The IDF bulldozes Palestinian land nr. the Qarni crossing, along the border e. of Dayr al-Balah. Late in the evening, the IDF raids Jenin r.c. in a failed attempt to capture West Bank AMB leader Zakariya Zubaydi, fatally shooting Muhammad Hayja (his deputy and a local AMB leader). The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron, and in Qalqilya, Tubas. (NYT, WP 7/2; OCHA 7/4; PCHR 7/5)

In Gaza, Palestinians fire 3 mortars at IDF bulldozers clearing Palestinian land on the Gaza side of the Erez crossing, causing no damage or injuries.

In the West Bank, the IDF unleashes attack dogs on, then fatally shoots a 15-yr.-old Palestinian boy during an arrest raid in Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Nablus, in Qabatya, and nr. Jenin, Qalqilya. A Jewish settler woman in Hebron beats a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy who refuses to give her his puppy; the IDF arrests the boy. In Gaza, the IDF bulldozes Palestinian land in 2 areas along the n. Gaza border; shoots, wounds a Palestinian who strays nr. the border fence e. of Bayt Hanun. Israel announces that Israeli police and Shin Bet have arrested 11 senior Hamas mbrs. in Jerusalem for allegedly “recruit[ing] support for Hamas and giv[ing] the organization a foothold on the Temple Mount, in coordination with Sheikh Raed Salah's Islamic Movement,” and have seized more than $95,000 in funds allegedly transferred fr. Hamas’s Damascus-based leadership; the 11 are all East Jerusalem residents, and 10 have Israeli ID cards. (IFM 7/2; HA, NYT, WP, WT 7/3; NYT, OCHA, WP 7/4; PCHR 7/5)

PA security forces continue targeting Hamas mbrs. in the West Bank for arrest, detaining and quickly releasing Change and Reform PC mbr. Ahmad al-Hajj Ali. In Gaza, the ESF arrests Army of Islam spokesman Abu Khattab al-Makdisi, 2 other Army of Islam mbrs. in effort to find kidnapped BBC correspondent Johnston; the Army of Islam captures several Hamas-affiliated students in retaliation.

In the West Bank, the IDF imposes restrictions barring Palestinians ages 16–25 from traveling southward through 8 major northern checkpoints (Anabta-Kifriyat tunnel, al-Ras in Tulkarm; Awarta, Hawara, Yitzhar in Nablus; Jit in Qalqilya; Dayr Ballut, Za`atara in Salfit); fatally shoots a Palestinian teenager in Hebron, mistaking his toy gun for a real one; raids 3 mosques and a rehabilitation center in Hebron, confiscating documents, books; raids, searches the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions offices in Ramallah; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Balata r.c., Nablus, Tulkarm town and r.c. A Palestinian dies nr. Um Salamuna when he is run over by a Jewish settler bus. (HA 7/3; OCHA, WP 7/4; PCHR 7/5)

In Gaza, the ESF deploys heavily in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, where Hamas believes BBC reporter Johnston is being held; detains a number of mbrs. of the Daghmash clan thought to be behind the Army of Islam; exchanges fire with Daghmash family mbrs. who refuse to stop at an ESF checkpoint, wounding 1 Palestinian bystander. (The ESF says that since 7/2, it has detained 20 Daghmash mbrs.; that the Daghmash clan has kidnapped 10 Hamas mbrs. in retaliation.) Palestinians fire 3 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries.

The IDF bulldozes Palestinian land in n. Gaza, reinforces troops inside the border nr. Bayt Hanun (conducting arrest raids, house searches, occupying a Palestinian home, bulldozing land), expanding the IDF’s n. Gaza buffer zone. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Tulkarm. A Palestinian teenager dies of wounds received during a 2004 IDF raid on Hebron. (BBC, HA, NYT, WP 7/4; PCHR, WP 7/5; Jewish Telegraphic Agency 7/6; WP 7/8; OCHA 7/11; PCHR 7/12)

Overnight, Hamas secures the release of BBC reporter Johnston fr. the Army of Islam, which kidnapped him on 3/12; Haniyeh holds a press conference with Johnston at his Gaza City home, facilitates his transfer to the British Consulate in Jerusalem; British FM David Miliband "fully acknowledge[s] the crucial role" played by Hamas and Haniyeh in securing his release.

