more than 1,000 UN resolutions concerning Palestinians had never been implemented and suggested that Israel should have its UN membership suspended.[402][403][404][405]
18 May
The heavily-policed parade of Israel’s Jerusalem Day passed without serious violence. The United States and the United Nations subsequently condemned anti-Arab slogans chanted during the event by overwhelmingly male Orthodox teens and young men.[406][407]
19 May
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 2–15 May 2023. During the reporting period, 45 Palestinians (139 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 1 Israelis (18 year to date) were killed by Palestinians. There were 124 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (1405 year to date), and 44 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (340 year to date including 96 in East Jerusalem). There were 33 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (385 year to date).[408]
21 May
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound together with his security secretary and police chief Kobi Shabtai. The visit was condemned by the Palestinians, Jordan and Egypt as a provocation and violation of the status quo.[409][410][411][412] The U.S. later joined in the condemnation and criticized the “inflammatory rhetoric”.[413]
22 May
Israeli forces killed three Palestinian militants and injured another six people during a large scale raid on the Balata refugee camp. The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades identified the men killed as its members.[414][415][416]
The US said it was “deeply troubled” by a decision permitting Israelis to enter Homesh noting Israel’s previous determination that the outpost was built illegally on private Palestinian land.[413][417][418][419][420]
24 May
At a UN security council meeting on 24 May, the UK ambassador said Israel must tackle increasing settler violence leading to the forcible transfer of Palestinians.[421][422] At Ein Samiya near Ramallah, a Palestinian herding community of 178 people, including 78 children prepared to leave their homes, citing settler violence.The EU added their condemnation of the situation.[423][424][425][426]
26 May
An Israeli settler killed a 28-year-old Palestinian in the Israeli settlement of Tene Omarim in the West Bank. The Palestinian entered the settlement by crawling under a security fence and said to have attempted to stab people although no Israeli casualties were reported.[427][428][429]
29 May
Israeli forces killed a 37-year-old Palestinian member of Fatah’s intelligence service during an arrest raid in Jenin.[430][431][432]
With Israeli government approval, Israeli settlers relocated a yeshiva established on private Palestinian land in Homesh, to a nearby spot designated state-owned land. The relocation was carried out despite international opposition, including repeatedly from the U.S., and the opposition of the Israeli attorney general.[433][434][435][436][437]
30 May
The Israeli army said that a 32-year-old Israeli settler was shot and killed by Palestinian gunmen while driving near Hermesh. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility.[438][439][440][441]
A report, supported by 21 of the 23 member states with diplomatic representation in East Jerusalem or Ramallah, was sent to the EU’s External Action service. It calls for the EU to oppose Israel’s accelerating pressure to unilaterally alter the status and borders of Jerusalem. The report highlights the danger of completing a ring of settlements around Jerusalem. It also raises the issue of Israeli use of archaeology and tourism to “strengthen the Jewish and Biblical-inspired narrative about Jerusalem” and suggests a possible response.[442]
June
1 June
A 2-year-old Palestinian child and his father were seriously wounded after being shot by Israeli forces. The incident occurred while the two were leaving their home in Nabi Saleh. Israeli soldiers claimed they opened fire in pursuit of gunmen who had previously attacked the nearby settlement of Neve Tzuf (Halamish). The boy was airlifted to an Israeli hospital but succumbed to his wounds on 5 June. The military stated that it regretted harm to “non-combatants” and that the incident was under investigation.[443][444][445][446] Subsequently, the IDF said a soldier would not be disciplined as he mistakenly believed he was fired at by the Palestinians although communication deficiencies and incorrect decisions were cited.[447][448]
2 June
An Israeli soldier was lightly injured by shrapnel in the leg after Palestinian gunmen fired at soldiers from the Palestinian village of Deir Sharaf.[449][450]
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 16–29 May 2023. During the reporting period, 4 Palestinians (143 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 0 Israelis (18 year to date) were killed by Palestinians. There were 118 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (1558 year to date), and 48 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (389 year to date including 104 in East Jerusalem). There were 24 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (409 year to date).[451]
6 June
An Israeli was lightly injured after his vehicle came under fire while he was driving near the Palestinian town of Huwara. The military launched a manhunt for the gunman.[452]
8 June
Israeli forces raided Ramallah and demolished the home of a Palestinian suspected of being responsible for the 2022 Jerusalem bombings. Clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army erupted near his residence. The Palestinian health ministry reported that six individuals, including three with gunshot wounds, were taken to the hospital for treatment.[453][454][455][456][457]
9 June
