Hamas shuts restaurant down because a woman smokes a pipe....

Horror of horrors...

Hamas leadership has shut down a hotel restaurant in Gaza for three days after a woman was caught smoking a water pipe on its premises, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

In July, Hamas announced a ban prohibiting females from smoking the tobacco water pipes - also known as "nargile" or "shisha" - while in public.

"The police have decided to ban women from smoking water pipes in open, public places because it is against our customs, traditions and social norms," Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab al-Ghussein told AFP at the time the ban was announced.

Wednesday's restaurant closure is the first known enforcement of the ban.