Hamas Shoots Dead Palestinian for Failing to Stop at Checkpoint

A photo of the destruction caused by an explosion in an apartment in Gaza last Thursday. (dpa)
A photo of the destruction caused by an explosion in an apartment in Gaza last Thursday. (dpa)
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Hamas Shoots Dead Palestinian for Failing to Stop at Checkpoint

A photo of the destruction caused by an explosion in an apartment in Gaza last Thursday. (dpa)
A photo of the destruction caused by an explosion in an apartment in Gaza last Thursday. (dpa)

Hamas security forces shot dead a Palestinian citizen, who had failed to stop at a checkpoint east of Gaza City.

Militants from the Izzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, fired shots at three citizens who were traveling in a civilian vehicle near the Tuffah neighborhood. One of the passengers was killed and the other two wounded.

“Late Friday evening, a speeding vehicle entered one of the checkpoints of the Hama Al-Thoghour forces in the eastern border area of Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City,” Hamas’ interior ministry said in a statement about the shooting.

“The security forces suspected the vehicle of suspicious activity, and they signaled to the driver to stop, but he refused and continued moving at a very high speed.”

“Two shots were fired at the vehicle, but it did not stop, and it fled,” the statement pointed out, acknowledging that one of the passengers had been injured.

A Hamas interior ministry spokesman, Iyad Al-Bazm, stated that the injured Palestinian later died of his wounds after he was transferred to Shifa Hospital, while two other people who were inside the vehicle were kept in custody.

Also, the ministry announced it had opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The development comes days after an explosion at an apartment near a popular Gaza market killed a Palestinian and injured 10 others. Human rights groups are demanding the opening of serious and transparent investigations into such incidents.

Two days ago, the head of the follow-up to government work of Hamas in Gaza, a member of the movement’s political bureau, Issam Al-Dalis, announced the start of a “professional” investigation into the circumstances of the Zawiya market explosion.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.