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