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Arab World

Israeli Forces Shoot Dead Palestinian Man at West Bank Barrier Near Jerusalem

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Imad Haroun Ishtayeh, 26, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Sunday at a concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, during his funeral in the village of Salem, east of Nablus, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP)
Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Imad Haroun Ishtayeh, 26, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Sunday at a concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, during his funeral in the village of Salem, east of Nablus, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Forces Shoot Dead Palestinian Man at West Bank Barrier Near Jerusalem

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Imad Haroun Ishtayeh, 26, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Sunday at a concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, during his funeral in the village of Salem, east of Nablus, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP)
Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Imad Haroun Ishtayeh, 26, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Sunday at a concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, during his funeral in the village of Salem, east of Nablus, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP)

A Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Sunday at a concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The ministry identified him as 26-year-old Imad Haroun Ishtayeh from the village of Salem, east of Nablus. It said Israeli forces shot him in a thigh in al-Ram town, and he was pronounced dead at the Palestinian Medical Complex in Ramallah.

Footage circulating online showed people carrying his body and climbing down a ladder that had been placed against the wire-topped barrier, while traffic continued to roll by and a horn blared.

Israeli police said the man tried to unlawfully enter Israel by crossing the barrier.

Ishtayeh was attempting to cross from the West Bank to Israel. Many people have been shot trying to cross the barrier, including a 44-year-old father who was killed earlier this month.

Ishtayeh previously ran a poultry slaughterhouse in his home village of Salem, financially supporting his ill father. But business deteriorated as an economic crisis hit the West Bank and he decided to cross into Israel in search of a job, a relative, Nasser Ishtayeh, told The Associated Press.

On his first attempt on Saturday, Israeli security was tight, the relative said. After spending the night with other Palestinians hoping to cross into Israel, Haroun Ishtayeh tried again on Sunday morning and was shot.

“He was directly shot with live bullets and died at the hospital,” Nasser Ishtayeh said.

An increasing number of Palestinians from the West Bank have tried to enter Israel illegally to work in recent years. Tens of thousands of Palestinians had held Israeli work permits, but access was sharply restricted after the attack by Hamas-led fighters on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparked the war in Gaza.

Since then, unemployment in the West Bank has surged amid an economic slowdown. And around 50 workers have been killed by Israeli fire, with over 38,000 arrested though many were later released, the Palestinian official WAFA news agency reported Sunday, citing the General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions.

In Gaza, two Palestinians were killed and at least 10 injured when a group of people was struck near the port in Gaza City, according to Shifa hospital, which received the casualties. There was no immediate comment from Israel's military.

A fragile ceasefire remains in place between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

And in the West Bank, emergency responders said a 17-year-old Israeli girl was in serious condition and a 15-year-old teen also was hurt in what police described as a ramming attack near a bus stop at Gush Etzion Junction.

Israel's military said a soldier “eliminated the terrorist on site.” It also said a third Israeli civilian was hurt.

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Arab World

Hamas to Hold New Talks with Gaza Mediators in Egypt

Two Palestinian children walk through the site of an Israeli military strike on structures and tents housing displaced families, killing ten Palestinians, in Gaza City on May 28, 2026. (AFP)
Two Palestinian children walk through the site of an Israeli military strike on structures and tents housing displaced families, killing ten Palestinians, in Gaza City on May 28, 2026. (AFP)
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Hamas to Hold New Talks with Gaza Mediators in Egypt

Two Palestinian children walk through the site of an Israeli military strike on structures and tents housing displaced families, killing ten Palestinians, in Gaza City on May 28, 2026. (AFP)
Two Palestinian children walk through the site of an Israeli military strike on structures and tents housing displaced families, killing ten Palestinians, in Gaza City on May 28, 2026. (AFP)

A Hamas delegation is due to meet with mediators in Egypt on Wednesday to discuss ways of advancing the fragile Gaza ceasefire, Hamas officials told AFP.

“Egypt has invited Hamas and other factions to participate in talks with mediators on Wednesday... which will also include Qatari and Turkish officials,” a Hamas official said, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.

From the Palestinian side, participants include representatives from Hamas, the Islamic Jihad Movement, the Popular Front, the Popular Resistance Committees, the National Initiative, and the Democratic Reformist Stream in Fatah led by Mohammed Dahlan.

“The mediators have presented ideas for formulating a new, revised proposal acceptable to both Hamas and Israel,” the official added.

He said the Hamas delegation, headed by chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, as well as representatives from other Palestinian factions, was expected to arrive in Cairo starting Tuesday for the talks to be held in the Mediterranean town of Al Alamein.

The official said mediators were planning a meeting between the group and Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, in Egypt, where discussions would focus on reconstruction efforts and handing over administration of the Palestinian territory to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

“Hamas believes a breakthrough and progress are possible if Israel does not create new obstacles and if there is a genuine Israeli will to reach a solution,” the official added.

A ceasefire was announced in the Gaza Strip on October 10 after a devastating war between Israel and Hamas that lasted more than two years. But the Palestinian territory remains gripped by daily violence meted out by Israeli troops.

A transition to the second phase of the ceasefire, which was supposed to involve a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army, has been stalled for months.

One of the key sticking points to advancing the ceasefire negotiations has been the issue of Hamas' disarmament.

“The resistance factions will not accept disarmament under conditions imposed by the occupation,” a second Hamas official told AFP.

“Hamas is ready to positively engage with any proposal as long as it guarantees a comprehensive solution,” he said, adding that the movement has informed mediators of its openness to discuss the arms file within a comprehensive agreement that does not infringe upon the rights of the Palestinian people.

