Israeli Forces detain American brothers and Canadian father in Gaza in a night raid

Israeli forces detains two American brothers, Borak and Hashem Alagha, and their Canadian father in a home in Gaza, according to relatives

Israeli forces conducted an overnight raid on a home on Thursday in the besieged territory of Gaza, detaining two young adult American brothers and their Canadian father, according to relatives of the men.

The boys, Borak Alagha, age 18, and Hashem Alagha, age 20, were incarcerated with their father. The attack took place in the town of al-Masawi, near Khan Younis, at about five in the morning Gaza time, according to cousin and Northwestern University law student Yasmeen Elagha.

Women and children in the household were allegedly blindfolded and tied up by Israeli forces during the operation, and they were then taken outside the house. The cousin claims that in addition to the Alagha family members, additional adult male relatives from nearby families were also imprisoned, adding up to a total of roughly 20 people.

Israeli military and foreign ministry representatives have not yet spoken. Thus, it is still unknown why the detainments occurred. Nonetheless, a representative of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem attested to knowledge of the circumstance and said that American representatives were following up with Israeli authorities. The embassy representative had no more information and declined to give her name.

The arrests took place amid ongoing attempts by the US administration to ease the departure of US nationals and green card holders from Gaza, to whom entry has been prohibited because of the Israeli-Hamas conflict. About 1,300 people have received assistance from U.S. officials in departing the region since Oct. 7.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been trying to resolve disputes between Israel and regional Arab leaders diplomatically, is also in the region at the same time as the alleged detentions. Washington-based State Department spokespersons declined to comment immediately on the circumstances surrounding the American brothers.

Source: AP