A CANADIAN has been shot dead in Israel after reportedly trying to stab an armed civilian unit.
The man shouted “you’re murdering people in Gaza” and “free Palestine” before the squad opened fire and killed him, the Israeli military said.
He was identified by a public broadcaster as Qawarshi Zakaria Adam, a Canadian citizen.
The IDF claimed the man threatened the armed civilian unit stationed at the entrance of Netiv HaAsara, a town near the Gaza border, with a knife on Monday morning.
Footage of the killing showed three soldier-looking civilians shoot the man moving towards them, with Adam then collapsing to the ground.
Photos from the scene show Adam dead in a pool of his own blood as police and soldiers stand near the body investigating the killing.
Security has intensified at Netiv HaAsara after Hamas militants killed around 20 people there during the October 7 terror attack.
The IDF claimed Adam “exited his vehicle and threatened with a knife members of the community’s rapid response team operating in the area.
They added: “The rapid response team responded with fire and neutralized the suspect. No injuries to the security forces were reported.
“We emphasise that the suspect is a foreign citizen who arrived at the scene from Israel and not from the Gaza Strip.”
Mayor Itai Levi said its security team “acted heroically and with great bravery.
He added: “We are in a war zone and it is important to continue and insist on maintaining the forces in the area.
“We will not lower our readiness in the most threatened area of the war, only about 300 meters (almost 1,000 feet) from Gaza.”
Israel has faced a number of stabbings as it invades Gaza in response to the October 7 terror attack.
In March, three people were left in a serious condition after being stabbed at a shopping mall.
In January, one person died and 12 people were wounded after three suspected terror attacks near Tel Aviv.
Monday’s killing comes after one person was killed from a drone attack in Tel Aviv on Friday morning with Houthi rebels in Yemen claiming responsibility.
The blast left a building crumbling and shards of glass raining down onto the streets near the US Embassy with 10 people being rushed to hospital, according to Israel‘s national emergency agency.
A 37-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were reportedly hit by glass shrapnel – leaving them needing medical treatment.
A man was found dead in an apartment near to the explosion with police investigating whether it was related to the blast.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has landed in America today to address Congress.
The speech comes as the criticism of Israel’s war steps up across the West, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and two-state solution.
Netanyahu has also requested an in-person meeting with former President Donald Trump while in the US this week, Politico reported.
Their teams have met in recent days to explore the idea of a meeting but Trump has yet to agree, the report added.
