RAMALLAH // Four Israelis were killed last night when Hamas gunmen opened fire on their car at the entrance to a West Bank settlement.
The shooting outside the Kiryat Arba settlement, near Hebron, came as leaders gathered in Washington for direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis scheduled to begin tomorrow, the first face-to-face discussions in 20 months.
Israeli emergency authorities said the four victims were two men and two women from the same family, all residents of another nearby settlement, Beit Hagal, south of Hebron. They said one of the women was pregnant.
By late last night no one had claimed responsibility for the shooting, the second such fatal incident in three months. In June, an Israeli policeman was killed and two others wounded in a similar incident also near Hebron.
Both Israeli and Palestinian security services have been on heightened alert in case of any attempts to raise tensions before or during the negotiations, though expectations for the talks are low on both sides.
Hebron is a frequent flashpoint for violence, with about 400 hard-line religious settlers, protected by hundreds of Israeli soldiers, living in the heart of a city that is home to 166,000 Palestinians.
The Kiryat Arba settlement, which abuts Hebron, houses 7,000 settlers. The settlement was home to Baruch Goldstein, an army doctor who in 1994 killed 29 Muslims at prayer at Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, apparently in part an attempt to derail the newly agreed Oslo Accords.
okarmi@thenational.ae
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
