Canada Hits Hamas, Israeli Settlers, Iran With New Sanctions

Protests in Ottawa, Canada on February 5, 2022  - Dave Chan AFP
Protests in Ottawa, Canada on February 5, 2022 - Dave Chan AFP
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Canada Hits Hamas, Israeli Settlers, Iran With New Sanctions

Protests in Ottawa, Canada on February 5, 2022  - Dave Chan AFP
Protests in Ottawa, Canada on February 5, 2022 - Dave Chan AFP

Canada on Wednesday announced further sanctions against Hamas over its "acts of terror" and several Israeli settlers for "extremist violence" against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.

Ottawa also, along with Australia and the United States, added five senior Iranian officials to its sanctions list for their roles in policies leading to the violent repression of protests, AFP reported.

The new sanctions target 11 individuals and two entities with roles in Hamas's financial network that Ottawa said was used in the planning and execution of attacks on Israel launched on October 7, 2023, the government said in a statement.

Four Israelis, as well as the Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich, were also listed for "participating in or facilitating acts of harassment and violence, including attacks on humanitarian convoys... and displacement of Palestinian communities."

The latest sanctions against five senior Iranian officials were announced to mark the two years since the death in Iranian custody of Mahsa Amini, following her arrest for an alleged breach of Tehran's strict dress code for women.

As the sanctions were rolled out, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, which is acting as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, along with Egypt and the United States.

Trudeau expressed a "deep concern over the risk of an expanded conflict between Israel and Iran as well as Hezbollah and other Iran-aligned groups," according to a readout of their talks.



At Least 7 Dead in Georgia Dock Collapse on US Atlantic Coast

FILE - The sun rises over Sapelo Island, Ga., a Gullah-Geechee community, on June 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
FILE - The sun rises over Sapelo Island, Ga., a Gullah-Geechee community, on June 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
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At Least 7 Dead in Georgia Dock Collapse on US Atlantic Coast

FILE - The sun rises over Sapelo Island, Ga., a Gullah-Geechee community, on June 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
FILE - The sun rises over Sapelo Island, Ga., a Gullah-Geechee community, on June 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

At least seven people were killed after part of a boat dock collapsed, sending at least 20 into the Atlantic waters off the coast of the US state of Georgia.
US Coast Guard ships were searching on Saturday night for missing people.
The accident, which also caused multiple injuries, happened during a celebration of Sapelo Island's tiny Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants, authorities said.
A gangway crowded with people waiting for a ferryboat collapsed late on Saturday afternoon on the Georgia barrier island about 60 miles (100 km) south of Savannah, said Tyler Jones, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which runs the ferry.
"We and multiple agencies are searching for survivors," Jones said.

President Joe Biden said federal officials were ready to provide any assistance needed.

“What should have been a joyous celebration of Gullah-Geechee culture and history instead turned into tragedy and devastation,” Biden said in a statement. “Jill and I mourn those who lost their lives, and we pray for the injured and anyone still missing. We are also grateful to the first responders at the scene.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, in the state capital Atlanta for campaign events, also issued a statement, saying the Biden administration was in close touch with state and local officials and had offered any federal support needed.
"Tonight, Doug and I are praying for all those who were killed or injured in the collapse of the ferry dock walkway on Georgia’s Sapelo Island, as well as their family members and loved ones," Harris said, referring to her husband, Doug Emhoff.
"Even in the face of this heartbreak, we will continue to celebrate and honor the history, culture, and resilience of the Gullah-Geechee community," she added.
Coast Guard helicopters and boats equipped with sonar immediately began search-and-rescue operations, officials said. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.
Sapelo Island is only reachable by boat, and the state-run ferry takes about 20 minutes to reach its shores.
People were marking Cultural Day, an annual festival celebrating the island's historic Black community, one of several surviving island communities from Georgia to North Carolina.