Islamic Jihad fires an RPG at an IDF jeep on the Israeli side of the border fence nr. Dayr al-Balah; the missile lands inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries.

The IDF launches a major day-long incursion (including infantry, tanks, bulldozers, air support) into areas of Gaza e. of al-Bureij r.c. and al-Maghazi r.c. to “root out terrorist infrastructures,” sparking heavy clashes with local Palestinians and calling in air strikes in support; 11 Palestinian gunmen are killed (including at least 7 Hamas mbrs., 1 Islamic Jihad mbr.), 2 IDF soldiers and 25 Palestinians are wounded, 1 home is demolished, 80 d. of olive trees and agricultural land are bulldozed, 1 Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance is confiscated by the IDF, and at least 9 of about 70 Palestinians interrogated by troops are sent to Israel for further questioning. (Among the Palestinians wounded is an al-Aqsa TV cameraman, who is repeatedly shot at close range as he lies prone after initially being wounded, leaving him a double amputee; an IDF official speaking anonymously states that al-Aqsa TV employees should not be considered bona fide journalists but “Hamas operatives in every respect,” alleging that they gather intelligence and document attacks on Israeli forces for Hamas.) In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm town and r.c., nr. Qalqilya, and in Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, Tubas. (NYT, WP, WT 7/6; NYT 7/7; WP 7/8; OCHA 7/11; PCHR 7/12)

Islamic Jihad fires 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel during the clashes, causing no damage or injuries. The PRC also fires 2 rockets fr. Rafah toward Kerem Shalom crossing; 1 explodes on the launcher, injuring 1 PRC mbr., while the other lands inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries.

In keeping with a decree issued by PA PM Fayyad earlier in the wk. changing the official weekend from Thursday/Friday to Friday/Saturday, Fatah-affiliated PA employees in Gaza attempt to go their workplaces today (Thursday) but are blocked by ESF officers who force the ministries to stay closed; Fatah civil servants pledge not to work on Saturday, in keeping with the decree and as a protest against Haniyeh’s provisional government. In Gaza City, 2,000 Palestinians hold a peaceful demonstration calling on Fatah, Hamas to work together. A PSF officer dies of injuries received in interfactional clashes in Jabaliya on 6/11.

IDF troops operating in n. Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun capture 8 rocket launchers and rockets. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Jenin town and r.c., Nablus; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists holding weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil`in, injuring 3. (NYT 7/7; OCHA 7/11; PCHR 7/12)

In Gaza City, ESF, Islamic Jihad mbrs. exchange fire, causing no injuries.

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Einav nr. Tulkarm burn 100 d. of nearby Palestinian crops. (OCHA 7/11; PCHR 7/12)

In Gaza City, 3,000 Hamas mbrs. hold a nonviolent protest march demanding the opening of the Rafah crossing to allow entry to some 6,000 Palestinians stranded in Egypt.

After 5 days of bulldozing operations to expand the n. Gaza buffer zone (leveling 90 d. of land), the IDF withdraws troops fr. the border area n. of Bayt Hanun that were sent in on 7/4. In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit into Jenin in a civilian vehicle with Palestinian license plates, ambushing and assassinating Islamic Jihad cmdr. Mahmud Nazzal as he drives through town, arresting his 3 passengers (1 wounded); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Balata r.c., Bethlehem, Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, Tubas. Jewish settlers place new caravans at the unauthorized settlement outpost of Avigail nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Susia vandalize 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron, uproot several trees. (OCHA 7/11; PCHR 7/12)

Hamas fires 2 mortars at IDF tanks, bulldozers leveling land inside the Gaza border further south nr. Nahal Oz, causing no damage or injuries.