A 29-year-old Palestinian man was shot and killed at an Israeli checkpoint near Ramallah. The Israeli military stated he arrived in a stolen vehicle at the Rantis checkpoint. While inspecting the vehicle, the driver allegedly attacked a soldier and attempted to seize his weapon, prompting another soldier to shoot him. An investigation into the incident is underway. Hamas commented that the incident demonstrated the readiness and capability of resistance in the West Bank to confront the occupation’s crimes, although the group did not claim responsibility.[458][459][460]
13 June
Israeli forces killed a 19-year-old Palestinian during a raid on Balata refugee camp.[461][462]
Later, an Israeli and four IDF soldiers were wounded during a shooting from a car near the Mevo Dotan settlement.[461]
15 June
Israeli forces killed a 20-year-old Palestinian during a demolition raid on Nablus.[463][464] Since the beginning of 2022 through 8 June, B’tselem says that Israel has demolished 27 homes of suspected and convicted terrorists, 10 during 2023. While some commentators see it as politically motivated, Israel says that the purpose is deterrence although there is little evidence to support this and the U.S. State Department has called the practice “counterproductive to the cause of peace”. Human rights groups view the policy as collective punishment and a possible war crime.[465][466][467]
18 June
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 30 May–12 June 2023. During the reporting period, 2 Palestinians (145 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 1 Israelis (19 year to date) were killed by Palestinians. There were 70 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (1628 year to date), and 16 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (398 year to date including 112 in East Jerusalem). There were 33 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (441 year to date).[468]
19 June
Israel shortened the procedure of approving settlement construction and gave Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich the authority to approve one of the stages, changing the system operating for the last 27 years. The United States said it was “deeply troubled” by the Israeli plans that explicitly violate previous commitments made by Israel to the Biden administration. “The United States is deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s reported decision to advance planning for over 4,000 settlement units in the West Bank. We are similarly concerned by reports of changes to Israel’s system of settlement administration that expedite the planning and approvals of settlements”. Tor Wennesland, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process urged a halt and reversal of the decisions and said “I am deeply concerned by the Israeli Government’s decision yesterday to alter settlement planning procedures that have been in place since 1996, which is expected to expedite settlement expansion. I am also alarmed by the anticipated advancement next week of over 4,000 settlement housing units by Israeli planning authorities”. The Israeli press reported that the US has informed Israel that the Negev forum on regional cooperation will be postponed as a result of the Israeli moves.[469][470][471][472][473]
Israeli forces killed six Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, during a raid on Jenin. Dozens of Palestinians were wounded, some seriously. Seven soldiers were wounded. As troops were leaving the area, an IED detonated and disabled an Israeli vehicle. A military spokesman said that hours after the initial shootout, the army were extracting “personnel pinned down in five disabled vehicles at the scene”. For the first time since the Second Intifada, an Israeli helicopter gunship was deployed. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said he is “extremely worried by the situation” in Jenin, “including apparent executions by Israeli forces.”[474][475][476][477] The following day, a 15-year-old Palestinian girl injured in an exchange of fire between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants died from her wounds, raising the death toll of the raid to seven.[478]
20 June
A 20 year-old Palestinian was shot dead in the Husan village near Bethlehem during clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians hurling Molotov cocktails.[479][480][481]
In a shooting by Palestinians at a gas station near the West Bank settlement of Eli, four Israeli settlers were killed and four others were injured, including one seriously. The fatalities included a 17-year-old boy. A 26-year-old gunman was shot dead at the scene by an armed civilian, while the other fled in a car. He was located two hours later near Nablus and killed by Israeli forces. A Palestinian was moderately wounded in the shooting.[482][483][484][485][486] Both gunmen were from the village of Urif, and one of them was a member of Hamas’ armed wing.[487] The group praised the shooting and stated it was a response to the raid on Jenin the day prior and to “aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque”, but they did not claim responsibility.[482] Hours after the attack, dozens of settlers rioted across villages near Nablus, injuring at least 34 and torching 140 cars.[488] A few settlers opened fire at Palestinians who attempted to confront them,[489] and there were reports of settlers attempting to attack IDF soldiers.[489]
21 June
A 27-year-old Palestinian man was killed near Turmus Aya, likely by an Israeli police officer according to the police. The killing occurred hours after Israeli settlers, some armed, set fire to houses and cars in the area. The police arrived after the settlers had left and clashes broke out with local Palestinians.[490] In a statement, the EU said “We condemn the current outbreak of settler violence across the West Bank, resulting in unacceptable indiscriminate violence against Palestinian civilians and the destruction of Palestinian property” and “We recall that Israel has the obligation to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians in the occupied territory”.[491]
Settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya in what was described as a pogrom by +972 Magazine. 5 villagers were injured by live fire, a 12 year old boy on a bicycle was hit by a settler car and then beaten; 30 vehicles were set on fire; 10 homes were damaged, two shops and a gas station vandalized, together with agricultural fields, a wheat silo and telegraph poles. Similar incidents of settler violence broke out at Za’atara Junction, Yitzhar Junction, Huwara, Qabalan, and Bitin. Yesh Din reported that Israeli police and IDF soldiers were present at, but did not interfere with, the rampages.[492]
An Israeli drone strike killed three Palestinian militants in a car. The military said it had “identified a terrorist cell inside a suspicious vehicle” alleged to have carried out shooting attacks on Jewish settlements. The Times of Israel said that two of the dead were Palestinian Islamic Jihad members and the third belonged to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades while according to AP, all three were claimed by PIJ. This was considered the first targeted killing in the West Bank since 2006.[493][494][495]
23 June
Following U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides condemnation of Israeli settler violence, National Security spokesman John Kirby said the United States is “actively engaging” with Israel on the question. A closed meeting of the United nations Security Council requested by China, France, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to discuss the matter as well as the increasing violence in the West bank generally. Senior Israeli Defense officials have raised concerns over the issue pointing to Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir as a significant contributor to the problem.[496][497][498][499] Settler attacks on Palestinians reached record levels in 2022 and continue to increase in 2023 with the issue being repeatedly raised by European and US officials and latterly by Miloon Kothari of the UNHRC Commission of Inquiry who announced plans to investigate and said “We are very disturbed that violent settler activity has considerably increased in the last months and it’s… becoming, in fact, the means through which (Israeli) annexation is insured.”[500]
24 June
A 39-year-old Palestinian was shot and critically injured by Israeli forces during a raid on Askar refugee camp on 23 June, and later died from his wounds.[501][502]
Israeli forces killed a 17-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem who, according to Israeli police, fired on Israeli forces at the Qalandia checkpoint.[503][504]
According to residents, around 50 Israeli settlers armed with rifles and flammable liquid entered Umm Safa and set fire to houses and vehicles, the sixth settler mob attack on a Palestinian town during the week.[505][506]
27 June
The US criticized Israel’s advancement of plans for 5,700 new homes in Jewish settlements and said it was “an obstacle to peace”.[507][508][509][510]
July
3 July
In a military operation centered around the Jenin refugee camp, involving hundreds of troops and multiple drone strikes, Israeli forces killed at least eight Palestinians and injured dozens, some critically. The IDF said that they were engaged in an “extensive counterterrorism effort” across Jenin and in the refugee camp.[511][512][513][514][515][516][517][518] A 16-year-old Palestinian named Abdul Rahman Hassan Ahmad Hardan was reportedly killed. Despite Israel’s claim that all those who were killed were combatants, video footage of the incident shows that Abdul Rahman was unarmed when he was shot.[519] A month later, a 20-year-old Palestinian died of his wounds.[520]
A 21-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces near Ramallah, according to the Palestinian health ministry.[511][521]
An Israeli man was stabbed and lightly wounded in Bnei Brak by a 14-year-old Palestinian from a village in the Jenin area. The attacker fled the scene but was captured. He allegedly said that he carried out the stabbing in response to the incursion in Jenin.[522]
4 July
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, bringing total deaths to ten, as a military operation in Jenin continued for a second day. Thousands of residents have fled the refugee camp to Jenin proper.[523][524][525]
7 Israelis were wounded in a car ramming and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv. The assailant, a 20-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank, was shot dead by a civilian.[526][527][528]
A 22-year-old Palestinian died from wounds sustained during the Jenin assault, raising the death toll to 11.[529]
5 July
Israeli forces withdrew from Jenin with at least 12 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier dead.[530][531] It is being investigated whether the Israeli death was due to friendly fire.[532]
6 July
An IDF soldier[533][534] was killed after a Palestinian gunman opened fire at security forces who had stopped to inspect his vehicle near the Israeli settlement of Kedumim. The assailant was killed by Israeli forces after fleeing the scene. The attack was claimed by Hamas, who referred to it as a “heroic operation” in retaliation for the Israeli incursion in Jenin two days prior.[535][536][537][538][539]
7 July
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in a raid on Nablus. Israeli officials said that the men were behind a shooting attack on a police vehicle earlier in the week.[540][541][542]
Israeli forces killed a 24-year-old Palestinian near the village of Umm Safa according to Palestinian health ministry.[543]
8 July
