Israeli soldiers walk past houses destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Israel's consul general in Toronto says Canadian-Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver has been found dead. She was previously believed to be taken hostage in the Hamas attack on her community near the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Ariel Schalit
OTTAWA – There are multiple reports that a Canadian peace activist believed to have been taken hostage during the Hamas attack in Israel five weeks ago is dead.
CBC is quoting Vivian Silver’s son Yonatan Zeigen as saying the remains of the 74-year-old woman had been found in the kibbutz where she lived but were only identified now.
Israel’s consul general in Toronto, Idit Shamir, says on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that Silver has been confirmed dead.
Women Wage Peace, an organization Silver worked with, also posted about her death on X.
Silver’s son Chen Zeigen told reporters in Ottawa last month that she was born in Winnipeg and moved to Israel in 1974.
He said she dedicated her life to peacebuilding and fostering understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.
Silver also volunteered to help children in Gaza access medical care in Israel.
Global Affairs Canada and the Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The department previously confirmed six Canadian citizens died in the Oct. 7 attack, as well as a seventh person with deep ties to Canada, who was not a citizen.
Silver’s home on Kibbutz Be’eri near the Gaza border was raided by Hamas militants as part of the attack, which Israel’s foreign ministry says has killed roughly 1,200 people.
Yonatan Zeigen told reporters last month he had received information that she was taken hostage in Gaza and her phone was geolocated in Gaza.
Zeigen recounted last month during a Zoom news conference organized by the Jerusalem Press Club a phone call with his mother the day of the attack.
He said he and his mother had heard news of an incursion by Hamas into Israel from the Gaza Strip. They were joking around on the phone until confusion set in.
“We thought the next minute, it’s going to end – but it didn’t,” he said.
“We couldn’t grasp the incapability of the Israeli army to defend the civilians “¦ we started to say goodbye because we realized this is probably our last words to each other.”
He said the two shifted their conversations to text messages to allow her to stay silent, and someone broke into her home. They said they loved one another before the messages stopped coming.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2023.
