USC professor moved to remote teaching after comments on Hamas to pro-Palestine students

LOS ANGELES - In southern California, a Jewish economics professor at USC has been moved to remote work after being barred from campus earlier this month.

Professor John Strauss reportedly told a group of pro-Palestine students that Hamas terrorists were "murderers" who "should be killed".

Strauss was put on paid administrative leave but has now been cleared to teach the rest of his classes remotely for the remainder of the semester while the university investigates the incident.

The news comes as three Palestinian American students were shot, one critically, Saturday night in Burlington, Vt. while on their way to a family dinner. 

Two of the men were reportedly wearing keffiyehs and speaking Arabic when they were shot. The traditional scarves are worn by some in the Middle East and have been seen as a symbol of Palestinian resistance.

The men were identified as 20-year-olds Hisham Awartani of Brown University, Kinnan Abdalhamid of Haverford University, and Tasheen Ahmed of Trinity University.

Moreover, the first American hostage was freed Sunday by Hamas. Authorities said 4-year-old girl Abigal Edan, whose parents were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, was freed among other former hostages as part of a ceasefire agreement between the Israeli government and Hamas.