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 13 June–4 July 2023. During the reporting period, 32 Palestinians (177 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 5 Israelis (24 year to date) were killed by Palestinians. There were 139 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (1800 year to date), and 41 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (451 year to date including 129 in East Jerusalem). There were 84 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (525 year to date).[544]
10 July
Israeli forces killed a 33-year-old Palestinian man in Deir Nidham. The military said troops stopped a motorist who got out of his car, threw a grenade and fired shots.[545][546]
11 July
Following the rejection of a final appeal, a 45-year-long legal battle ended with the eviction of a Palestinian family from their apartment in Jerusalem’s Old City. Activists say the eviction is part of a wider trend of Israeli settlers seizing property in East Jerusalem while Israel describes it as a real estate dispute. Israeli law allows Jews to reclaim properties owned by Jews before 1948 while there is no equivalent right for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes to return to lost properties.[547][548]
20 July
A 19-year-old Palestinian was killed during clashes between Israeli troops and Nablus residents that broke out during a visit of thousands of Jewish worshipers, including Israel’s police chief Kobi Shabtai, to Joseph’s Tomb, heavily accompanied by security forces. Four other Palestinians were wounded by gunfire, and 30 others suffered tear gas inhalation, including a baby and a 12-year-old girl. The IDF reported that Palestinians attacked the group as they entered the city, prompting security forces to respond with crowd dispersal measures and gunfire. The Nablus battalion of the Al-Quds Brigades stated they were fighting against the occupation forces and settlers in the area. Senior police officials criticized Shabtai for the dangerous and unnecessary visit.[549][550]
A 25-year-old Israeli man was seriously injured in a stabbing attack in the Gilo settlement in East Jerusalem. 3 suspects aged between 17 and 19, from Bethlehem, were arrested.[551]
21 July
Israeli forces killed a 17-year-old Palestinian in Umm Safa, north of Ramallah. The army said they opened fire at Palestinians throwing rocks.[552]
22 July
Israeli forces killed an 18-year-old Palestinian in disputed circumstances. The army said that two Palestinian men tried to drive a car into soldiers at Sebastia who opened fire but the claim could not be verified. The Palestinian foreign ministry called for an international investigation into the killing.[553][554][555][556] On 28 August, B’tselem published an account of the incident and noting that an Israeli court rejected the car ramming allegation.[557]
25 July
Israeli forces killed three Palestinian gunmen in Nablus. The military said the Palestinians fired at them from a car.[558][559][560]
26 July
Israeli forces killed a 23-year-old Palestinian near Nablus while arresting two other Palestinians. According to a witness, the man was an uninvolved bystander.[561][562]
27 July
Israeli forces killed a 14-year-old Palestinian in Qalqilya during confrontations with Palestinian youths.[563][564][565]
For the third time as a cabinet member, far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir made a provocative visit to Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa drawing condemnations from Palestinians, the US, the UK and the governments of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt.[566][567][568][569][570]
29 July
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 5–24 July 2023. During the reporting period, 8 Palestinians (185 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 1 Israeli (25 year to date) was killed by Palestinians. There were 215 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (2015 year to date), and 67 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (542 year to date including 141 in East Jerusalem). There were 56 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (581 year to date).[571]
August
1 August
A 20-year-old Palestinian man shot and wounded six outside a mall in the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim before being shot and killed by an off-duty Israeli police officer. Hamas praised the attack, describing it as a “heroic shooting operation in defense of the al-Aqsa Mosque and in response to the settler invasions” and as “a punch to the face of Ben-Gvir and his invasion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”[572][573]
Israeli rights group Hamoked reported that Israel was holding 1,201 detainees without charge or trial, a three-decade high. 99% of the detainees are Palestinian.[574] A quarter of all Palestinians held are in “administrative detention”.[575]
Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian near as-Samu, south of Hebron.[576] The Palestinian allegedly attempted to stab two soldiers at the Eshtemoa intersection.[577][578][579]
4 August
Israeli forces killed an 18-year-old Palestinian during a raid in Tulkarem. The military said Palestinians threw stones and explosives and they returned fire.[580][581][582][583]
Israeli settlers killed a 19-year-old Palestinian in Burqa. Two settlers were subsequently arrested.[584][585][586] According to OCHA, the UN recorded 591 settler-related incidents in the first half of 2023, a 39 per cent increase in the monthly average compared with 2022 which was already the highest number since the UN began recording data in 2006.[587] Far-right National Security Minister Ben-Gvir supported the settler action while opposition member Benny Gantz called it a “dangerous nationalistic Jewish terrorism”, criticized Israel’s “national leadership” for its “silence, lack of support for security forces” and “the fact that government and coalition members are backing the same extremists [which carry out the attacks].”[588] Washington condemned the killing “in sharpened language that appeared to reflect U.S. frustration with the recent surge in violence under Israel’s hard-right government.”[589]
