Canadian-Born Jewish Humanitarian Vivian Silver Missing After Hamas Attack on Israel

A Canadian-born Jewish humanitarian who dedicated most of her life to helping Palestinians has gone missing after Hamas fighters attacked Israel over the weekend. Vivian Silver, 74, was last heard from on Saturday morning when she sent a WhatsApp message to her friend Avital Brown, expressing her concern about the chaos in the area.

Silver, who was born in Canada and lived near the Gaza Strip, was known for her work to improve the plight of Palestinians and create a shared society between Jews and Arabs. She had been communicating with her son over the phone when the attack began, and is now feared to have been killed or abducted by the militants and taken to Gaza.

Yonatan Zeigen, a friend of Silver’s based in Tel Aviv, told CBC News that the two had been joking up until the moment of the attack. “We were joking and then we said, ‘OK, it’s time to stop joking,’ and just expressed love for each other, and that was it,” he said.

Silver’s disappearance has sparked an outpouring of grief and support from those who knew her. Her son, Yossi Silver, has started a Facebook page to spread awareness of her disappearance and to help in the search for her.

The Israeli government has condemned the attack and is working with the international community to locate Silver and other missing people. It is unclear what happened to Silver, but her friends and family remain hopeful that she will be found safe and sound.