The UNRWA announces that because of Israel’s continued closure of the Gaza crossing to all but limited humanitarian aid, it must halt about $93 m. of construction projects in Gaza (including schools, water and sewage treatment facilities, health centers) that employ 121,000 Palestinians for lack of construction materials; also warns that UNRWA food stocks are running low. Hamas says it is willing to allow the PA presidential guard to monitor the crossings, but Israel says it will not deal with the presidential guard if they operate under Hamas command. Hamas demands that Egypt, Israel allow some 6,000 Palestinians stranded on the Rafah border without aid or shelter to enter Gaza; Egypt says it will allow them through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing as a 1-time solution, but Hamas rejects this as an affront to Palestinian sovereignty; Hamas mbrs. fire mortars at Kerem Shalom in protest, causing light damage but no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Jericho, raiding a billiard club, shooting, wounding, arresting 2 Palestinians; sends undercover units into Burkin nr. Jenin in a civilian vehicle with Palestinian plates to raid a café, arresting 13 Palestinians; conducts other arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Bethlehem, Hebron. (NYT, WT 7/10; OCHA 7/11; PCHR 7/12)

The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Bayt Lahiya, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids in and around Nablus (targeting the Fatah tanzim), in Jenin town and r.c., and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Qalqilya. Fatah officials complain that in the past 2 wks., IDF arrest campaigns in the West Bank have detained at least 300 Fatah mbrs., more than offsetting a planned release of 250 Fatah prisoners. (IFM, MNA 7/10; NYT, PCHR 7/12)

Palestinians fire 10 mortars at the IDF post at Kerem Shalom crossing, causing no damage or injuries, but prompting Israel to close the transit point, which had been allowing limited food aid into Gaza. Meanwhile, 3,000 Hamas mbrs. hold a nonviolent demonstration at the Rafah crossing, demanding that Israel allow entry to some 6,000 Palestinians stranded in Egypt. Egypt reinforces border guards on the Rafah border, fearing that Hamas mbrs. might try to force open the crossing.

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron and in Jenin town and r.c., Qabatya, Qalqilya. (PCHR 7/12; OCHA 7/18; PCHR 7/19)

The Lebanese army reinforces tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs), troops around Nahr al-Barid r.c., prompting at least another 400 Palestinian refugees to flee the camp in fear of a major assault against the remaining FI mbrs. (WP 7/12; WP 7/13)

In Ramallah, Fatah-affiliated students at Birzeit University attack a peaceful sit-in by pro-Hamas students protesting political arrests by the PA targeting Hamas; injuries figures are not reported.

Overnight, the IDF sends tanks and bulldozers supported by helicopters, drones, warplanes into central Gaza nr. al-Bureij r.c., searching residential areas for weapons and wanted Palestinians, detaining 10s of Palestinians, bulldozing 118 d. of land, clashing with Hamas mbrs. who detonate a roadside bomb nr. an IDF vehicle, killing 1 IDF soldier (the 1st killed by Palestinians since 11/1/06), lightly wounding 2. The IDF also makes an air strike on a rocket launching site nr. al-Bureij r.c., injuring 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots an Islamic Jihad gunman who opened fire on an IDF checkpoint nr. Tulkarm without causing injuries; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes, an agricultural warehouse nr. Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., Nablus. (AYM 7/12; NYT, WP, WT 7/13; OCHA 7/18; PCHR 7/19)

The Lebanese army shells FI targets in Nahr al-Barid r.c. fr. land and sea, sparking the heaviest clashes in wks. Additional troops sent into the camp reportedly encounter sniper fire and booby-trapped buildings as they advance deeper into areas controlled by FI. At least 4 soldiers and 1 civilian are killed, 20 soldiers injured during the day. (NYT, WP, WT 7/13)

Under intense pressure from human and legal rights groups, Abbas temporarily suspends a 7/6 presidential decree expanding the mandate of the PA security forces at the expense of the judiciary. In Khan Yunis, 5,000 Fatah mbrs. stage a march in support of Abbas; when they stone an ESF post, ESF mbrs. fire in the air to disperse the crowd, wounding 1 Fatah mbr. In Gaza City, Hamas supporters hold a sit-in to protest Abbas’s recent decision to halt salary payments to employees hired after 12/05. In al-Bureij r.c., Islamic Jihad mbrs. kidnap, kill an alleged Palestinian collaborator.

The IDF sends troops in s. Gaza to reoccupy the Rafah airport site, firing on residential areas of nearby  Shuka, wounding 1 Palestinian, withdrawing in the evening; Hamas fires 5 mortars at the troops during the day, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil`in (injuring 2) and a similar protest in Wadi Nays nr. Bethlehem (injuring 4). (HA 7/13; NYT, WT 7/14; NYT, WP, WT 7/15; OCHA 7/18; PCHR 7/19)

With the legal mandate of the PA emergency cabinet set to expire on 6/14, Abbas dissolves Fayyad’s emergency government and quickly reappoints it, with 4 added ministers, as a “caretaker government” to rule indefinitely.

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts patrols in Nablus. Jewish settlers in Hebron attack a Palestinian family, vandalize several homes; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Jewish settlers fr. Otniel nr. Hebron, escorted by IDF troops, occupy 30 d. of Palestinian land in nearby Yatta, set up tents and light towers, uproot 10s of Palestinian olive and almond trees to make way for a new unauthorized settlement outpost; the IDF also erects an observation tower on the land. (NYT 7/15; OCHA 7/18; PCHR 7/19)

Palestinians fire 4 mortars, 1 RPG at IDF troops stationed at the Rafah airport, causing no injuries.

The Palestinian rights group al-Haq reports that Abbas’s security forces in the West Bank have detained up to 400 Hamas mbrs. since Hamas took control of Gaza on 6/15.

In the West Bank, Israeli intelligence summons, arrests 2 Palestinians in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Otniel continue work to set up a new outpost on land seized on 7/14. (HA, NYT, WT 7/16; OCHA 7/18; PCHR 7/19; NYT 7/22; OCHA 7/25)

In a bid to help Abbas, Israel removes 178 AMB mbrs. fr. its wanted list (75% of AMB mbrs. wanted, including AMB Jenin leader Zakariya Zubaydi) after they sign pledges to cease all actions against Israel and hand over their weapons to the PA. In Gaza, Palestinians fire 2 RPGs at an IDF unit patrolling the border fence nr. al-Bureij, missing the target, causing no damage or injuries; fire 4 mortars at IDF troops e. of Bayt Hanun, causing no damage or injuries. Around 50 Palestinian merchants hold a sit-in at the Erez crossing to protest Israel’s continued closure.

PA employees recently cut from the PA salary rolls by Abbas begin an open-ended sit-in strike in Gaza City’s Unknown Soldier’s Park. On the intra-Palestinian front, the ESF raids the Gaza City homes of at least a dozen Army of Islam mbrs., arresting 12, all connected to the powerful Daghmash clan. A Palestinian man dies in a Gaza City hospital after being interrogated by the IQB.

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a suspected rocket launching site nr. Bayt Hanun, causing no injuries. In Dayr al-Balah, 4 Palestinian children are injured by IDF UXO. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in al-Tur nr. Jerusalem; orders the closure of a Palestinian barbershop in Hebron, stating it is too close to Beit Romano settlement; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy. Jewish settlers fr. Otniel uproot another 100 Palestinian olive trees nr. the settlement as part of the expansion begun on 7/14. Jewish settlers beat a Palestinian farmer tending his land nr. Qalqilya. (OCHA 7/18; PCHR 7/19; OCHA 7/25)

Unidentified assailants detonate a roadside bomb targeting a UNIFIL convoy driving through Tyre, causing no injuries. Hizballah condemns the attack. (NYT 7/17) (see 6/24)