5 August
A Palestinian gunman opened fire in central Tel Aviv, killing a 42-year-old Israeli municipal patrol officer before being shot and killed by another officer. The perpetrator was identified as a 27-year-old man from the Jenin area, who had been evading capture in the refugee camp for the past six months. The attack was praised by the Islamic Jihad. The Israeli military prepared the family home of the Palestinian for demolition.[590][591][592][593]
6 August
Israeli forces killed three Palestinian gunmen in a car south of Jenin. The military said the men were on their way to carry out an attack.[594][595][589][596]
7 August
A 17-year-old Palestinian wounded earlier near Silwad, died. IDF sources said that on 2 August the Palestinian threw a firebomb towards Ofra and was shot by Israeli soldiers.[597][598]
10 August
Israeli forces killed a 27-year-old Palestinian militant during a raid on Zawata, west of Nablus. The military said that a Palestinian suspect fired at its troops who returned fire.[599][600][601]
11 August
Israeli forces killed a 23-year-old Palestinian militant in during a raid on Tulkarm. The military said Palestinians fired at them and they returned fire.[602][603][604]
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 25 July – 7 August 2023. During the reporting period, 11 Palestinians (196 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 1 Israeli (26 year to date) was killed by Palestinians. There were 116 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (2152 year to date), and 56 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (626 year to date including 144 in East Jerusalem). There were 20 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (692 year to date).[605]
12 August
Saudi Arabia named its ambassador to Jordan, Nayef al-Sudairi, as “nonresident ambassador to the State of Palestine” and also as consul general in Jerusalem for Palestinian engagement in a nod to Palestinian claims in Jerusalem. The move comes amid discussion of a potential normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia although sources stress this as some way off.[606][607][608][609][610]
15 August
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, aged 16 and 25, during a raid on the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp. The military said that Palestinians opened fire at them and they returned fire.[611][612][613]
17 August
Israeli forces killed a 32-year-old Palestinian militant during an arrest raid in Jenin. The military said they came under fire and shot back.[614][615]
18 August
Israeli authorities demolished a school in Ein Samiya following the forced displacement of most of the Bedouin community in May. EU representatives visited the site on 12 August and condemned the upcoming demolition.[616][617][618][619]
19 August
A 19-year-old Palestinian died from wounds sustained on 15 August in an exchange of fire between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli soldiers near Joseph’s Tomb, near Nablus.[620]
A 60-year-old Israeli man and his 29-year-old son, residents of Ashdod, were shot and killed at a carwash in Huwara, allegedly by a Palestinian. The attack was praised by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who called it “heroic” and “a natural response to the crimes of the occupation.” A manhunt was launched for the gunman.[621][622][623][624][625][626][627]
20 August
A suspected Palestinian gunman killed a 40-year-old Israeli woman from Beit Hagai and seriously wounded an Israeli man traveling by car in the South Hebron Hills near Hebron. The attack was praised by Palestinian militant groups. Two Palestinians were subsequently arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack.[628][629][630][631][632]
21 August
Israeli forces killed a 17-year-old Palestinian during an arrest raid in Zababdeh, south of Jenin. Islamic Jihad claimed the Palestinian as a fighter. The military said Palestinians threw explosive devices and they returned fire.[633][634][635][636]
Israeli forces shot and critically wounded a 34-year-old Palestinian in Beita. A video shows the victim as unarmed and being shot in the back. The US said “The United States urges a rapid completion of an objective, thorough investigation into the incident, which we understand is ongoing, and calls for full accountability in this case”.[637][638][639][640]
In a report to the UNSC,[641] Tor Wennesland said 2023 to date had seen the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and that “The lack of progress towards a political horizon that addressed the core issues driving the conflict has left a dangerous and volatile vacuum, filled by extremists on all sides.”[642][643][644]
According to an investigation by Haaretz and rights groups B’Tselem and Yesh Din, as with the 4 August killing in Burqa, eight other Palestinians have been killed in the past 15 years. In none of the cases has an Israeli been brought to trial. An EU delegation condemned the growth in settler violence.[645][646][647]
On Route 60, 39-year-old Aryeh Gutliv from Beit Hagai drove his neighbors 40-year-old Bat Sheva Negri and her 12-year-old daughter to Kiryat Arba.[648] When they reached “The Sheep Junction”, a passing vehicle opened fire at Gutliv’s car, killing Negri. Negri’s daughter was unharmed in the attack, while Gutliv was seriously wounded and evacuated to Soroka Hospital.[649][650][651] Bat Sheva Negri was killed.[652][653] Less than a day after the attack, Yamam fighters arrested Mohammed and Zakaria Shantir, brothers from Hebron. The weapon they used was also seized and their home was demolished.[654][655]
28 August
