Israeli police say a Canadian citizen was killed Monday after threatening local security officials with a knife near the border with the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military says the man drove to the entrance of the town of Netiv HaAsara, just 300 metres north of the Gaza border. The military says the man left his vehicle with a knife and approached the local security patrol, who opened fire and killed him.
There were no other injuries, the military said, providing a photo of a kitchen knife with a black handle. The rescue service Zaka also said nobody was injured.
A video with no sound shows security officials pointing guns at a vehicle, from which a man exits, runs briefly and falls to the ground.
Israeli police told The Associated Press the man was Canadian, though the Israeli military would not confirm the nationality, instead saying that 鈥渢he suspect is a foreign national who arrived in the area from within Israeli territory, and not from the Gaza Strip.鈥�
Israel鈥檚 ambassador to Canada posted the military statement on X. Unconfirmed reports have named the man, while some claim he is an American citizen.
Canada鈥檚 consular officials in Israel are gathering information on the episode, a spokeswoman said.
鈥淕lobal Affairs Canada is aware of an incident involving a Canadian citizen in Israel,鈥� wrote Charlotte MacLeod. 鈥淒ue to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed at this time.鈥�
The development comes amid a wave of stabbings during the nine-month war in Gaza, which Israel launched after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people, including soldiers, in an attack last October.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of part of a crowded area in the Gaza Strip it had designated a humanitarian zone, while the Health Ministry in Gaza says over 39,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the nine-month war.
The military said Monday it plans an operation against Hamas militants who have embedded themselves in the area and used it to launch rockets toward Israel. The area includes the eastern part of the Muwasi humanitarian zone in southern Gaza.
Earlier this month, Israel said it estimates at least a million Palestinians are now in the humanitarian zone that covers about 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) along the Mediterranean. Much of the area is full of tent camps that lack sanitation and medical facilities and have limited access to aid.
The announcements came during delicate negotiations seeking a cease-fire. Egypt, Qatar and the United States are pushing Israel and Hamas toward a phased deal that would stop the fighting and free remaining hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 office has said a negotiating team will be sent to continue talks on Thursday.
Netanyahu left Monday for Washington, where he will make a speech before the U.S. Congress and meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
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