Israel releases fmr. Education M Nasser al-Sha`ir (arrested 5/24, dismissed by Abbas on 6/14) after he signs a pledge renouncing his ties to Hamas, vowing never to hold an official position representing the group. In Gaza, 2 Palestinian children are injured by a roadside bomb planted nr. an ESF post. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Jerusalem (in Anata, Bayt Hanina); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and Ramallah, nr. Bethlehem, in Hebron. Some 3,500 Jewish settlers bring construction materials to the Homesh settlement site with the intention of rebuilding the settlement vacated under Israel’s 9/05 disengagement plan; settlers set fire to 10s of nearby Palestinian olive trees, vandalize fuel tanks and cars at a nearby Palestinian gas station. The IDF closed several main checkpoints (nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, Ramallah) and stretches of Route 60 to block settlers fr. reaching the site, causing major obstacles to Palestinian movement. (OCHA, WT 7/18; PCHR 7/19)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm town and r.c., in Jenin and Qabatya, nr. Bethlehem and Hebron. (PCHR 7/19; OCHA 7/25; PCHR 7/26)

In Nablus, female Hamas supporters demonstrate outside the central police station for the release of their relatives detained by the PA. In Gaza, a new Hamas-affiliated mayor is appointed to the Bayt Lahiya municipality (no details are reported).

The IDF bulldozes Palestinian land along the border e. of al-Maghazi. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian house, 2 mobile homes, a water reservoir nr. Bethlehem; demolishes 1 home, part of a 2d nr. Nablus; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin, nr. Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Beni Hefer nr. Hebron burn 75 d. of Palestinian olive groves (255 trees) nr. the settlement. (OCHA 7/25; PCHR 7/26)

In Gaza, Islamic Jihad mbrs. exchange fire with an IDF patrol nr. Khuza’a, causing no injuries.

In Gaza City, 100 Palestinian vendors stage a nonviolent march to Haniyeh’s office to protest the ESF’s removal of their stalls along a main Gaza City street to ease traffic congestion. Some 4,500 Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP supporters (nearly half of them children) stage a nonviolent demonstration at the Rafah crossing, calling on Israel to open the checkpoint to allow entry to Palestinians stranded on the Egyptian side. A new Hamas-affiliated mayor is appointed to the al-Bureij r.c. municipality (no details are reported). A Hamas mbr. dies of injuries received during the 6/27 IDF raid on Gaza City.

Israel releases 255 Palestinian prisoners, including PFLP 2d-in-command `Abd al-Rahim Malluh; 85% of those released are Fatah mbrs.; the remainder are fr. smaller parties; none are fr. Hamas (Israel still holds 1 Fatah mbr. after learning that he switched affiliation to Hamas in jail); all had at least 1 yr. left to serve on their sentences. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists attending the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil`in, injuring 6; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront troops in `Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a r.c., wounding 4 teenagers and a 65-yr.-old bystander; closes roads northwest of Nablus to Palestinian traffic to allow more Jewish settlers to reach the evacuated Homesh settlement site (en route, settlers damage Palestinian crops and vandalize 2 Palestinian cars, 4 homes). Also nr. Nablus, Jewish settlers fr. Gilad severely beat 1 Palestinian in neighboring Fara’ta; Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh and Yitzhar burn 10s of Palestinian olive trees nr. the settlements. (AP, HA 7/20; NYT, WP, WT 7/21; OCHA 7/25; PCHR 7/26)

Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries.

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, seriously wound 2 armed Palestinians nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., in al -Khadir nr. Bethlehem. (AP 7/21; WT 7/22; OCHA 7/25; PCHR 7/26)

In Nablus, PA security forces loyal to Abbas release Hamas official and senior adviser to fmr. Interior M Qawasmi Ahmad Dolah (arrested on 7/2); 6 other Hamas officials recently arrested in Nablus have been freed in the past few days. In Gaza, Hamas says that it is installing a temporary legal comm. comprising an Islamic law expert, a military court lawyer, and the head of the main prison temporarily to replace the nonfunctioning PA court system.

