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Israeli Airstrike Kills Colonel in Hamas-Led Gaza Police Force, Medics Say

Palestinians carry the body of Naseem al-Kalazani, who was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians carry the body of Naseem al-Kalazani, who was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Airstrike Kills Colonel in Hamas-Led Gaza Police Force, Medics Say

Palestinians carry the body of Naseem al-Kalazani, who was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians carry the body of Naseem al-Kalazani, who was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP)

An Israeli ‌airstrike killed a senior officer in the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip, health officials and Hamas sources said on Wednesday.

Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed Naseem al-Kalazani, a colonel in the Hamas-run police force, when it targeted his vehicle near the al-Mawasi area in western Khan Younis, south ‌of the enclave. The ‌attack wounded at least ‌17 ⁠other people, they added.

Kalazani ⁠led the anti-narcotics force in Khan Younis, Hamas sources said.

Reuters has previously reported that Israel has intensified its attacks on Gaza's Hamas-run police force, which the group has used to reinforce ⁠its hold in the areas ‌it controls in ‌the strip.

There was no immediate Israeli comment ‌on the incident.

Violence in Gaza has ‌persisted despite an October 2025 ceasefire, with Israel conducting almost daily attacks on Palestinians. Israel and Hamas have blamed each other ‌for ceasefire violations.

At least 830 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire ⁠deal ⁠took effect, according to local medics, while Israel says fighters have killed four of its soldiers over the same period.

Israel says its strikes are aimed at thwarting attempts by Hamas and other Palestinian fighters to stage attacks against its forces.

More than 72,500 Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza war started in October 2023, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.

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Arab World

Lebanon Urges Greece to Help Implement Truce with Israel

Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas (R) talks next to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, 31 August 2026. (EPA)
Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas (R) talks next to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, 31 August 2026. (EPA)
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Lebanon Urges Greece to Help Implement Truce with Israel

Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas (R) talks next to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, 31 August 2026. (EPA)
Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas (R) talks next to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (L) during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, 31 August 2026. (EPA)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asked Greece on Monday for support to help implement a ceasefire agreement with Israel and end Israeli attacks on his country, hours after Greece and Israel announced a multibillion arms deal.

The June 26 accord, brokered by the United States, says both sides must cease hostilities and allow the Lebanese army to restore control over the entire country.

Beirut wants Israel to withdraw from all territory it has occupied in southern Lebanon. Israel first wants Lebanese group Hezbollah evacuated from the sector.

"Lebanon and the Lebanese people are tired of wars, and from the start of the negotiations with Israel the aim was to put an end to the state of hostility," Aoun told a press conference in Athens alongside Greek President Konstantinos Tassoulas.

"The framework agreement ... cannot be implemented unilaterally. It needs to be implemented on both sides," he insisted.

"We request Greece's assistance as much as possible to help Lebanon."

Lebanon was dragged into the US-Israeli war against Iran in March, when Israel launched a massive bombardment of its neighbor and invaded, while Hezbollah fired missiles at Israeli territory.

Since then, Aoun said, Israeli strikes have killed 4,300 Lebanese, wounded 12,000 and destroyed 60-70 villages.

"Solving the problem by military force will not succeed," he said, insisting on the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from his country.

After a later meeting, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece supported "the sovereignty, independence and unity of Lebanon" and would support "all efforts aimed at de-escalation and mutual comprehension".

On Monday, Greece and Israel announced Athens was buying a $3.5-billion aerial defense system from Israel.

Arab World

Iraq Sentences Kidnapper of US Journalist to 15 Years in Prison

American freelancer Shelly Kittleson. (Facebook)
American freelancer Shelly Kittleson. (Facebook)
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Iraq Sentences Kidnapper of US Journalist to 15 Years in Prison

American freelancer Shelly Kittleson. (Facebook)
American freelancer Shelly Kittleson. (Facebook)

Iraq's judiciary has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for the kidnapping of an American journalist who was abducted earlier this year by a powerful Iran-backed group, a judicial source said Monday.

At the height of the Middle East war, on March 31, Kataeb Hezbollah kidnapped journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad, holding her for several days before setting her free just hours before the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.

Iraqi authorities arrested one member of the group at the time.

According to a document shared by local media, a criminal court on Sunday sentenced Amir Rahim Jabbar to 15 years in prison under an "anti-terrorism law... for the crime of kidnapping" Kittleson.

A judicial source verified to AFP the document's authenticity, and a Kataeb Hezbollah source confirmed the ruling against one of its members.

Kittleson, who shared a copy of the ruling on X, said she was "grateful to the Iraqi judiciary".

Kataeb Hezbollah is among several pro-Iran armed groups that intervened in support of Tehran during the Middle East war, claiming attacks on US facilities in Iraq and across the region.

Under mounting US pressure to curb Tehran's influence, the new Iraqi government of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi says it is committed to ensuring that pro-Iran armed groups, which Washington designates as terrorist organisations, hand over their weapons to the state.

The issue has fuelled tensions in Iraq, with several groups, including Kataeb Hezbollah, refusing to disarm.

Earlier this month, Kataeb Hezbollah accused Zaidi of engaging in "provocative and irresponsible actions".

Baghdad was once notorious for kidnappings and attempted abductions, but they have decreased as the security situation in Iraq improved in recent years.

Arab World

Israeli Fire Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike at the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on August 24, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike at the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on August 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Fire Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike at the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on August 24, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike at the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on August 24, 2026. (AFP)

An Israeli strike killed at least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials said.

Medics said two people were killed and several others wounded when an Israeli airstrike hit a crowd of people near the municipal public ‌park in ‌Gaza City, an ‌area ⁠densely populated with displaced ⁠families.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.

An October 2025 US-backed ceasefire halted major fighting in the shattered territory, but it ⁠failed to end strikes ‌by ‌the Israeli military, which says such actions ‌are aimed at thwarting attacks ‌by Hamas and other Gaza fighters.

Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to ‌implement a broader plan by US President Donald Trump ⁠to ⁠end the Gaza conflict, which also includes Israeli withdrawals and Hamas disarmament.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect last October, according to Gazan health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed.