January 29 – 400Palestinian Arab prisoners, 30Lebanese and other Arab prisoners, and the remains of 59 Lebanese militants and civilians are transferred toHezbollah, together with maps showing Israeli mines in South Lebanon, in exchange for the bodies of the three deadIDF soldiers, Benny Avraham, Adi Avitan and Omar Suaad, as well as the abducted Israeli citizenElchanan Tenenbaum, who had been captured by Hezbollah after being lured toDubai for a drug deal.
May 24 –Madonna cancels three concerts in Israel after receiving letters in which her two young children's lives are threatened.[2]
July 15 – New Zealand imposes diplomatic sanctions on Israel after an incident involving two allegedMossad agents committing passport fraud.[3][4][5][6]
July 19 – Israeli Prime MinisterAriel Sharon calls on French Jews to move to Israel immediately in light of the dramatic rise in Frenchantisemitism (510 antisemitic acts or threats in the first six months of 2004, compared to 593 for all of 2003). The French government describes his comments as unacceptable. An Israeli spokesperson later claims that Sharon had been misunderstood.[7][8]
October 7 – Threecar bombs are detonated inEgyptian towns in theSinai Peninsula frequented by Israeli tourists. The largest explosion, which killed at least 34 and wounding 105, was at theHilton Taba inTaba, near theborder with Israel. The other two explosions occurred at the towns ofRas al-Sultan andNuweiba, killing two Israelis and four Egyptians. A group calling itselfJamayia al-Islamia al-Alamiya ("World Islamist Group") later claims responsibility and threatens further attacks.[11][12][13][14]
November 18 – ThreeEgyptian paramilitary security officers stationed at theSinai–Gaza border are killed by Israeli tank fire, afterIDF troops allegedly mistook them forPalestinian Arab terrorists or militants. The Egyptian government accepts an apology from Israeli Prime MinisterAriel Sharon and demands an investigation on the incident.[16][17][18]
December 1 – Israel andEgypt hold talks inJerusalem to discuss the planned Israeli withdrawal from theGaza Strip.[22]
December 5 – In aprisoner exchange between Israel andEgypt, Egypt releasesAzzam Azzam, an IsraeliDruze businessman sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by Egypt in 1997 after being accused of espionage for Israel, while Israel releases six Egyptian students who had crossed the border illegally with the aim of carrying out attacks in Israel.[23][24][25]
December 29 – TheKnesset passes a law against terrorism and against support of terrorism. The law prohibits funding terrorists. It also prohibits aiding the families of perceived terrorists and institutes inciting for terrorism. The law will give Israel the right to confiscate property and funds of any perceived terrorist organization, even if they do not target Israel or Israelis. The law is part of the state's legalwar against terrorism and was approved 62–6.[30]
January 26 – TopHamas officialAbdel-Aziz al-Rantissi offers a ten-yeartruce ifIsrael would withdraw from territory occupied since 1967 and acknowledge the creation of an Arab state. Israel dismisses the truce offer as "ridiculous".[32]
January 30 – SheikAhmed Yassin, leader ofHamas, announces that his group is making an all-out effort to kidnap Israeli soldiers to use as bargaining chips forPalestinian Arabs in Israeli prisons, following the recent prisoner exchange between Israel andHezbollah in which the remains of three Israeli soldiers and a businessman were exchanged for over 400 prisoners on January 29, 2004.[33]
May 2 – Members of Israel'sLikud Party vote on whether or not to approveAriel Sharon's proposal to pull out of theGaza Strip unilaterally. Rejection of the proposal is seen as a major blow to theSharon government. Sharon subsequently says that he will not resign and may modify the plan.[34]
June 30 – The Israeli Supreme Court issues a landmark ruling that a 30-kilometer planned stretch of theseparation barrier in easternJerusalem violates the legal rights of the local Palestinian Arab population to an extent not justified by security concerns, and therefore must be changed.[35]
September 12 – 40,000 demonstrators protest inJerusalem against Prime MinisterAriel Sharon's plans to force all Israeli Jews to leave theGaza Strip and parts of theWest Bank.[37]
October 5 –Second Intifada: The United States vetoes a United Nations resolution urging Israel to halt its current offensive in theGaza Strip. Over 70Palestinian Arabs, including civilians, have died in the offensive.[38][39]
October 6 –Second Intifada: Three Palestinian militants and three Palestinian Arab civilians, including a 15-year-old boy, are killed after Israel shells the town ofBeit Lahiya.[40]
October 14 – About 100,000 Israelis in 100 cities march in a series of demonstrations across Israel opposing their government's proposal towithdraw Israeli settlers from theGaza Strip and parts of theWest Bank.
