Canadian FM condemns attack on group in Israel

OTTAWA - Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier on Friday blasted a sniper attack on Canadian civilians who were visiting the Qassam-battered town of Sderot in southern Israel with Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter, who personal assistant sustained mild to moderate wounds in the incident.

The Canada-Israel Committee (CIC) was in Sderot to "familiarize" themselves with goings-on in the region when an unidentified shooter fired at them, Bernier said.

"Canada strongly condemns today's attack on a delegation visiting an observation point near Sderot," Bernier said in a statement.

"These attacks targeting civilians are unacceptable, and I wish a full recovery to Mati Gill, the bureau chief of the Israeli Public Safety Minister, who was wounded in the attack."

Eddie Azran, the CIC's coordinator in Sderot, led the group which accompanied Minister Dichter and was the first to tend to the injured man. "Now they have a better understanding of the terror we experience here. There were children and adults, Jews and non-Jews. The shooters targeted innocent people," he told Ynet after the attack.

Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that Dichter was the target of the attack.

Israel's army said an Israeli civilian also suffered a minor gunshot wound in the attack.