MGGZ01 - JERUSALEM AUGUST 24 SITREP

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 003823 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 24 SITREP ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Palestinian militants on August 24 detonated an explosive device near the wall at the Rafah crossing separating Gaza from Egypt. PA and Egyptian security successfully brought the situation under control. IDF units operating near Khan Younis overnight August 23-24 killed one Hamas gunman while arresting a senior Hamas activist. Four other Hamas gunmen were wounded in the exchange of gunfire. The IDF also shot and wounded two Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) gunmen in the vicinity of the security fence near the Kissufim crossing. A 16-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed in the exchange of gunfire. PIJ claimed responsibility for firing a rocket on August 24 from northern Gaza toward Ashkelon, but there were no reported injuries or property damage. IDF units the evening of August 23 shot and critically wounded Husam Jaradat, the head of the PIJ military wing in the West Bank. The Rafah and Karni/al-Mintar crossings are closed on August 24, but the Nahal Oz fuel transfer crossing is open. End summary. Military Developments -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Palestinian gunmen, reportedly affiliated with the Popular Resistance Committees, on August 24 detonated an explosive device near the wall dividing Egypt from Gaza. The explosion caused damage to the wall but was not large enough to enable passage for Palestinians seeking to transit the Rafah crossing. PA and Egyptian security personnel responded to the explosion and successfully brought the situation under control. The gunmen eventually left and the PA security restored order at 1430L. ¶3. (SBU) During an IDF incursion near Khan Younis overnight August 23-24, IDF soldiers shot and killed a Hamas gunman while arresting a senior Hamas activist. Four other Hamas gunmen were injured during the exchange of gunfire. IDF units opened fire at two PIJ gunmen, injuring both, in the vicinity of the security fence near the Kissufim crossing. A 16-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed during the exchange of gunfire. Israeli naval units shelled open areas of the northern and central Gaza Strip, but there were no reported injuries. PIJ claimed responsibility for the firing of a rocket towards Ashkelon on August 24. There were no reported injuries or property damage. ¶4. (SBU) In the West Bank, IDF undercover units operating in Jenin on the evening of August 23 shot and critically wounded Husam Jaradat, a senior member of the PIJ military wing. Jaradat was briefly hospitalized before PIJ gunmen took him away fearing that the IDF might seek his arrest. The IDF overnight August 23-24 arrested 24 Palestinians, mostly Hamas activists, in several localities in the West Bank. Humanitarian Update -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Rafah crossing is closed August 24, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. Rafah was last open on August 19. ¶6. (SBU) The Karni/al-Mintar commercial crossing is closed August 23, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. The crossing was last open August 15. ¶7. (SBU) The Sufa crossing is open August 24 for commodity imports, as it was August 23, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. Sufa was last used for commodity imports in January ¶2005. The Erez crossing is open August 24 for commodity imports. The Nahal Oz fuel transfer crossing is open August 24, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. ¶8. (SBU) All ten electricity feeder lines from Israel into Gaza are operational August 24, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. WALLES