Gazan Sets Himself on Fire in Dispute with Hamas
A Gazan man was seriously injured on Friday when he set himself on fire over a property dispute with the authorities , and his brother was hurt trying to save him, a relative said.
Ibrahim al-Tarturi, 20, "set himself on fire to protest against the seizure of his house by members of Hamas," the Islamist group that rules Gaza, the source said.
His brother Mohammed, 30, "tried to extinguish the fire to save him and suffered from less serious injuries."
The relative said the family had built a house and a small factory on a property they leased from the authorities for 99 years in 1978, but that the authorities recently decided to take the factory and the land.
A compromise was reached under which the family would keep the half of the property on which the house was built and the authorities take the other half.
"We were surprised when members of Hamas came today to take the house and all the property," the relative said. "That enraged Ibrahim, who set himself on fire."
No one from Hamas could be reached for comment.
Source: Agence France Presse
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