Canadian killed near Gaza border after threatening forces with knife: Israeli police

OTTAWA – A Canadian citizen was killed Monday after threatening Israeli security forces with a knife near the Gaza border, Israeli police said.

According to the Israeli military, the man drove to the entrance of an Israeli town near the border, left his vehicle there and approached security forces with a knife.

The emergency services opened fire and killed the man. There were no other injuries.

The attack came at the entrance to the Israeli town of Netiv HaAsara, just 300 metres north of the Gaza border, amid a wave of stabbings across the country during the nine-month Gaza war.

On October 7, Netiv HaAsara was attacked and 20 residents were killed after gunmen paraglided over the concrete border wall, Israeli military officials said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military on Monday ordered the evacuation of part of an area in the Gaza Strip that it has declared a humanitarian zone and announced an operation against Hamas militants who have entrenched themselves in the area and used it to fire rockets at Israel.

—With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2024.

The Canadian Press