January 14 –Erez Crossing bombing: A female Palestinian Arabsuicide bomber, kills two Israeli soldiers, a border policeman, and a security guard for a private manpower company and wounds twelve others at theErez Crossing.Hamas and theAl-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades jointly claim responsibility. Hamas states it used a woman suicide bomber for the first time in order to counter Israeli precautions.[43]
January 29 –Gaza Street bus bombing: Ten killed, 50 injured when a Palestinian suicide bomber attacks a bus inJerusalem. TheAl-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claims responsibility for the attack.Hamas also claims responsibility for the bombing and denounces Al-Aqsa.
April 17 – Second Erez Crossing attack: An Israeli border policeman is killed and three other Israelis are wounded in asuicide bombing at theErez Crossing into the northernGaza Strip.[46]
April 30 – After failing to bomb his original target, a bus full of Jewish settlers, a Palestinian Arab suicide bomber detonates an explosive device next to an Israeli army patrol, injuring all four soldiers.Hamas claims responsibility.
May 2 –Murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters: Palestinian Arab gunmen kill a pregnant Israeli mother,Tali Hatuel, and all four of her young daughters near theKissufim Crossing into theGaza Strip. The killers are shot dead by security forces. The incident is believed to have influenced voting intentions in the vote, held the same day, byLikud Party members on whether or not to approve a unilaterally pull out from theGaza Strip.[47][48]
July 11 – Tel Aviv bus stop bombing: An explosive device, packed with ball bearings and bolts, detonates in the bushes behind a bus stop inTel Aviv, killing one person and injuring thirty-two others.
August 11 – Kalandia checkpoint attack: Two people are killed and 16 are wounded when an explosive device is detonated by Palestinian militants inside an Arab taxi as it attempts to cross theKalandia military check point just north ofJerusalem. TheAl-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades faction ofFatah claims responsibility and expresses regret that Arabs are among the dead and wounded.[49]
August 31 –Beersheba bus bombings: Two buses near theBeersheba municipality building are blown up by a Palestinian Arab suicide bomber. The suicide bomber takes advantage of the fact that the two buses were standing together. He detonates a bomb on one bus and then explodes a second bomb on the second bus. At least fifteen Israelis are killed and around eighty-five injured. The military wing ofHamas claims responsibility for the attack.
September 1 – Two Palestinian Arab suicide bombers blow themselves up almost simultaneously on two buses in centralBeersheba, killing 16 Israelis and wounding dozens.
September 22 – French Hill Junction bombing: A Palestinian Arab female suicide bomber detonates her bomb at theFrench Hill intersection inJerusalem. Two people are killed and fifteen injured in the attack. The blast is targeted at the large number of civilians at the station at the time of attack. The military wing ofal-Fatah claims responsibility for the attack.[51]
October 6 – ThreeHamas militants are killed after infiltrating the Israeli settlement ofKfar Darom. One of the militants blows up when hit by Israeli gunfire, killing aThai worker in addition to himself. The other two militants are killed byIDF forces.[52]
October 7 –Sinai bombings: 34 killed, including twelve Israelis and 171 injured in three bombing attacks by Palestinian militants at holiday resorts in theSinai Peninsula.
February 25 – The Israel army imposes a curfew on Rammallah during which members ofShin Bet raided four banks and seized between $6.7m.-$9m. from accounts "linked to terrorist activities".[60]
February 28 –Jabaliya refugee camp: The Israeli army assassinatesIslamic Jihad military commanderMuhammad Judah by firing missiles at his car. Two passengers are also killed and eleven bystanders wounded.[61]
September 7 –Second Intifada: An Israeli attack on aHamas training camp kills 14 members of the military wing of Hamas.[62]
September 30 – October 16 –Second Intifada:Operation Days of Penitence – Israel carries out a 17-day military operation in the northernGaza Strip. The operation, focused on the town ofBeit Hanoun andBeit Lahia andJabalia refugee camp, which were used as launching sites ofQassam rockets on the Israeli town ofSderot andIsraeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, and in particular in response to the death of two children in Sderot. The operation results in the deaths of between 104 and 133Palestinian Arabs (42 civilians), and five people on the Israeli side (two soldiers and three civilians).
^Journal of Palestine Studies, Summer 2004, Volume XXX111, no 4 (132). Page 189, Chronology compiles by Michele K. Esposito. Cites Associated Press, Ha'Aretz and IDF press release. Also page 141.
^Journal of Palestine Studies, Summer 2004, Volume XXX111, no 4 (132). Page 189, Chronology compiles by Michele K. Esposito. citing Agence France-Presse, New York Times, Washington Post and Washington Times.
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