Hundreds of people are gathering today in Ottawa and Toronto to remember the victims of Oct. 7 and the hostages that have not yet made it home. A University of Ottawa sign is pictured behind the Israeli flag as it flies in front of Ottawa City Hall on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The flag was raised during a private event. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Hundreds of people are gathering today in cities across Canada to remember the victims of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the hostages that have still not yet made it home.
In the nation’s capital, seas of Israeli flags are draped over participants in front of Ottawa city hall, with Canadian flags waving alongside them as they call for the release of hostages still being held in Gaza.
They are expected to march alongside an increased police presence to Parliament Hill, where a Liberal MP and a Conservative MP will be among those delivering speeches at an event to mark the sombre anniversary.
In Toronto, some politicians and community members are joining a rally in support of Israel and the hostages that has run every week since Oct. 7, 2023.
A pro-Palestinian demonstration is set to take place at Montreal’s Dorchester Square this afternoon, the second such event to take place in the city this weekend.
Hamas’s incursion into Israel last Oct. 7 saw more than 1,200 Israelis killed and about 240 hostages seized, triggering an Israeli counter-offensive in Gaza that the regional health ministry says has left more than 41,000 dead.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2024.