A Hamas official stated that “Israel must honor all obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement before discussions for the second phase begin.”

He insisted on binding international guarantees from the US and mediators to compel Israel to fully implement proposed ceasefire terms.

Hamas political bureau member Osama Hamdan said in statement issued on Monday that “Mladenov's attempts to link the entry of the Palestinian administrative committee into Gaza with the disarmament of the resistance amount to political extortion and violate the terms of the initial agreement.”

Arab World

‘A Temporary Tactical Gain’… Israelis Underestimate the Occupation of Beaufort Castle

Israeli soldiers near Beaufort Castle inside Lebanese territory (Reuters).
Israeli soldiers near Beaufort Castle inside Lebanese territory (Reuters).
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‘A Temporary Tactical Gain’… Israelis Underestimate the Occupation of Beaufort Castle

Israeli soldiers near Beaufort Castle inside Lebanese territory (Reuters).
Israeli soldiers near Beaufort Castle inside Lebanese territory (Reuters).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday saw the occupation of the Beaufort castle (Qalaat al-Shaqif), near the city of Nabatiyeh in South Lebanon, as a symbol of a heroic battle and a “dramatic shift” in Israel’s policy against Hezbollah.

However, analysts in Israel argued that the occupation of the castle is not enough to eliminate Hezbollah's threat or achieve a strategic shift in the war despite Israel's expanding offensive.

The severe criticisms, unprecedented since the October 7, 2023 attacks, came as the Israeli government and military officials have reportedly asked the US to approve an expansion of strikes in Beirut in line with the resumption of talks with the Lebanese cabinet.

They also came as the Israeli street accuse the government and the military of severe security failures, particularly with Hezbollah's daily use of explosive drones—reaching cities like Tiberias and Acre and towns in the lower Galilee region.

Maariv’s military correspondent Avi Ashkenazi described the occupation of the Beaufort castle as “nothing more than a tactical event” and warned that Israel was being dragged into a war of attrition in Lebanon without a clear political strategy.

Objectives of Bombing Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

On Monday, Netanyahu issued a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz threatening to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs “following repeated violations of the ceasefire.”

Right-wing paper Maariv said the military leadership intends to designate a variety of objectives for the attack, which fall into three main categories.

The first category includes the assassination of senior Hezbollah officials, most notably the party's Secretary-General, Naim Qassem. The second category aims to target command and control centers, where the Israeli army intends to destroy headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut from where Hezbollah relay instructions to forward headquarters in Tyre and Sidon.

The third category aims to attack weapons depots and apartments where Hezbollah stores various types of missiles, as well as drone depots, and even laboratories and technological systems used by the party to operate against Israeli forces.

On Sunday, Channel 12 said Netanyahu held a high-level security consultation, the second in 24 hours, amid Israeli efforts to get Washington to back strikes against Hezbollah in Beirut.

Netanyahu held a similar discussion on Saturday, as Jerusalem aims to shift from a strategy focused on holding territory in southern Lebanon to broader aerial operations, including in Beirut, according to the report.

But the channel said some top Israeli security officials strongly oppose a major, destructive attack on Beirut, arguing that such an operation would be another failed counterproductive move.

Killings and Destructions Don’t Bother Naim Qassem

Professor Eyal Zisser wrote at the Israel Hayom newspaper that Israel has been foolishly dragged into a war of attrition in southern Lebanon. “We are operating just slightly beyond the confrontation line and the border, and are losing soldiers.”

He also noted that Israel is paying a heavy price in losses. While warning against endless military quagmires that lack decisive endgame strategies, he said decisive military action remains necessary to protect Israel’s security interests.

“Needless to say, the killing of a few dozen of its operatives or the destruction of Shiite villages in southern Lebanon does not disturb Naim Qassem,” he wrote.

Nightmare of Beaufort Castle

Meanwhile, Ron Ben-Yishai wrote in the Yedioth Ahronoth that the capture of the Beaufort castle improves security and makes it more difficult for Hezbollah to operate. But it also places Israel and the military in a dilemma.

“If Israeli forces remain there, the history of a war of attrition may repeat itself. Unlike the years when Israel maintained a security zone in southern Lebanon, however, there is no South Lebanon Army today to shoulder the burden with Israeli troops,” he noted, adding that the military is already operating on at least three active fronts and faces a shortage of more than 10,000 combat soldiers.

This came as Israeli broadcast networks, including Channel 12, Channel 13, and Kan 11, interviewed soldiers returning from the southern Lebanon front, who described their experiences around Beaufort Castle as a “nightmare.”

A former general told Channel 12 that the capture of the castle is an important blow to Hezbollah, as it was carried out quickly compared to the time of Fatah and the PLO.

Israel previously occupied the site during its 1982 invasion of Lebanon and maintained a military presence there until withdrawing from southern Lebanon in 2000.

“But this will not constitute the devastating blow portrayed by Netanyahu. Hezbollah's main power centers in Beirut and the Bekaa had not been decisively hit while the Israeli army is not yet moving towards controlling Nabatieh,” he said.

Arab World

France FM: 'Nothing Can Justify' Prolonged Israeli Occupation in Lebanon

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot (Reuters)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot (Reuters)
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France FM: 'Nothing Can Justify' Prolonged Israeli Occupation in Lebanon

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot (Reuters)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot (Reuters)

France's foreign minister said Tuesday that nothing could justify Israeli troops remaining deep inside Lebanon, after Israel and Hezbollah clashed overnight despite a US announcement that both sides had agreed to halt fighting.

"Nothing can justify the continuation of military operations and Israel's prolonged occupation deep inside Lebanese territory," Jean-Noel Barrot told France TV.