People attend a rally in support of Israel in Toronto, on Oct. 9.Jessica Lee/The Canadian Press
An eighth person with connections to Canada was confirmed killed as a result of Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, while one Canadian is believed to be missing.
It is not clear how many people are being held hostage in Gaza, but Israeli officials have confirmed at least 200 so far.
The slain Canadians include a 33-year-old mother who was killed as she hid at home with her two young sons, two men and a woman attending a large music festival where Hamas gunmen opened fire, and an older couple who lived on a kibbutz near Gaza.
Here is what we know about the killed and missing Canadians.
Canadians who have been confirmed killed
Vivian Silver
Vivian Silver, a Canadian-Israeli peace activist and humanitarian, has been confirmed dead.Handout
Vivian Silver, a Canadian-Israeli peace activist and humanitarian who had been missing since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, was confirmed dead on Nov. 13.
In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, Idit Shamir, Toronto’s Israeli Consul-General, said the 74-year-old had been killed by the militant Islamist group in Kibbutz Be’eri, where she lived, only a few kilometres from the Gaza border. It had been thought she had been taken hostage into Gaza.
Silver’s son Chen Zeigen said Israeli authorities told him her remains had earlier been found in the kibbutz but were only identified now.
Ms. Silver was born in Winnipeg and has lived in Israel since 1974. She co-founded a group called Women Wage Peace, which seeks to bring about a political agreement in the Middle East with the full participation of women. She has also volunteered with an organization that drives sick Palestinians from Gaza to Israeli hospitals. She had attended a peace march in Jerusalem just three days before the attack.
Tiferet Lapidot
Tiferet Lapidot, who is turning 23 this week, was confirmed to have been killed during the Hamas attacks.Lapidot family/Handout
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said 22-year-old Tiferet Lapidot who had been missing is now confirmed dead. Harel Lapidot, a Canadian citizen living in Israel, said his niece was kidnapped from the Supernova festival. Ms. Lapidot’s father was born in Regina.
Shir Georgy
An undated handout photo of Shir Hanna Georgy.Handout
The family of a 22-year old Shir Georgy, who was missing since Hamas militants ambushed a music festival in southern Israel last Saturday, says she has died. Georgy went missing after the militant group attacked the music festival near Kibbutz Re’im last Saturday.
Georgy’s aunt, Michal Bouganim, says the family is a mess and heartbroken. Bouganim says the family is preparing to hold Georgy’s funeral in Israel tonight. Georgy’s aunt shared a video earlier this week where Georgy is seen sitting on the floor and taking shelter with other people.
Adi Vital-Kaploun
The 33-year-old mother was shot by Hamas gunmen in front of her two sons – four-year-old Negev and 4½-month-old Eshel – at her home in the Holit kibbutz near the Gaza border. The family was told by the Israeli military that her body was then shoved under Negev’s bed and booby-trapped so it would explode whenever someone tried to pull her out, said family friend Dina Zaslacski. As Ms. Vital-Kaploun hid with her two sons during the attack, she texted her husband, who was at another kibbutz at the time, and warned him to stay away. “She told him, ‘Don’t come out, don’t try to join us, don’t open the door to anyone.’ By doing so, she saved his life,” said Moshiko Bengiat, a childhood friend of Ms. Vital-Kaploun. “She also saved her kids.” Ms. Vital-Kaploun was a dual national, with both Canadian and Israeli citizenship.
Ben Mizrachi
A 22-year-old Vancouver man, Ben Mizrachi, was among those killed during a Hamas attack on the Supernova music festival in southern Israel on Saturday, Oct. 7.Handout
Raised in Vancouver’s tightknit Jewish community, Ben Mizrachi was killed during the Supernova festival that was one of the first targets hit by Hamas militants on Saturday. Mr. Mizrachi left to serve in the Israeli army soon after graduating high school. “Ben was a friend to everyone and was so proud of his service in the [Israel Defense Forces],” wrote Russ Klein, head of the private Jewish King David High School, on the school’s social media.
Alexandre Look
Alexandre Look was among the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel according to family and friends.Handout
The 33-year-old from Montreal was attending the Supernova festival when Hamas militants arrived in pickup trucks and opened fire on festivalgoers. Mr. Look was one of more than 200 people who were killed during the festival in the Negev desert, located near the Gaza border. Mr. Look, who had been living abroad and visiting Israel for the past few months, was described by his father as “a force of nature, endowed with unique charism and unparalleled generosity.”
Netta Epstein
Toronto’s Israeli Consul-General identified a fifth Canadian killed in the Hamas attack on Israel earlier this month. Idit Shamir said on X that Netta Epstein was killed in his family’s house in southern Israel.
Ms. Shamir said the 21-year-old and his girlfriend were hiding in the home when a terrorist threw a grenade inside. The Israeli-Canadian leapt on the blast to save his partner, who survived and was rescued, according to Ms. Shamir’s post and another post from Israel’s Toronto consulate.
“Without hesitation, Netta jumped to shield his loved one with his own body,” Ms. Shamir wrote.
Israel-Hamas war so far: What to know about the attacks, casualties, hostages and the response
Canadians who are confirmed missing
One Canadian is reported missing in Israel by friends and family, but the exact number is unknown. Canada’s foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly said she would not confirm whether missing Canadians are being held hostage in Gaza because of the risk that it would put them at greater danger, but Israel has said Canadians were among the people kidnapped.
Arad Haggai said his aunt, Judih Weinstein Haggai, a Canadian citizen with roots in Toronto, have been missing since Oct. 7. Ms. Weinstein Haggai texted her family early on Saturday morning to say she and her partner, Gadi Haggai, were under attack as rockets roared overhead. The couple had gone on a walk near their home in the Nir Oz kibbutz, a short distance from Gaza, when Hamas militants ambushed the community. Mr. Haggai said his aunt, 72, and uncle, 73, met in Israel and have been living in the Nir Oz kibbutz for nearly 30 years. They have four adult children.
With reports from Mark Mackinnon, Andrea Woo, Alanna Smith and Laura Stone