Overnight, the IDF makes a ground incursion into n. Gaza, killing 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Bayt Hanun, conducting arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Lahiya. During the day, the IDF makes an air strike on a car carrying suspected Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Gaza City, missing the target, causing damage but no injuries; bulldozes Palestinian land along the border n. of Bayt Lahiya. Later Islamic Jihad fires 3 rockets on Sederot, lightly injuring 1 Israeli, otherwise causing no damage; the IDF fires surface-to-surface missiles at the n. Gaza launch site, killing 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, Hebron. Jewish settlers marching to the abandoned Homesh settlement site vandalize a Palestinian home, set fire to 5 d. of Palestinian crops nr. Nablus. In a separate incident, Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar set fire to 100 Palestinian olive trees nr. Nablus. (NYT, WP 7/23; OCHA 7/25; PCHR 7/26)

In Gaza City, suspected Fatah gunmen fire on an ESF patrol, wounding 1 ESF officer. A PA presidential guardsman dies of injuries received during Gaza’s 6/07 internal clashes.

In Jerusalem, Israeli police escort a group of Jewish settlers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound to mark the Tisha B’Av holiday. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’ale Levona nr. Nablus, uproot 30 Palestinian olive trees nr. the settlement. (NYT 7/24; OCHA 7/25; PCHR 7/26)

In Rafah, Fatah al-Yasir mbrs. raid the office of Fatah PC mbr. Ashraf Jum`a, beat Jum`a and 11 of his bodyguards, alleging that Jum`a removed the names of brigade mbrs. fr. payroll rosters; local PRC mbrs. intervened to bring the situation under control. In Jabaliya r.c., 3,000 Hamas supporters hold a nonviolent protest against Abbas’s 7/18 call for early elections. In Khan Yunis, Hamas mbrs. remove Fatah officials fr. 3 local centers and educational facilities, installing Hamas-affiliated officials in their place.

The IDF makes an air strike on a car in Gaza City suspected to be carrying wanted Palestinians, missing the target and hitting a nearby home, causing heavy damage but no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron, and in Bethlehem, Qalqilya, nr. Hebron and Nablus; raids the offices of a children’s charity in Jenin, confiscating documents. For a 2d day in Jerusalem, Israeli police escort a group of Jewish settlers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound to mark the Tisha B’Av holiday. A Jewish settler fr. Kiryat Arba seriously injures a 10-yr.-old Palestinian boy in a deliberate hit-and-run in Hebron. Jewish settlers severely beat a Palestinian teenager nr. Nablus. (OCHA, WP 7/25; PCHR 7/26)

As daily clashes continue at Nahr al-Barid r.c., FI kills 3 Lebanese soldiers—2 by a mortar, 1 by a booby-trapped device. The estimated death toll to date is 120 soldiers, 81 FI members, 41 civilians. (WT 7/25)

Islamic Jihad fires 10 mortars at the IDF base at Kissufim crossing, causing no injuries.

In Ramallah, PA presidential guardsmen halt a car carrying the son and daughter of jailed Fatah tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti (seen as a potential challenger to Abbas), harass them both, detain and beat the son at the PA headquarters. Pro-Fatah students at al-Najah University in Nablus attack, beat pro-Hamas students protesting Abbas’s ouster of the Haniyeh government, leading to police intervention and an exchange of fire that leaves 3 students wounded, 1 critically. In Gaza City, 10 ,000 Hamas supporters stage a nonviolent march to PC headquarters to protest PA attacks on Hamas activists and institutions in the West Bank.

Overnight, the IDF sends troops, armored vehicles into Juhur al-Dik southeast of Gaza City, occupying 4 Palestinian homes, bulldozing agricultural land, rounding up all males for interrogation, detaining 30 before withdrawing late at night. In the West Bank, the IDF raids offices of an Islamic charity in Qalqilya, confiscating documents; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and in al-Bireh, Qalandia. (OCHA 7/25; PCHR 7/26, 8/2)

