Within twelve days of his July 10, 2023 release from the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, Zachareah Quraishi of Airdrie, Alta., bought a plane ticket to Israel, rented a car, and acquired a large kitchen knife.

On July 22, Israeli authorities report a 21-year-old attempted a terror attack on Netiv Ha’asara, a gated village of 900 near the northern Gaza Strip border. Video shows guards firing at him after multiple ignored warnings to stand down. He was shot dead while yelling, "Free Palestine."

The National Post reported Quraishi was a former Canadian Army Reserve soldier. According to the Department of National Defence, he enlisted July 17, 2023, completed Basic Military Qualification December 6, 2023, and was released July 10, 2024, after serving with a Calgary unit.

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The department refused to state why he was released, with Andrée-Anne Poulin from the office citing the Privacy Act for protecting the "specific nature" of his release as personal information.

Adam Quraishi, the father of Zachareah Adam Quraishi, published a post to acknowledge the death of his son following the violent incident.

MORE: https://t.co/sZkK5ofRHM pic.twitter.com/2yJE4IEihk

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) July 24, 2024

On Remembrance Day, November 11, Zachareah’s father, Adam Quraishi (a teacher at Siksika and Calgary Islamic School), posted photos of his son in a Canadian Armed Forces uniform next to his veteran great-grandfather, George Reed. The post seemingly implied his son, an alleged attempted terrorist, should be honoured as a war veteran.

“War is never a solution,” he wrote. “The act of killing civilians and individuals who are not fighting, especially in an AI-driven world where images can be easily manipulated, is incredibly risky.”

Adam alleges his son was killed for "looking too Palestinian." He has repeatedly claimed Israel wrongfully targeted his son, stating in a May 21 Facebook fundraiser that his son was killed 12 hours after arriving in Israel while "hoping to save lives," a claim confirmed by their family doctor.

Canadian tourist armed with a knife screams about the war against Hamas, attempts to stab IDF troops outside Netiv Ha'asara, near Gaza.

The troops reportedly instructed the individual to drop the knife multiple times but he failed to do so. He was neutralized before he could… pic.twitter.com/O6aTvtAEP2

— Eretz Yisrael 24 (@EretzYisrael24) July 22, 2024

The IDF reported a Canadian national, later identified as Zachareah, had threatened a rapid response team at the entrance of Netiv Ha’asara. The team responded with fire, neutralizing the suspect. No security forces were injured.

“The suspect is a foreign national who arrived in the area from within Israeli territory, and not from the Gaza Strip,” the IDF told the National Post.

Netiv Ha’asara, a communal agricultural moshav in the Negev desert, is near Gaza's northern border, 60 km south of Tel Aviv. The community lost about 20 residents in the October 7 Hamas terror attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals.

Quraishi drove a white Hyundai rental car to the scene. Israeli reports indicate he arrived the day before as a tourist. Israeli media images show his passport was issued in Cold Lake.

Tourists in Israel primarily visit Tel Aviv, Jaffa, or Jerusalem, not remote areas. Humanitarian volunteers usually pre-coordinate with NGOs or religious groups.

When Jews are attacked with knives, @CBCNews calls it a "confrontation."

Canadian terrorist Adam Quraishi, entered Israel today and went directly to Netiv Haasara near the Gaza border to stab Jews. He attacked guards at the town's entrance with a knife, yelling "Gaza Genocide!" pic.twitter.com/cPvhN63MxW

— Eli Kowaz - איליי קואז (@elikowaz) July 22, 2024

The alleged attack was a wake-up call about rising antisemitic extremism in Canada. Statistics Canada data shows hate crimes rose for the sixth year, with anti-Jewish attacks in 2024 far exceeding other religiously motivated incidents.

The report determined religion was the second most common motivating factor of police-reported hate crimes. 

Of the 1,343 reported hate crimes motivated by religion in 2024, those targeting the Jewish community accounted for 920, or about 68%.

CSIS director Dan Rogers recently stated that violent extremism, driven by religious or political motives, remains "one of Canada’s most significant national security concerns." He also noted that nearly 10% of CSIS terrorism investigations now involve at least one subject under 18.