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 8–21 August 2023. During the reporting period, 6 Palestinians (202 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 3 Israelis (29 year to date) were killed by Palestinians. There were 143 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (2335 year to date), and 35 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (670 year to date including 148 in East Jerusalem). There were 21 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (713 year to date).[656]
Human Rights Watch said that Israeli forces kill Palestinian children “with virtually no recourse for accountability” and that 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinian children in 15 years.[657][658][659] Groups like NGO Monitor claimed Human Rights Watch ignored “publicly available evidence of their terror affiliations” and “[failed] to condemn their participation in violent acts during the time of their death.”[660]
30 August
Israeli forces killed a 14-year-old Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem who stabbed a man in a Jerusalem light-rail station. After the stabbing, a crows of people “began to struggle with the terrorist,” according to Israeli police.[661][662][663]
Palestinian militants detonated a bomb near a convoy of Israeli troops who were escorting Jewish worshippers to Joseph’s Tomb outside Nablus. According to the Israeli army, the bomb wounded four soldiers.[661]
31 August
A 41-year-old Palestinian truck driver rammed a group of soldiers at the Beit Sira checkpoint, killing one, and after driving away, was himself killed by Israeli forces at a nearby checkpoint.[664][665][666][667]
The family of 13-year-old Palestinian who stabbed an Israeli border officer in February was informed of the impending demolition of the family home. An Israeli court approved the demolition a week earlier in a 2 to 1 decision. The case has focused attention on the practice of demolishing homes of Palestinian assailants, a policy being aggressively pursued[668][669] by the current government which says that the policy is a deterrence.[670][671] The Palestinian is awaiting trial on murder charges although the stabbed border guard was accidentally killed by another officer. Rights groups including Amnesty have denounced the policy as collective punishment-[672][673]
September
1 September
Israeli forces killed a 36-year-old Palestinian man after a gunfight broke out with Palestinian militants during a raid to captured suspected militants in ‘Aqqaba. The military said that he was a gunman. The man’s cousin and the Palestinian Health Ministry stated he was uninvolved.The Israeli military conducted raids in several towns in the West Bank, including Nablus, arresting seven suspected militants.[674][675][676]
Most of the communities that lived in an area of 150 square kilometers east from Ramallah to the outskirts of Jericho have fled due to Israeli settler violence and land seizures. More than 10 settler outposts have been established in the area. The settlers use the pasturing of sheep as a means of forcing Palestinians off their land. The Belgian minister for international development said “entire villages are being wiped off the map by the Israelis” leading to the Belgian ambassador being summoned by Israel for a diplomatic dressing down while 972 Mag said “Israel’s slow but gradual process of ethnic cleansing is continuing apace, effectively annexing large swathes of the occupied territory for exclusive Jewish settlement.”[677][678][679][680]
5 September
Israeli forces killed a 21-year-old Palestinian Islamic Jihad member during an operation to uncover a bomb cache at the Nur Shams refugee camp. The military said they were fired on and returned fire.[681][682][683]
Israeli forces killed a 17-year-old Palestinian gunman near Jericho. The military said he opened fire at them, wounding an Israeli soldier, and they returned fire.[684][683]
6 September
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a Washington-based media-monitoring group considered close to Israel, published an english translation of Palestinian President Abbas speech given on 24 August 2023 to senior Fatah officials.[685][686] In addition to other claims, Abbas presented the discredited Khazar hypothesis of Ashkenazi ancestry as fact in a speech widely condemned as anti-Semitic. It was unclear why diplomats issued statements only after MEMRI translated and published the claims that Abbas made, two weeks after Abbas made them. Abbas has a history of making doubtful claims with one aim being, according to the BBC, to “dispute the connection between the Jewish people and modern-day Israel” since “Rights to the land lie at the core of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and are entwined with the historical narratives of both peoples.” Critics also accuse Abbas of not being genuinely committed to resolving the ongoing conflict.[687][688][689][690] Abbas, who is deeply unpopular at home, was subsequently condemned by dozens of Palestinian intellectuals.[691][692]
Reports by Haaretz and B’Tselem described the strip searching of five female members of a Palestinian family by two masked Israeli women soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron in July. UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq stated that “We would stand against any form of collective punishment. Obviously, this reported incident needs to be looked at and investigated thoroughly”.[693][694][695][696][697]
A Palestinian male child militant committed a stabbing attack outside the Jaffa Gate, the main entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. Two Israeli civilians were injured by the militant and both were hospitalized. Magen David Adom service said one of them was moderately hurt and other slightly. The militant was arrested after a short chase from Israeli authorities.[698][699] Additionally, one female Israeli civilian was treated for anxiety precipitated by the stabbing attack. Al-Fajr Brigade, a Palestinian militant group said it was response to the incident where five Palestinian women were strip searched by two female IDF soldiers.[700]
