Blogger News Network

July 16, 2006

Seven Canadians were killed in an Israeli raid on Sunday, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay announced. The deaths were believed to be the first recent casualties in Lebanon from any G8 country.

Associated Press reports anonymous Lebanese officials saying the family of Canadians were killed at their home in the town of Aitaroun. Many Lebanese citizens have emigrated to Canada and often return to spend their summers in the south of Lebanon.

Six other Canadians were reported in critical condition by Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay.

Parliament Hill demonstrators in Ottawa on Sunday protested the Harper government's position regarding the ongoing strikes; one placard declared, "Killing children is not a 'measured response'," referring to the G8 statement released earlier.

During a protest in Montreal on Sunday, one woman said she had just been informed that two of her family members were killed in the Israeli airstrike. The unnamed woman screamed "My father, my uncle - they're dead. What's happening?" She said her family members were in the Middle East for a summer vacation.

Sixteen thousand Canadians are apparently registered with the embassy in Beirut but MacKay said the number of those present could be as high as 40,000.

"We're calling for restraint in all sectors right now and hope to be able to have those ships in place and citizens moving out of Lebanon as quickly as possible." MacKay said.

The killings occurred on the fifth day of Israel's military attacks in Lebannon, instigated by the capture of 2 Israeli soldiers and killing of 8 others by the Shiite Hezbollah in a cross-border attack. The fighting has killed at least 148 in Lebanon and 23 in Israel.

Sources

• Randall Palmer "Canadian deaths provide grim postscript to G8 statement". Reuters, July 16,2006
• Sam F. Ghattas, AP "8 Canadians Killed in Israeli Airstrike". Washington Post, Sunday, July 16, 2006; 5:54 PM
• Sean Patrick Sullivan "8 Canadians killed in Lebanon". Toronto Star, July 16, 2006
• Lin Noueihed "http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060716/wl_nm/mideast_dc_378". Reuters, 16 July 2006