MGGZ01 - JERUSALEM AUGUST 7 SITREP

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 003440 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS, USAID FOR KUNDER/MCCLOUD/BORODIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL ASEC CASC KPAL KWBG PHUM SUBJECT: MGGZ01 - JERUSALEM AUGUST 7 SITREP ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The IDF concluded a three-day operation on August 6 in southern Gaza that resulted in 17 Palestinians killed, including seven civilians. Palestinian militants fired Qassam rockets the evening of August 5, resulting in no injuries or damage. Palestinian gunmen shot and killed on August 6 in Gaza City the director of Military Intelligence for northern Gaza. In the West Bank, the IDF killed on August 6 a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad activist near Jenin. The IDF conducted arrest operations August 5-7, including the detention of Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Speaker Aziz Dweik and a second PLC member. The Rafah crossing is closed August 7, but Karni/al-Mintar and Nahal Oz crossings are operational. End summary. Military Developments -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The IDF concluded a three-day operation on August 6 in southern Gaza near Rafah. Palestinian medical sources report that 17 Palestinians were killed during the operation, including nine Hamas and one Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) member. Seven others were identified as civilians, while 52 Palestinians were wounded. Officials from the Rafah governor's office reported significant damage to infrastructure. ¶3. (SBU) Palestinian militants launched three Qassam rockets the evening of August 5 from northern Gaza in the direction of the Western Negev. There were no reported injuries or damage. The Popular Resistance Committees and PIJ claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. The IDF on August 5 fired at suspected militants attempting to launch rockets from northern Gaza, injuring one Palestinian civilian, according to Palestinian sources. ¶4. (SBU) Palestinian gunmen shot and killed Colonel Muhammad al-Musa, the director of Military Intelligence for northern Gaza, as he traveled in his vehicle on August 6 in Gaza City. Al-Musa's bodyguard and one civilian were also injured in the attack. Fatah, which has announced a three-day period of mourning, accused the Hamas military wing of orchestrating the killing. ¶5. (SBU) In the West Bank, the IDF conducted a raid the afternoon of August 6 into Silat al-Harithiyah, northwest of Jenin, and surrounded the house of wanted PIJ activist Raed Najib al-Umari. During the operation, al-Umari was killed in an exchange of gunfire with the IDF. Palestinian youths also clashed with the IDF, resulting in three injuries and five arrests. Palestinian gunmen also fired on IDF troops in Yamoun village near Jenin and hurled an explosive device near Tulkarm. There were no reported injuries from these incidents. ¶6. (SBU) The IDF on August 6 arrested Hamas PLC member (Ramallah) Shaykh Fadel Saleh. The arrest follows the August 5 arrest of PLC Speaker Aziz Dweik. Since June 25, the IDF has detained 29 Hamas PLC members and five PA cabinet ministers. The IDF overnight August 6-7 arrested 14 Palestinians in Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah, Hebron, and Bethlehem. Humanitarian Update -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The Rafah crossing remains closed August 7. Both the Karni/al-Mintar and Nahal Oz crossings are operational August 7, as they were August 6, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. Gaza-based PalTrade official Mohammed Skaik reported that 230 truckloads transited the Karni/al-Mintar crossing into Gaza August 6, including sugar, flour, cooking oil, rice, animal feed, medicines, and frozen foods. For the first time since June 23, Skaik reported that eight truckloads were exported out of Gaza August 6, specifically ice cream and cookies destined for the West Bank market. ¶8. (SBU) Nine of the ten electricity feeder lines from Israel into Gaza are operational on August 7. The single feeder line from Israel into the Rafah area, damaged in an August 2 military operation, has not yet been repaired. WALLES