9 September
A 16-year-old Palestinian was killed by an Israeli soldier at the entrance of the Al-Arroub refugee camp near Hebron. According to the IDF, several Palestinian militants hurled Molotov cocktails at some IDF soldiers stationed near that refugee camp entrance, prompting those soldiers to respond with live fire. According to the Palestinian Health ministry, the teen was shot in the back.[701][702][703][704]
11 September
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 22 August – 4 September 2023. During the reporting period, 5 Palestinians (207 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 1 Israeli (30 year to date) was killed by Palestinians. There were 173 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (2513 year to date), and 15 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (686 year to date including 155 in East Jerusalem). There were 23 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (736 year to date).[705]
12 September
Two Israeli civilian-settlers were injured in a drive-by shooting while travelling near the Beita junction. The perpetrators are believed to be Palestinians.[706]
18 September
A Palestinian 47-year-old man from Bethlehem area was shot and severely wounded by Israeli police after attempting to carry out a stabbing attack at the Mazmuria checkpoint near the Har Homa neighborhood of southern East Jerusalem.[707][708]
20 September
Over a 24 hour period, 7 Palestinians, including 3 militants belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad or Hamas, were killed by Israeli forces. Two other unaffiliated militants were killed by the IDF during the raid. The first brandished a rifle on a social media post, indicating his militancy. The second was a 15-year-old male killed by Israeli undercover forces after he blew their cover.[709][710] Another Palestinian was killed and nine were wounded during clashes at the Gaza border. According to Israel, some protesters, including the fatality, were hurling explosives at Israeli soldiers stationed on the border, which prompted the IDF to respond with live fire. The seventh was killed during a raid on Aqabat Jabr refugee camp. According to Israel, he hurled explosives at raiding soldiers, prompting them to shoot him.[711][712][713][714]
21 September
Violence from Israeli settlers has displaced over 1,100 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since 2022, according to a U.N. report. The report documented approximately three settler-related incidents per day resulting in the emptying of five Palestinian communities, six rendered half empty and a further seven have lost a quarter of their population. Lynn Hastings, humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory said “The U.N. has recorded unprecedented levels of settler violence against Palestinians this year.”[715][716]
Israeli activist settlers from the far-right Im Tirtzu harassed a delegation from the European Union Delegation to the Palestinians visiting Palestinian communities near Ramallah. The delegation wrote on X (previously twitter) that “We reiterate our concern over the growing problem of settler violence and call on Israel’s authorities to take action against violent settlers.” The activists were arrested by Palestinian Authority security forces and handed over to Israel.[717]
A Palestinian was shot and severely wounded after allegedly stabbing an Israeli security guard at a Jerusalem light rail station, while another Palestinian was seriously injured after allegedly opening fire on Israeli troops at the Gaza border fence. The IDF released video footage showing “a man firing a pistol toward soldiers before he was shot by a sniper.”[718]
An Israeli security guard was injured in a suspected car ramming at the Qalandiya check point north of Jerusalem. According to Israeli police, a 38-year-old Palestinian from Kafr ‘Aqab was detained at the scene. Police believe the man could have been suicidal due to finding a boxcutter in his car.[719]
22 September
Israeli forces killed an 18-year-old Palestinian militant during a raid on Kafr Dan. The militant was said to be a Palestinian Islamic Jihad and a combatant member of their Al Quds Brigade and the multifactional Jenin Brigade.[720][721][722]
Clashes along the Gaza border intensified. Israel launched airstrikes after Palestinian border protesters launched incendiary balloons into Israel. Palestinian protesters hurled explosives at Israeli soldiers stationed along the border prompting the soldiers to respond with tear gas and live fire. Palestinian health officials said Israeli fire wounded 28 Palestinians. The Palestinian protesters said they were demonstrating against recent Jewish visits to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound. Israel has closed the Erez Crossing since 19 September in response to intercepting a shipment containing explosives.[723][724][725]
23 September
The US State Department, reacting to comments by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said “We strongly condemn Minister Ben Gvir’s racist, destructive comments on the freedom of movement of Palestinian residents of the West Bank. Such messages are particularly damaging when amplified by those in leadership positions… President [Joe] Biden and Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken have been clear that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve to enjoy equal measures of freedom and security.” The EU also condemned the comments while Israeli prime minister Netanyahu defended Ben Gvir.[726][727]
24 September
