Close X
Saturday, September 21, 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

British Columbia sets tougher penalties for trucks that hit overpasses

British Columbia sets tougher penalties for trucks that hit overpasses
The British Columbia government is stepping up penalties for truckers who crash into highway overpasses after a rash of such incidents in recent years. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says the province will implement escalating penalties for companies and drivers with repeat offences, adding longer suspensions and the possible loss of their operating certificate. 

British Columbia sets tougher penalties for trucks that hit overpasses

Bird Flu at 52 BC commerical flocks

Bird Flu at 52 BC commerical flocks
More than 50 poultry farms in British Columbia have been infected with avian flu since October, but animal health officials say that rate is slowing as the fall migration of wild birds ends.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday 47 commercial farms and five small-flocks have been infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus this fall. 

Bird Flu at 52 BC commerical flocks

Death toll among B.C.'s homeless rising, hits 342 people last year: Coroner's report

Death toll among B.C.'s homeless rising, hits 342 people last year: Coroner's report
British Columbia's Coroners Service says there's been a sharp increase in deaths among people experiencing homelessness. A statement from the coroners service says the deaths of 342 people experiencing homelessness were reported last year, an increase of almost 140 over the past two years.   

Death toll among B.C.'s homeless rising, hits 342 people last year: Coroner's report

Man steals Salvation Army donation kettle

Man steals Salvation Army donation kettle
Coquitlam R-C-M-P say they are looking for a man who stole a Salvation Army donation kettle from a local mall. Police say the theft happened on December 3rd at Coquitlam Centre Mall's southeast entrance facing Pinetree Way.

Man steals Salvation Army donation kettle

B.C. approves health research centre construction at new St. Paul's Hospital

B.C. approves health research centre construction at new St. Paul's Hospital
British Columbia's provincial government says it is going ahead with the construction of a $638-million "state-of-the-art" research centre at the new St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. Premier David Eby said at a news conference after touring the construction progress at the new hospital that the province has approved the business plan and funding for the new research facility.  

B.C. approves health research centre construction at new St. Paul's Hospital

Amazon delivery drivers accused of stealing packages in Metro Vancouver

Amazon delivery drivers accused of stealing packages in Metro Vancouver
Mounties say the cases of porch piracy involved drivers making deliveries for the online retailer Amazon between September and late November. Police say the company proactively identified the possible thefts and notified RCMP in Burnaby, B.C., prompting officers to search the suspects' homes, where they found as many as 32 stolen packages at one location. The stolen items ranged from a $35 Apple AirTag tracking device to a men's watch valued at more than $600.

Amazon delivery drivers accused of stealing packages in Metro Vancouver