Jack Guez Agence France-Presse Israeli soldiers inspect the site of the Supernova electronic music festival on Tuesday, in the Negev desert, in southern Israel. Hamas members broke into this festival on Saturday and massacred 250 people.
A 22-year-old British Columbia man, Ben Mizrachi, is the second Canadian identified among the victims of attacks carried out since Saturday by the Palestinian militant group Hamas against Israel.
The news was confirmed Tuesday by King David Jewish High School in Vancouver, where Ben Mizrachi was among the students a few years ago. “He was shot while attending a music festival” in southern Israel, the secondary school said in a post on its Facebook page on Tuesday. The young man's funeral will take place on Wednesday afternoon in Israel, where the young man lived.
On Sunday, the high school had also called the population to pray for Ben Mizrachi, who was then being carried disappeared in Israel. His loved ones then actively mobilized in the hope of getting in touch with him.
“We are truly devastated by this loss. We hoped that he would be found alive, but that was not the case,” sighed Tuesday a longtime friend of Ben Mizrachi, Aron Csaplaros, who is also the manager of the regional branch of B’nai Brith Canada, British Columbia. “We were all praying for his safe return. »
Ben Mizrachi graduated in 2018 from King David High School, where he was involved with the Basketball team. “He was a very kind and calm individual. I never saw him without a smile on his face. He always made people laugh,” recalled Mr. Csaplaros, in an interview with Devoir.
“My deepest condolences and prayers go out to his family, friends, loved ones and the community. May his memory be a blessing”, for his part reacted on the social network X (formerly Twitter) the MP for Vancouver Granville, Taleeb Noormohamed. The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs says it is “heartbroken” by this tragic death.
Heartbreaking news:
A wonderful young man from my riding of #VanGran – Ben Mizrachi – was found among those murdered by Hamas terrorists.
My heartfelt condolences and prayers are with his family, his friends, loved ones & the community.
May his memory be a blessing.
— Taleeb Noormohamed ???????? (@Taleeb) October 10, 2023
A mobilization will take place Tuesday evening in Vancouver to denounce the deaths caused by the attacks of the military group Hamas against Israel since Saturday.
Let's put our differences aside and lets mourn together for Ben Zl from #Vancouver and for the 1000 other men, women and children murdered at the hands of terrorists. Come stand with us. Stand for humanity. This is our time to push back. 5pm Jack Poole Plaza. We need you now! pic.twitter.com/mC95IHzrC4
— Ezra S. Shanken (@eshanken) October 10, 2023
A second death
Ben Mizrachi is the second Canadian whose death has been confirmed in Israel since the Hamas attacks, which left more than 1,000 dead in this country.
On Monday, we learned that Montrealer Alexandre Look, aged 33, was among hundreds of people killed in a raid on an electronic music festival last Saturday in a rural area near the Gaza-Israel border.
< p>Two Canadians are still missing in Israel, where at least 14 Americans have lost their lives as well as residents of several other countries. “There is no justification or excuse for terrorism,” US President Joe Biden reacted Tuesday afternoon, during a speech in which he offered his unconditional support to Israel.
< p>Since Saturday, more than 900 deaths have been reported in Israel, while at least 830 people have lost their lives so far on the Palestinian side, according to local authorities.