At a packed vigil in Tel Aviv, loved ones mourn and an October 7 survivor recalls captivity
Thousands of people joined a vigil Sunday in an area of Tel Aviv known as Hostages Square, where survivors of the October 7 attacks and the families of some of those killed spoke out on the eve of the one-year anniversary.
Survivor Sapir Cohen shared with the crowd, “In captivity, I saw a girl curled up like a fetus, shaking, and a man sitting with his eyes closed for hours, refusing to open them or be part of the situation.”
She described how she had tried to stay positive.
“At that moment, I realized God had sent me to a place where I could do something truly meaningful — I could help the other hostages. From that point on, I didn’t care if I would continue to live or what would happen to me. I simply put all my problems aside and transformed from a fearful person with many anxieties into a strong, confident individual.”
Cohen was released from Hamas captivity after 55 days. Her partner, Sasha Troufanov remains in captivity.
Noam Peri, whose father Chaim Peri was killed in Hamas captivity, also addressed the crowd, recalling how her family had spent the eve of the tragedy:
“For the first time, my father shared his story from the Yom Kippur War with us. It was a sad yet moving evening, with all of us united. At this very hour last year, we were still sitting and listening to him recount that first evening of October 6, 1973, when he traveled from Nir Oz deep into the Sinai. We listened intently, and at the end of the night, we said our goodbyes with hugs, kisses, and great love.”
Chaim Peri was kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7. His body was recovered by the Israeli military along with the bodies of five other hostages in mid-August.
Demonstrations mark anniversary of October 7 attacks — and a year of war since
Thousands of protestors gather at Hyde Park to march through the streets of the city in protest against the war in the Middle East and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip as the anniversary of October 7th draws near, in Sydney, Australia, on October 6.
There have been more demonstrations, marches and memorials across the world ahead of the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel.
Large crowds marched through the streets of Barcelona, Jakarta, Sydney and other cities on Sunday marking a year since the attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel, according to officials in the country. Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry there, and created a dire humanitarian crisis.
Miguel Verdugo, a 72-year-old protester in Barcelona, told Reuters: “We must express that we are against genocide. The least we should all do is protest in every capital city around the world.”
“Violence doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The occupation, the apartheid that has been going on in Israel of the Palestinian people, the siege of Gaza, the absolute illegal settlement, the brutality in the West Bank, it has to stop,” protester Sam Gazal told Reuters in Sydney.
Meanwhile, there were tributes and memorials for the victims of the Hamas attacks in cities across the world.
Events were held in Berlin, Paris, London and Israel on Sunday, while the Pope led a prayer for peace at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
In Berlin, hundreds of people rallied under the slogan, “United against the crimes of Hamas against Israelis and Palestinians,” Reuters reported.
Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal spoke at the Berlin event, saying of the October 7 victims, “We will never forget them. We stand together with them and we pray to God that the hostages will come home now,” according to Reuters.
In Tel Aviv, people held a vigil at Hostages Square. And there will be a memorial Sunday night at the Nova music festival site, with families of the victims attending.
