Winnipeg woman reportedly held hostage by Hamas

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This article was published 08/10/2023 (740 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg woman and prominent Jewish humanitarian is reportedly being held captive by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, amid a deadly and escalating war in the Middle East.

In a posting on X (formerly known as Twitter), former federal justice minister and attorney-general Irwin Cotler said Vivian Silver was violently taken from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri in Israel and is now being held hostage.

He described Silver as a “renowned Canadian-Israeli peace activist and humanitarian from Winnipeg.”

“(Vivian) has devoted her life to women’s empowerment & helping Palestinian civilians, facilitating hospital treatments for sick Gazan children,” Cotler wrote Sunday morning.

“A civilian focused on peacebuilding and helping women and children, (Vivian’s) captivity is yet another heinous Hamas war crime. All Canadians and people of conscience around the world should be calling for her release and condemning Hamas criminality. Thinking of her family.”

Cotler did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

When reached by phone in Calgary, Silver’s brother said he could not confirm the news of her capture and directed requests for comment to family in Winnipeg.

Silver’s sister similarly declined to comment when reached by phone, saying “Thank you very much. Not today.”

The development comes after Hamas launched an attack against Israel Saturday. In just over 24 hours at least 1,100 people were dead and thousands were wounded on both sides of the conflict, the Associated Press reported.

While Global Affairs Canada could not confirm the news about Silver, it said it is aware of reports that one Canadian has died and two others are missing.

“Canadian government officials in Israel are in contact with local authorities to confirm and gather additional information,” it said in an email. “The Government of Canada’s first priority is always the safety and security of its citizens. For this reason, we will not comment on or release any information which may compromise ongoing efforts or endanger the safety of Canadians.”

The federal body warned the 1,419 Canadians registered in Israel and 492 in the Palestinian territories to limit their movements and shelter in place until it is safe to leave.

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Silver is an active member of Women Wage Peace, a grassroots peace movement founded in Israel in 2014.

In a Sept. 23 Facebook post, she encouraged women from Israel and Palestine to join her in a regional rally for peace.

“We are presently caught between the ongoing cycle of violence and the hope for peace with a possible dramatic change in the Middle East,” Silver said. “There is no better time to voice the demand of Israeli and Palestinian mothers, to put an end to our decades-old conflict.”

Global Affairs has responded to 429 enquiries since the conflict began. It is continuing to monitor the situation and work with officials abroad, it said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.