Close X
Friday, November 15, 2024
ADVT 
National

Global Affairs Canada 'aware of reports' of missing Canadian in Gaza Strip

Darpan News Desk IANS, 08 Feb, 2024 12:08 PM
  • Global Affairs Canada 'aware of reports' of missing Canadian in Gaza Strip

Ottawa says it is aware of reports that another Canadian citizen has gone missing in the Gaza Strip.

Global Affairs Canada says it is providing consular assistance to the family but can't share more because of privacy considerations. 

The Associated Press reports that Israeli forces detained two young adult American brothers and their Canadian father in Gaza in an overnight raid.

Relatives of the men say they were taken from their home.

A U.S. Embassy official in Jerusalem reached by telephone from Washington said American officials were aware of the situation and were following up with Israeli authorities.

The embassy official gave no details and ended the call without giving her name, while the Israeli foreign ministry and military had no immediate comment.

Borak Alagha, 18, and Hashem Alagha, 20, two brothers born in the Chicago area, are among fewer than 50 U.S. citizens known to still be trying to leave sealed-off Gaza, as the Israel-Hamas war entered its fifth month.

Cousin Yasmeen Elagha, a law student at Northwestern University, said Israeli forces entered the family home in the community of al-Muwasi, near the southern city of Khan Younis, around 5 a.m. Gaza time Thursday.

The soldiers tied up and blindfolded the women and children in the family, and placed them outside the home, the cousin said.

The two American brothers, their Canadian citizen father, a mentally disabled uncle and two other adult male relatives were taken away by the Israelis, and remain missing, Elagha said.

Men of a neighboring household were also taken away. So were other adult male relatives of another Alagha household, for a total of about 20 detained, the U.S. cousin said.

A family social media account from Gaza also described the detentions.

State Department spokespeople in Washington had no immediate comment on the reported detention of the American brothers.

The brothers would be among three American citizens taken into custody by Israeli forces this week, during the same time Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the region to try to mediate a ceasefire and hostage release deal with ally Israel and regional Arab leaders.

MORE National ARTICLES

Dogs trained to detect potentially deadly superbug at B.C. hospitals

Dogs trained to detect potentially deadly superbug at B.C. hospitals
Health Canada says C. difficile is the most frequent cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitals and long-term care homes in many industrialized countries, including Canada. 56 per cent of C. difficile cases were detected in the hospital's hallways, suggesting such areas should be decluttered so they can be better cleaned.  

Dogs trained to detect potentially deadly superbug at B.C. hospitals

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in India

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in India
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says a priority for the G-20 and host India is strengthening global development banks and reaching a consensus on issues associated with rising debt levels in low and middle-income countries.  

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in India

Digital publication fights CRA finding that it does not produce 'original news'

Digital publication fights CRA finding that it does not produce 'original news'
In a court filing submitted last week, the publication rejects the agency's conclusion that it's not a qualified Canadian journalism organization — a designation that allows it to claim a journalism tax credit. The Canada Revenue Agency didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The federal government has yet to file its defence.

Digital publication fights CRA finding that it does not produce 'original news'

B.C. promises $3M to expand program that partners cops with health-care providers

B.C. promises $3M to expand program that partners cops with health-care providers
New teams are being funded for Abbotsford, Port Coquitlam/Coquitlam, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Penticton, Vernon, Squamish, Prince Rupert and the Westshore on southern Vancouver Island.  Similar programs already exist in 10 B.C. communities including Kamloops, Victoria, Surrey and Vancouver.

B.C. promises $3M to expand program that partners cops with health-care providers

Marijuana grow-op busted in Abbotsford

Marijuana grow-op busted in Abbotsford
Investigators say they seized four thousand pot plant, kilos of suspected fentanyl and cocaine, as well as handguns, three sawed-off shotguns, a rifle, and a dozen other firearms that were "lawfully possessed."

Marijuana grow-op busted in Abbotsford

Report shows economic case for high immigration, but warns of housing trade-offs

Report shows economic case for high immigration, but warns of housing trade-offs
A Desjardins report released Monday analyzes how much population growth among working-age Canadians is necessary to maintain the old-age dependency ratio, which refers to the ratio between 15 to 64-year-olds and those aged 65 and older. 

Report shows economic case for high immigration, but warns of housing trade-offs