MGGZ01 - JERUSALEM AUGUST 14 SITREP

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 003596 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 14 SITREP ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Low level violence in Gaza continued over the weekend, August 11-13, with no reported Qassam rocket fire. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed responsibility for the firing of two rockets on August 14 from northern Gaza toward Ashkelon. Israeli media reported some light injuries but no damage. The IAF responded with rocket fire into northern Gaza, killing three Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF conducted operations near Jenin overnight August 11-12, resulting in arrests but no reported injuries. PIJ gunmen summarily executed August 13 a suspected Palestinian collaborator in connection with the August 9 Israeli air strike in the Jenin refugee camp that killed two PIJ activists, including the head of the PIJ military wing in Jenin. The Rafah crossing remains closed on August 14. End summary. Military Developments -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Overall violence in the Gaza Strip continued at low levels during the weekend of August 11-13. There were no reported Qassam rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. PIJ militants, however, launched two rockets on August 14 from northern Gaza in the direction of Ashkelon. One rocket landed near Ashkelon's industrial zone which resulted in some light injuries -- mostly shock -- but no property damage. The IAF responded with rocket fire into northern Gaza at suspected rocket launch sites, killing three Palestinians, reportedly Palestinian farmers working in fields near Beit Hanoun. Three Palestinian civilians were injured August 13 by Israeli tank and naval fire in the vicinity of Jabaliya refugee camp and Beit Hanoun. Several Israeli tanks and other IDF vehicles entered August 12 the al-Jaradat neighborhood near Rafah to conduct land clearing. There were no reported clashes or injuries during the operation. Egyptian security forces on August 12 destroyed a tunnel used for weapons smuggling from Egypt into Gaza. ¶3. (SBU) In the West Bank, the IDF conducted raids into villages near Jenin in search of suspected militants, arresting two Fatah activists in Qabatiyah village the evening of August 11. IDF soldiers shot and wounded on August 12 a Palestinian youth who attempted to circumvent the Zatara checkpoint south of Nablus. The IDF arrested five Palestinians overnight August 13-14 in Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin. PIJ gunmen summarily executed August 13 a suspected Palestinian collaborator in connection with the August 9 Israeli air strike in the Jenin refugee camp that killed two PIJ activists, including the head of the PIJ military wing in Jenin. Humanitarian Update -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Rafah crossing is closed August 14, as it was August 12 and 13, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. Rafah was open August 10 and 11 for departures from Gaza only, enabling approximately 4000 people to depart Gaza into Egypt. ¶5. (SBU) The Karni/al-Mintar and Nahal Oz crossings are open August 14, as they were August 13, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. Both Karni/al-Mintar and Nahal Oz crossings were closed August 12, as usual, for the Jewish Sabbath. The Karni/al-Mintar crossing processed 118 truckloads into Gaza on August 11, the last date for which throughput information is available. According to USAID calculations, there is only a two-day supply of wheat flour remaining in Gaza, the lowest level since IDF military operations commenced in Gaza in late June. ¶6. (SBU) All ten electricity feeder lines from Israel into Gaza are operational on August 14, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. DUFFY