Hamas Says Israeli Troops Kill Fighter in Gaza

A demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a protest calling for lifting the blockade on Gaza | Mohammed Salem/Reuters
A demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a protest calling for lifting the blockade on Gaza | Mohammed Salem/Reuters
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Hamas Says Israeli Troops Kill Fighter in Gaza

A demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a protest calling for lifting the blockade on Gaza | Mohammed Salem/Reuters
A demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a protest calling for lifting the blockade on Gaza | Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Israel's military said soldiers opened fire on Thursday after spotting two Palestinian gunmen near the Gaza border fence, and the Hamas militant group said one of its fighters was killed.

The last round of violence in the Gaza Strip and neighboring southern Israel was in May, with hundreds of Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes over three days.

The health ministry in Gaza, an enclave run by Hamas militants, said 28-year-old Palestinian Mahmoud al-Adham was shot and killed in Thursday's incident near Beit Hanoun in the northern part of the territory.

The Israeli military says it noticed two "armed suspects" near the Israel-Gaza perimeter fence and "fired in order to drive them away".

Gaza's Health Ministry said al-Adham was wounded in his leg and died later at the hospital.

In a statement, Hamas's armed wing said Israeli forces deliberately targeted a fighter "on duty" near the border. It vowed to retaliate.

"The occupation bears responsibility for the consequences of such a criminal act," it said, referring to Israel.

After May's fighting, there was a ceasefire brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United Nations.

But tensions have remained high, with Hamas accusing Israel of failing to abide by the terms - never publicly confirmed by Israeli leaders - of a truce deal to ease a blockade of Gaza.



Tunisia Detains Prominent Lawyer Souab

Members of the honor guard stand at attention during a flag-raising in place of Kasba in Tunis, Tunisia, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Members of the honor guard stand at attention during a flag-raising in place of Kasba in Tunis, Tunisia, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
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Tunisia Detains Prominent Lawyer Souab

Members of the honor guard stand at attention during a flag-raising in place of Kasba in Tunis, Tunisia, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Members of the honor guard stand at attention during a flag-raising in place of Kasba in Tunis, Tunisia, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

Tunisian police on Monday detained Ahmed Souab, a prominent lawyer and fierce critic of the country's president, lawyers told Reuters, raising human rights groups' concerns that a crackdown on dissent will go ahead.

Souab is among the lawyers acting for opposition leaders who received lengthy prison sentences on Saturday on conspiracy charges.

Souab strongly criticized the judge and the trial on Friday, calling it a farce and saying the judiciary had been completely destroyed.

"It seems he was detained because of his critical comments on the trial on Friday," said Samir Dilou, one of Souab's lawyers. Two others lawyers confirmed the detention.

Political parties rejected the rulings, saying they were retaliatory after a trial aimed at cementing President Kais Saied's authoritarian rule.

Rights groups say Saied has had full control over the judiciary since he dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. He dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges in 2022.

"The mass conviction of dissidents...is a disturbing indication of the authorities' willingness to go ahead with its crackdown on peaceful dissent," the human rights group Amnesty International said.

Those convicted included prominent leaders of the Islamist Ennahda party, the main opposition party to Saied.

Ennahda Vice President, Noureddine Bhiri received a 43-year prison sentence, while the court sentenced two senior party officials, Said Ferjani and Sahbi Atig, to ​​13 years each.

The largest sentence was 66 years for businessman Kamel Ltaif, while opposition politician Khyam Turki received a 48-year sentence.