Chikli: Israel stands with Montreal shooting victims

Israel stands with those impacted by the shooting attack in Montreal’s heavily Jewish Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, Israeli Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli said on Monday.

“The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism stands ready to assist, support and stand alongside the community during this difficult time. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Chikli wrote in a post on X.

“Shootings have become a common reality for Jewish communities in Canada over the past two years. As we have warned time and again, it is only a matter of time before there will be loss of innocent lives,” the minister tweeted.

“Stop with the condemnations and committees, and start with the action.”

An assailant opened fire earlier on Monday just outside a strip of kosher stores, and a police officer and a Jewish bystander were reportedly killed. Montreal police referred JNS to an independent police watchdog, which did not confirm reports that the gunman killed a victim or that there was a Jewish victim.

A second police officer was also injured but was taken to the hospital and is now in stable condition, The Guardian quoted police chief Fady Dagher as saying. Another civilian was lightly injured, CBC News reported.

Law enforcement personnel dispatched to the scene returned fire and killed the shooter.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs named a slain civilian as Michael (Michel) Moshe Mizrahi, “a beloved member of Montreal’s Jewish community.”

The assailant’s identity has not been disclosed by authorities. The suspect reportedly left a 100-page manifesto espousing “incel” ideology targeting women. Incel is an abbreviation of “involuntary celibate.”