‘October 7th is a really difficult day’: Windsor residents commemorate first anniversary of Israel-Hamas War

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants launched air and ground attacks on Israel, killing nearly 1,200 and taking more than 250 hostages.

The attacks, followed hours later by Israeli counterattacks in the Gaza Strip, marked the beginning of the current Israel-Hamas war.

“We’re here today to make sure we stand as one, to speak the voice of one, and to demand justice for everyone, not just for a certain nation,” Rasha Zaid told CTV News on Sunday evening, during a rally organized by ‘Windsor 4 Palestine’.

Zaid said she has lost 100 members of her extended family since the war started a year ago.

“It is devastating, they've evacuated more than once now, probably nine times,” Zaid said.

“People that are allowed to flee, they cannot flee because all their documentation have been burned in the attacks. It's devastating. All of their savings. Their homes. Everything has been gone.”

Rasha Zaid at a pro-Palestinian rally, marking one year since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, on Oct. 6, 2024. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

According to the CIA Factbook, the Gaza Strip is 40 kilometers long by seven kilometers wide; that’s about the same land size as Detroit, according to U.S. Census Bureau.

There are 2.3 million residents who live there.

“It’s sad because they’re fighting and they cannot (check on their family members),” Zaid said. “The people that are stuck in the north are unable to go to the south.”

In addition to Sunday’s rally, ‘Windsor 4 Palestine’ also plan to place banners along the pedestrian overpass leading to the Ambassador Bridge.

Meantime, the Windsor Jewish Federation and Community Centre is holding a memorial service on Monday evening.

“We are going to commemorate those who lost their lives one year ago and since then, whether they be soldiers or individuals,” Executive Director Marion Zeller told CTV News on Monday.

Marion Zeller is the Executive Director of the Windsor Jewish Federation and Community Centre in Windsor, Ont. on Oct. 7, 2024. (Michelle Maluske/CTV Windsor)

“We're also going to remember those hostages; the 101 people who are still missing.”

Zeller hopes all Canadians – regardless of background – will speak up today to call on the ‘powers that be’ to force the release of the hostages.

“They are children who have had birthdays - first and second birthdays - as hostages in Gaza. That is not normal,” Zeller said.

Zeller said members of the Jewish community struggle with life going on in Canada, knowing the war continues overseas.

She hopes Canadians also take a moment on Oct. 7 to reflect on peace and harmony in the world.

“Whether you're Palestinian, whether you're Christian, whether you're a Druid or a Bedouin, we believe we can live together in peace,” said Zeller.

“It's for everybody, regardless of your culture and your religion. We believe that we can all live together peacefully, if we are tolerant of one another.”