July 31, 2024

Daily News Brief

*) Hamas says leader Ismail Haniyeh killed by Israel in Iran Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Palestinian resistance group Hamas, has been killed in Iran, according to a statement from Hamas and Iranian officials. Hamas said its leader was killed early on Wednesday following an Israeli raid targeting his residence in Tehran. In a statement, the group mourned the death of Haniyeh, 62, who it said was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran after participating in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president.” *) Hamas vows assassination of Haniyeh won’t ‘go unpunished’ Hamas has said the assassination of senior leader Ismail Haniyeh is a “grave escalation”. Al-Aqsa TV cited senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk saying the assassination of the Hamas leader is a “cowardly act that will not go unpunished”. Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard confirmed the killing of Haniyeh during his visit to Iran, with Hamas saying Israel targeted his residence in Tehran. *) Druze reject Netanyahu'’s attempt to exploit Golan Heights tragedy Mourning Druze of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights have distanced themselves from Israeli attack on Lebanon. Druze accused Israeli leaders of leveraging their tragedy for political gains. Scores of Majdal Shams residents came out to protest Netanyahu’s visit, many donning traditional Druze caps, saying the community rejects the “attempt to exploit the name of Majdal Shams as a political platform at the expense of the blood of our children”. *) India mobilises military as landslide death toll jumps in Kerala Multiple landslides triggered by torrential rains in southern India have killed at least 122 people, and many others are feared trapped under the debris, officials said, with rescue operations being hampered by bad weather. The landslides hit hilly villages in Kerala state’s Wayanad district early on Tuesday and destroyed many houses and a bridge, but authorities have yet to determine the full scope of the disaster. Rescuers were working to pull out people stuck under mud and debris, but their efforts were hampered due to blocked roads and unstable terrain. *) US anti-Muslim incidents rise by 70% in first half of 2024: CAIR Discrimination and attacks against Muslims and Palestinians have risen by about 70 percent in the US in the first half of 2024 amid heightened anti-Muslim hate due to Israel’s war in Gaza, the Council on American-Islamic Relations advocacy group said. Human rights advocates have reported a global rise in anti-Muslim hate and anti-Palestinian sentiment since the eruption in October 2023 of Israel’s war on Gaza which has killed tens of thousands civilians and caused a humanitarian crisis. In the first six months of 2024, CAIR said it received 4,951 complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents, a rise of nearly 70 percent compared with the same period in 2023.