Jewish leaders in Winnipeg say their entire community is grieving the deaths of six more hostages in the Gaza Strip.
The remains of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov and Carmel Gat were recovered Saturday, Israel authorities confirmed Sunday.
The six hostages — five of which were taken by Hamas at a music festival during the Oct. 7 attacks — were killed shortly before they were found by Israeli forces, that country’s military said.
Kliel Rose, rabbi at the Congregation Etz Chayim, said the whole community is in agreement about “the weight of sadness” they’re all experiencing.
“It intensifies our grief and it furthers our desires to see the hostages returned, those that remain alive that at least we’re aware of,” he said.
“We want to see an end to the violence on both sides, but that can’t happen until the leadership of Israel and, unfortunately, the leadership of Hamas can come to some understanding.”
The discovery has galvanized calls at home for the Israeli government to move toward a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Sunday, Histadru, Israel’s largest trade union, called for a general strike that’s expected to disrupt major sectors like health care, transportation and banking starting Monday morning.
‘It’s taking way too long,’ federation says
Jeff Lieberman, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, said the governments involved in negotiations “need to find a way to have a ceasefire.”
“For Israel, who need to maintain that their borders are secure, it’s very difficult living next door to terrorist organizations that only want to kill you, destroy you, cause harm,” he said. “But at the same time, we need to be able to have the hostages all come home safely. It’s taking way too long.”
About 250 people were abducted and 1,200 killed by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, which triggered Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
That invasion has, in turn, resulted in the killing of more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Almost all of the 2.3 million people living in Gaza have been displaced from their homes by the conflict.
Some 110 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, with the rest believed to be dead.
Rabbi Avrohom Altein with the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Learning Centre said any discussion related to the conflict should forgo politics and strictly focus on getting those hostages home.
“Forget ceasefire, forget anything else. Just return those people who are innocent,” he said.
“Through no fault of their own, they’ve gone through the most horrible situation for so many, many months. They should be released first, and then we’ll talk.”
Rabbi Rose said he’s certainly in favour of a ceasefire, but only when there’s a deal to return the hostages in place, blaming Hamas for the lack of progress.
“I think the message is to continue praying,” he said. “I just hope that somehow we can move forward.”