Reports are circulating of two Canadians who have been killed during the Hamas attack and two others believed to be missing, according to Global Affairs Canada.
One man is from Montreal and the other is from Vancouver.
Alain Haim Look posted on Facebook that his son, Alexandra Look, was killed in Israel on Saturday, while attempting to help those around him at a music festival.
More than 260 people were killed at the festival and many more have been taken hostage
“It is with extreme sadness that we announce the death of our son, Alexandre Look,” wrote Alain Haim Look. “He left us today in Israel after a terrorist attack. Like a true warrior, he left as a hero by trying to protect the people who were with him. Alex was a force of nature who possessed a unique charm and a generosity that can’t be matched.
“The world will never be the same without you. Goodbye my son; I love you and watch over us from above. We’ll never forget you.”
During an interview with Radio-Canada, Haim and his spouse, Raquel Ohnona Look, said that they witnessed Alexandre’s death in real time as he had video-called them from the attack. “They’re killing my son as we speak,” recalled Raquel, reflecting upon the tragic encounter.
The family is involved with the Chabad of Westmount Education Centre where Devorah Shanowitz serves as the centre’s director of education. Sahnowitz described the family as “salt of the earth people, hard working, and very much proud of their son.”
Montreal’s Jewish community is struggling to comprehend the extreme violence they’ve seen from afar since Saturday.
“I think that people are feeling a great sense of shock, a great sense of grief and also, I would say, a great sense of outrage at the callousness, the targeting of civilians, the premeditated, heinous murder of civilians,” said Shanowitz.
The death of Ben Mizrachi, a Vancouver man, has also been confirmed, following Saturday’s Hamas terrorist attack. He too was attending the music festival, according to the National Post.
Mizrachi’s death was initially reported by his former high school and later confirmed by Vancouver Granville MP Taleeb Noormohamed via social media on Tuesday.
“Please say extra prayers for King David alumnus, Ben Mizrachi, class of 2018, who was attending an event in the South (of Israel) and is missing,” posted King David High School on their social media. “Please keep Ben and his family in your prayers.”
Rabbi Jonathan Infeld of Beth Israel Synagogue in Vancouver is neighbours with the Mizrachi family.
“I was with the family and there’s no words. I’ve never made a more difficult house call,” Infeld. “There’s nothing that a person can say in a situation like that.”
On Sunday, Global Affairs Canada released a statement saying that “Canadian government officials in Israel are in contact with local authorities to confirm and gather additional information.” They have also advised Canadians to avoid all travel to Israel and for those already there to “exercise a high degree of caution in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip due to the unpredictable security situation.”
The agency was able to confirm that employees at the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv and Canadian personnel in Ramallah in the West Bank are “safe and accounted for.”.
There are currently 2,450 Canadians in Israel based on those registered through the Registration of Canadians Abroad. However, since registration is voluntary, the number can’t be exact.
Within Israel, 492 Canadians are living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The two other Canadians who are reported missing are potentially still alive.
An additional 480 Canadians are currently living in Palestinian territories.
As of Monday night, almost 1,600 people have been killed and thousands more have been wounded since the Hamas attacks started over the weekend in what is now the worst civilian massacre in Israel’s history.
On Sunday, Air Canada announced that they would cancel all flights to and from Tel Aviv for the time being until further notice.
