Close X
Thursday, November 28, 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

Ban on single-use-plastic bags, straws or utensils in stores & restaurants starting tomorrow

Ban on single-use-plastic bags, straws or utensils in stores & restaurants starting tomorrow
Shoppers should expect to see no single-use-plastic bags, straws or utensils in stores and restaurants starting tomorrow, as new federal single-use plastics rules take effect.  Cities like Vancouver and Victoria have already have their own rules in place.

Ban on single-use-plastic bags, straws or utensils in stores & restaurants starting tomorrow

Travellers can expect busy days at YVR

Travellers can expect busy days at YVR
Vancouver International Airport is reminding travellers to plan ahead as it’s expecting its busiest travel days for December this week.  Y-V-R says from today to December 26th, close to 70-thousand passengers will be travelling through the airport per day to 97 destinations.  

Travellers can expect busy days at YVR

Woman charged in 1st degree murder: Delta Police

Woman charged in 1st degree murder: Delta Police
Police in Delta say a woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of another woman earlier this week. They say officers went to a home in the city's Ladner neighbourhood around 5 p-m Monday and discovered a body.   

Woman charged in 1st degree murder: Delta Police

One arrested in B.C. police operation near three North Vancouver schools

One arrested in B.C. police operation near three North Vancouver schools
One suspect has been arrested in a police operation in North Vancouver that delayed the start of three area schools. RCMP say officers responded to a report of an assault at around 5 a.m. Tuesday inside a home in the 1,000 block of Lytton Street.

One arrested in B.C. police operation near three North Vancouver schools

Man involved in police incident in Langley last month found dead

Man involved in police incident in Langley last month found dead
B-C's police watchdog confirms that a man who was involved in an incident with police in Langley last month has been found dead. The Independent Investigations Office of B-C says human remains found at the scene of a fire in Langley are those of a man who had barricaded himself inside a building as police were outside on November 10th. 

Man involved in police incident in Langley last month found dead

Police are warning BC car buyers after recent cases of stolen cars

Police are warning BC car buyers after recent cases of stolen cars
Police are warning BC car buyers after recent cases of people buying used vehicles that turned out to be stolen. The integrated auto crime team says they have worked on a number of cases where people have purchased cars either online or at used-car dealerships with fake vehicle identification numbers.  

Police are warning BC car buyers after recent cases of stolen cars