Israeli-Canadian businessman killed in Egypt

An Israeli-Canadian businessman was shot dead in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria on Tuesday evening in an attack by a group calling itself the vanguard of the liberation of martyr Mohamed Salah.

The group identified the businessman as Ziv Kiefer and accused him of being an agent of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.

“We declare our responsibility for the killing of criminal Israeli agent Ziv Kiefer, who under the guise of commercial activities collects information and recruits the weak-willed to work for the Mossad,” the group said on its Telegram channel.

The text was superimposed over a photo of Mohamed Salah, an Egyptian soldier who crossed into Israel from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in June last year and killed three Israeli soldiers and wounded a fourth before being shot.

The group also posted a picture of a man shot dead in the front seat of a car with the words “Shalom of Gaza’s Children” written on the picture.

Egypt’s Interior Ministry confirmed the attack on Wednesday and identified the victim as “a Canadian businessman with permanent residence in the country.”

It said he was the victim of a “criminal shooting accident” and an investigation was underway.

The Israeli embassy in Cairo did not immediately respond The NationalRequest for comments.

The attack comes amid widespread anger in the region over Israel’s war against Hamas, which has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed about 34,800 people, according to local health authorities.

Israeli media also confirmed the name of the victim and quoted the Israeli Foreign Ministry as saying it was working closely with Egyptian authorities and the embassy in Cairo in the investigation.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan and a number of other Israeli and Arabic-language news outlets said Mr. Kiefer was the managing director of OK Group, an Egypt-registered exporter of frozen fruits and vegetables.

Salah’s attack was a rare confrontation between Egyptian and Israeli forces that highlighted security challenges along the border.

On October 8, an Egyptian police officer opened fire on a group of Israeli tourists visiting Pompey’s Column, a Roman-era landmark in Alexandria.

Two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian tour guide were killed in the attack and another Egyptian was injured.

Egypt and Israel have maintained a cold peace since the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1979, which ended decades of conflict between the two nations.

While diplomatic relations have remained stable, there have been occasional tensions, particularly with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Updated: May 8, 2024, 9:39 a.m