On October 9, 2023, thousands participated in a rally held in Vancouver to express solidarity with the attack launched by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad on Israel two days earlier.
The organizers are:
- Palestinian Youth Movement
- Samidoun
- Canada Palestine Association
- Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR)
- BDS Vancouver Coast Salish Territories
On October 7, the Palestinian Youth Movement posted:
🚨🚨🚨 VANCOUVER: ALL OUT FOR PALESTINE 🚨🚨🚨
MONDAY, OCTOBER 9TH AT 2PM
VANCOUVER ART GALLERY
(750 Hornby Street)
Gaza’s resistance against the occupation has taken to new heights. In an unprecedented turn of events, the resistance has seized 30 occupation soldiers, stormed through illegal occupation borders, and is liberating Palestinian land in nearby settlements.
Gaza is the cradle of our resistance and the lifeblood of our struggle. We are calling on those in so-called Vancouver to uplift and honour the resistance. Join us Monday, October 9th at 2pm (PST) at the Vancouver Art Gallery to show solidarity and celebrate the steps towards liberation!
🗓️ Oct. 9th 2pm
📍 Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby Street) See less
The first speaker at the rally said:
We are organized and we have a leadership here, the Palestinian Youth Movement [PYM], and Samidoun and Canada – Palestine Association. Please, organize ourselves getting ready to march to chant for Palestine, to chant for [unintelligible] 01:19″:08 in Gaza, to chant for the Palestinian resistance, to chant for the freedom of the political prisoners in Palestine, to chant for Marwan Barghouti [Founder of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades, serving a lifetime sentence for killing Israeli Jews] and Ahmed Saadat [leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – PFLP, serving a lifetime sentence for killing an Israeli minster] and Mohammad Deif Abu Khaled [Chief Commander of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades]. We are here to chant for our people in Palestine that we’re with them. We will be with them. We will stay with them and Israel will not win, will not break the will of the Palestinian people. The colonist regime of Israel has been failing to destroy our people and our and our cause and Palestinians, generation after generation, are engaged in their struggle for the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea. From the river to sea, Palestine will be free.
War in the South – Hamas’ Attack on Israel – background information
Excerpts from a report published by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (updated on October 17, 2023):
On Saturday (7 October 2023, the religious holiday of Simhat Torah), in an act of war, over a thousand terrorists from Gaza Strip infiltrated Israel by land, sea and air at several locations and advanced towards Israeli communities and population centers. This was carried out in conjunction with indiscriminate rocket fire targeting towns and cities in the south, the center of the country, and Jerusalem (more than 6,600 rockets and missiles have been launched so far) with the intent of maximizing harm to civilians.
The terrorists penetrated several southern settlements and began a murderous killing spree of families and individuals in their homes, in the streets and at a music festival that was being held in the area. The terrorists rampaged throughout the region for many hours, during which time they committed atrocities on a scale that have not been seen since the events of the ISIS massacre in Sinjar in 2014.
The evidence found on the ground, the documentation caught on camera by the terrorists themselves and by security cameras, survivors and other sources, as well as survivors’ testimonies, document a horrendous story of attackers devoid of any shred of humanity. Families were slaughtered in their beds, women were viciously raped, innocent civilians were maimed, killed and in some instances beheaded. In addition, civilians were burnt alive, babies were butchered, and hundreds of men and women were viciously gunned down while simply dancing at a music festival. Upon their return to the Gaza Strip, the terrorists abducted everyone they happened upon – with an emphasis on families, women and children.
In the aftermath of these events, the extent of Israeli casualties was found to be staggering. Thus far, more than 1,400 people have been murdered in Israel and more than 3,500 wounded to varying degrees. It is also reported that over 199 people are classified as missing or captive after being kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Among the victims, approximately 152 of those murdered and 141 of the missing hold foreign citizenship (including dual citizenship).
Over the past few days, anti-tank missiles and mortar shells were fired from Lebanese territory at IDF positions on the Lebanese border while terrorists, under the auspices of Hezbollah, attempted to infiltrate Israel.
This means that Israel is at war against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. Israel security forces are determined to protect the citizens of Israel on all fronts. The IDF will protect the residents of the State of Israel; the Hamas terror organization and all the terrorists involved in harming the citizens of Israel will pay a very heavy price.
Over the past few days, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen has hosted several foreign ministers in Israel on solidarity visits, including the US Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Canada. We expect additional visits in the upcoming days, including one by the leaders of the most important Jewish organizations in the US.