Hundreds of people have gathered at a vigil in central London to commemorate Israeli victims of the Hamas incursion into the country on Sunday (October 15).
Many were draped in Israeli flags and posters saying “bring them home” with names and faces of hostages captured by Hamas were being handed out to attendees.
They held signs saying “bring them home” on one side with pictures of the hostages on the other.
Police officers were seen patrolling the event in Parliament Square, Westminster.
The grassroots-organised vigil featured speeches as well as prayer, singing in Hebrew and a testimonial from a woman named only as Lital, who was at the Nova music festival where hundreds were killed, read out by speaker Jenny Kananov Shayo.
The vigil came as the British son of a retired Israeli teacher held hostage by Hamas has called for a humanitarian corridor to be established in Gaza.
Noam Sagi’s 75-year-old mother, Ada, was taken from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz near the border with Gaza on October 7.
Mr Sagi, 53, did not speak at a vigil for the incursion’s victims in London’s Parliament Square on Sunday, but Rabbi Jeremy Gordon, of New London Synagogue, did speak on his behalf.
The rabbi said Mr Sagi’s mother “worked for peace between Jews and Arabs for decades” and taught Arabic as well as Hebrew.
The rabbi added: “Noam wants us to join with him in a demand that all the hostages be freed immediately and unconditionally, in particular, the children and those over 65.
“His second call is that a humanitarian corridor be opened to allow an appropriate organisation to verify who is there and to assess their most basic human needs.
“Ada is among the list of those missing who needs ongoing medical support. An organisation … should be allowed into Gaza safely to assess and provide for the most basic human needs of these hostages.
“It is an affront to everything that is human to take such people and to hide such people. He needs, we all need, the British Government to do anything that they can to get these people back.
“To show leadership internationally, to ensure the return of all civilian hostages, especially the women and the children, immediately.”
