Thousands gather in Toronto to remember victims of Oct. 7 attack

Over 20,000 people gathered at the Lipa Green Centre in Toronto to remember the lives lost on Oct. 7 in Israel by Hamas.

The Jewish community, including family of hostages and those killed commemorated the anniversary, spoke about their loved ones and leaned on each other at the event put on by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

A spokesperson for the UJA said it was important to gather to “remember all the lives that were tragically lost on Oct. 7 in Israel, but also to recognize that this situation is still a live situation.”

“This is not an opportunity where we are remembering something that happened. We still have more than 100 hostages, including family members of Canadians, who are in Gaza being held by Hamas,” said Sara Lefton, the organization’s chief development officer.

At the same time, a demonstration condemning the past year of war in Gaza marched from Queen’s Park to Nathan Phillips Square.

Toronto police say one person has been arrested for Breach of Peace and several roads are closed in the area.

Across Canada, ceremonies, events and protests were being held to mark a year since the attack that killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw about 250 more abducted and held as hostages. Around 100 of the hostages, a third of whom are believed to be dead, have not been returned.

The attack triggered a retaliatory Israeli offensive in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip that the territory’s health ministry says has left more than 41,000 Palestinians dead. 

Security for Monday’s event has been ramped up as tensions have escalated in the Middle East over the past year. Police presence in several GTA has also been increased ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary.