Canadian Citizen Fatally Shot by Israeli Forces After Allegedly Wielding a Knife, Authorities Report

July 22, 2024 TruthUSA

A Canadian man was killed Monday after threatening local Israeli security officials with a knife near the Gaza border, Israeli authorities said.

In a video posted on X, three Israeli officials are seen pointing their guns at a man who approaches them and then falls to the ground.

Israeli authorities said the man, who had a Canadian passport on him, had driven to the outpost and got out of the car wielding a knife.

The man was yelling “Free Palestine” and “You are killing civilians in Gaza” before being shot, according to Israeli media.

“A terrorist arrived at the gate of Netiv Ha’Asara, got out of his vehicle and threatened the soldiers of the Netiv Ha’Asara’s standby squad with a knife,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement posted on X by Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, on Monday. “The fighters responded by firing and neutralized the terrorist. There were no casualties to our forces.”

The incident took place by the entrance of the town of Netiv HaAsara, about 300 metres north of the Gaza border. It comes at a time when stabbings are on the rise in Gaza, a region that has been at war after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, leaving 1,200 casualties and taking more than 240 people hostage.

Israeli media identified the attacker as Qawarshi Zakaria Adam, a Canadian Muslim. Israeli police said he arrived at the outpost from within Israeli territory, and not from the Gaza Strip.

“Global Affairs Canada is aware of an incident involving a Canadian citizen in Israel,” wrote spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod. “Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed at this time.”

Protests calling for a “Free Palestine” have taken place across Canada for months, mainly on university campuses. They have been linked to the Free Palestine Movement, a self-described non-profit human rights organization whose mission is to “challenge Israeli policies and actions that deny Palestinians their human rights.”

On the same day as the stabbing attack, Israeli forces ordered the evacuation of an area of the Gaza strip, saying they plan to launch a ground operation against Hamas militants who have infiltrated the area to launch rockets against Israel.

“Due to significant terrorist activity and rocket fire toward the State of Israel from the eastern part of the Humanitarian Area in Gaza, remaining in this area has become dangerous,” said the IDF in a statement on X on Monday. “The early warning to civilians is being made in order to mitigate harm to the civilian population and keep civilians away from areas of combat.”

Nearly 39,000 Palestinians, civilians and fighters, have died during the war on the territory, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip.

Canada has been calling for a ceasefire for months and has advocated for more humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip.

“From the very beginning we have said that Israel has the right to defend itself,” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a December 2023 statement to the media. “How Israel defends itself matters.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.

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