Close X
Sunday, November 10, 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

Slowdown in skyrocketing rents in Metro Vancouver

Slowdown in skyrocketing rents in Metro Vancouver
The skyrocketing rents in Metro Vancouver are slowing according to the latest report by Rentals-dot-C-A and Urbanation. The report says the area's asking rents in November rose less than 1 per cent from last year, reaching an average rental unit price of three-thousand-171-dollars.

Slowdown in skyrocketing rents in Metro Vancouver

Coquitlam man facing drug charges in nation wide operation

Coquitlam man facing drug charges in nation wide operation
A Coquitlam man is facing is facing a long list of charges, including trafficking and possession after police say they uncovered a large-scale, cross-Canada drug operation. BC's Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says police conducted a yearlong investigation that included police in Manitoba, resulting in three arrests and a large quantity of drugs and weapons seized.  

Coquitlam man facing drug charges in nation wide operation

Drunk Indo-Canadian man crashes car in US with four-month-old baby inside

Drunk Indo-Canadian man crashes car in US with four-month-old baby inside
A 30-year-old Indo-Canadian has been charged in the US state of Florida for driving drunk and crashing his vehicle with his four-month-old daughter inside. Peeyush Gupta, a resident of Ontario province, was taken into custody last week and remains behind bars in Monroe County’s Key West jail facility.  

Drunk Indo-Canadian man crashes car in US with four-month-old baby inside

1 in 4 Canadians fear income won't cover basic needs: Salvation Army poll

1 in 4 Canadians fear income won't cover basic needs: Salvation Army poll
A new survey suggests one in four Canadians are extremely concerned about having enough income to cover their basic needs, with the highest degree of hardship being felt by single parents. The Salvation Army released the data today as part of their annual report examining Canadians' attitudes and experiences with poverty and related socioeconomic issues.

1 in 4 Canadians fear income won't cover basic needs: Salvation Army poll

RCMP warn about spike in online extremism among Canadian youth

RCMP warn about spike in online extremism among Canadian youth
The Mounties say five Canadian youth have been arrested in terror-related cases since June. Jewish and Muslim leaders across Canada have reported an increase in hate-motivated attacks since the terrorist attacks launched by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, and the massive military response by Israel in Gaza.

RCMP warn about spike in online extremism among Canadian youth

Powerful gusts over 100 kilometres per hour, steady rain projected to hit East Coast

Powerful gusts over 100 kilometres per hour, steady rain projected to hit East Coast
Ian Hubbard with Environment Canada says strong winds are forecast to begin in southern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and sweep across the provinces through the day and overnight. The storm is expected to head overnight across the Cabot Strait and into southern Newfoundland, where powerful winds are also expected. Hubbard says the strongest gusts may reach up to 110 km/h and that between 50 to 80 millimetres of rain will fall.

Powerful gusts over 100 kilometres per hour, steady rain projected to hit East Coast