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian militants during a raid on the Nour Shams refugee camp to destroy what the military said was a “a militant command center and bomb-storage facility in a building.” The army said they were fired on and returned fire. Hamas confirmed both militants were killed “in battle” with the IDF and another said to be a Hamas member.[728][729][730][731][732]
According to the IDF, one Israeli soldier was wounded in the exchange of fire. 8 Birzeit University students were arrested by the IDF in a raid on the university. According to the IDF, they were recruited by Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip for planning a militant attack and additionally some of the suspects confessed to the allegations.Hamas, PIJ, and PFLP, agreed to “escalate their fight against” Israel and to increase cooperation among themselves, per a joint statement they issued after top officials from all three militant organizations met in Beirut.[733]
25 September
Palestinian border protesters burned tires, threw stones, hurled makeshift bombs and shot bullets from guns toward Israeli soldiers stationed at the Gaza-Israel border and launched incendiary balloons toward Israel. This prompted the IDF to use sniper fire and crowd dispersal methods. According to the IDF, it also struck two Hamas militant positions in the Gaza Strip and arrested two Palestinians who attempted to cross from the Strip to Israel. Based on the timing of the IDF statement, it is possible the strike occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.[734]
26 September
Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed envoy to the Palestinian Authority, Nayef al-Sudairi, began a two-day visit to the West Bank to present his credentials to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. During the visit, al-Sudairi said that Saudi Arabia “is working towards establishing a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital”. This event came almost immediately after Israel and Saudi Arabia confirmed significant progress on the negotiation of an Israel-Saudi Arabia normalization agreement. However, details of negotiations are not yet known to the public.[735][736][737][738][739][740]
Germany criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for presenting at the UN a map of “The New Middle East” that did not include Palestine. “Showing a map that does not show territories that are occupied or annexed, so to speak, is something that we naturally reject and that it is of no help with regard to the efforts to reach a negotiated two-state solution.” said German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer.[741][742]
OCHA issued the Protection of Civilians Report covering the period 5–18 September 2023. During the reporting period, 3 Palestinians (212 year to date) were killed by Israeli forces and 0 Israelis (30 year to date) werer killed by Palestinians. There were 118 Israeli military search and arrest operations in the West Bank (2642 year to date), and 27 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished (713 year to date including 162 in East Jerusalem). There were 24 attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers (798 year to date).[706]
29 September
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian near al-Bireh. The army said that the man, together with another, threw firebombs at a military post. Hamas claimed the man as a member.[743][744][745]
Qatar says it successfully mediated an agreement between Israel and officials in the Gaza Strip to reopen the Erez Crossing between Israel and Gaza. The opening occurred after two weeks of demonstrations by Palestinian workers and Qatar-broker diplomacy involving Egypt, Israel and Hamas. Israel closed the crossing in response to violent protesting on the Gaza side of the border which the protesters said was a response to provocations at Al Aqsa.[746] The protests involved Palestinians throwing stones and explosive devices, burning tires and, according to the Israeli military, shooting at Israeli soldiers.[747][748]
October
3 October
Israeli settlers are setting up wildcat herding outposts, often near Palestinian villages, according to Kerem Navot, an independent Israeli watchdog that monitors settlement activity. The group says 20 new outposts have been established during 2023 over more than 140 square miles and the simultaneous retreat of Palestinians from the same rural areas.[749][750]
4 October
According to OCHA, 84 Palestinians have left Masafer Yatta since July. The UN said the forced transfer of citizens is illegal and called on Israel to halt the restrictions on movement, destruction of structures and the conducting of military exercises.[751][752]
5 October
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian militants during a raid on Tulkarem refugee camp. The military said soldiers were fired on and troops shot Palestinian gunmen. Five border police officers were wounded. Hamas claimed the two Palestinians as members.[753][754][755][756]
Later, in Huwara, a Palestinian gunman who fired at an Israeli car was killed by Israeli forces. Following this incident, Israeli settlers, including far-right lawmaker Zvi Sukkot, arrived in Hawara, leading to clashes between settlers and Palestinians. According to Palestinian media and witnesses, a 19-year-old Palestinian was killed by a settler.[757][758][759][760] It remained unclear as of 6 October whether the Palestinian was killed by the military or by a settler.[761][762]
6 October
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, in a statement, said “I condemn today’s attack by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the town of Huwara in occupied West Bank”. The EU also issued a statement of its concern over the Huwara incident.[763][better source needed]
Then the terrible October 7th attacks happened.
Not in a void, as you can see.