Overnight, the IDF makes a major incursion into areas e. of Khan Yunis, conducting arrest raids and house searches, occupying several homes as observation posts, bulldozing 153 d. of olive and citrus trees, rounding up all males ages 16–50 for questioning (arresting 60), exchanging fire with Palestinians, and making 3 air strikes (killing 2 Hamas mbrs.; wounding at least 3 Hamas, 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs.). During the day, the IDF makes 2 more air strikes on Gaza, assassinating senior Islamic Jihad cmdr. Omar al-Khatib, 2 aides (Ahmad al-Balawi, Khalil al-Duayfi) as they drive in Gaza City, and wounding a Palestinian bystander nr. a suspected rocket launching site Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF fatally beats a 16-yr.-old Palestinian at a checkpoint nr. Bethlehem, claiming he attempted to stab a soldier; sends undercover units into al-Dahariyya nr. Hebron, where they hijack a Palestinian taxi, shoot and seriously wound a Palestinian teenager (no motive is given; the IDF transports the boy to an Israeli hospital for treatment); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Tulkarm, and in Hebron, Jenin town and r.c. (targeting Islamic Jihad members), Qalqilya. Overnight, 100s of Jewish settlers attempt to set up a new, unauthorized settlement outpost on 1,000 d. of Palestinian land nr. Artas outside Bethlehem. (NYT, WT 7/27; OCHA 8/1; PCHR 8/2)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Yabad nr. Jenin (seriously injuring a 13-yr.-old Palestinian boy in an accidental hit-and-run); patrols in Ramallah; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists attending the weekly nonviolent protest against the separation wall in Bil`in, injuring 2; forcibly removes Jewish settlers fr. the Homesh settlement site. (OCHA 8/1; PCHR 8/2)

In Gaza, Islamic Jihad detonates a roadside bomb nr. an IDF convoy patrolling inside Israel nr. Kerem Shalom crossing, causing no injuries.

The IDF fires into Gaza, wounding 2 AMB mbrs. planting roadside bombs and preparing to fire mortars into Israel, barring ambulances fr. reaching the scene for 6 hrs., allowing them to die; the AMB says the men intended to fire mortars to protest a 7/27 decision by Abbas to drop references to Palestinian resistance fr. the existing government platform. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah and in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin town and r.c.; patrols in Kafr Ra`i nr. Jenin. (NYT, WP, WT 7/29; OCHA 8/1; PCHR 8/2)

The Lebanese army storms a FI building in Nahr al-Barid r.c., killing 8 militiamen, stating that a final push against the group is “imminent.” Fighting continues, however, through the end of the quarter. (WP, WT 7/29)    

Israel begins to allow more than 6,000 Palestinians stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border to enter Gaza through Erez via the al-Oja cargo crossing s. of Rafah and bus them to Erez; 1 ailing Palestinian stranded at the crossing dies. In the West Bank, the IDF searches stores, conducts random ID checks in Hebron; patrols in Qalandia. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar set fire to 100 d. of Palestinian olive and almond groves nr. Nablus. (NYT 7/29; WT 7/31; OCHA 8/1; PCHR 8/2)

Nr. Khan Yunis, Islamic Jihad mbrs. exchange heavy fire with an IDF unit patrolling the border inside Israel, causing no injuries.

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a Palestinian taxi in al-Maghazi r.c. in an assassination attempt against 1 AMB mbr. and 1 Islamic Jihad mbr., wounding them, the driver, 4 bystanders. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron (bulldozing parts of a cemetery, searching a kindergarten), nr. Jenin. (HA 7/30; NYT 7/31; OCHA 8/1; PCHR 8/2)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a mortar at the IDF post at Erez crossing, causing no damage; an ESF unit fires on the mortar crew, sparking a heavy exchange of gunfire that leaves no reported injuries. Palestinians also fire an RPG across the Gaza border at an IDF patrol inside Israel e. of al-Bureij r.c., missing the troops, causing no injuries.

In n. Gaza, 3 Fatah al-Yasir mbrs. abduct, kill a PA intelligence officer in a family dispute with factional overtones; the ESF arrests the 3 Fatah al-Yasir mbrs.

Late in the evening, the IDF sends troops into areas of Gaza n. of Bayt Lahiya, exchanging fire with Palestinians, killing 1 Hamas mbr., 1 DFLP mbr., wounding a bystander. The IDF also demolishes a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. (PCHR 8/2; OCHA 8/8)