A Toronto family is heartbroken their loved ones are not among the Israeli hostages to be released by Hamas and is calling on the government to push for humanitarian aid.
“The unknown is what kills me, not knowing where they are, what are their condition,” Maayan Shavit told CTV News Toronto. “It’s the unknown that kills slowly.”
Shavit said that her cousin’s wife just celebrated her 36th birthday in captivity. She said her aunt was killed.
“We just want them back home. We will take care of the rest,” Shavit said.
“This deal of the 50 returns … I'm very happy about it. But (on) the same hand, I'm even more sad because my family are not going to be among those released because they are not in the group age or their kids are being already been saved. And now we need to save them.”
Other families that spoke to CP24 have yet to hear about their loved ones. Maureen Leshem told CP24 that her 23-year-old cousin Romi Gonen was last heard from 47 days ago at the Nova music festival.
“We know that Romi was wounded, we know she was shot at least one once in the arm,” Leshem said. “She managed to seek refuge and call her family.”
According to Leshem, her cousin was able to call her mother during the Oct. 7 attack. Gunshots could be heard nearby along with people pleading for their lives, she said.
“We don't know if she's alive or dead. We don't know she's been treated,” Leshem said.
“We need our Canadian government to join forces with every other democratic country and every international aid organization to bring our hostages home.”
It's unclear if Gonen is one of the hostages expected to be released in the coming days.
Two-hundred and forty people were taken hostage by Hamas, which has been declared a terrorist group by Canada and many other Western nations, when militants fired rockets and infiltrated Israeli towns along the Gaza border. A recently agreed-upon four-day truce between Hamas and Israel will see about 50 hostages freed.
Israel, in turn, would release about 150 Palestinian prisoners, starting with women and children, officials say.
Officials in Israel have said they will extend the truce a day for ever 10 hostages freed.
About 1,200 Israeli people were killed during those initial Oct. 7 attacks in Hamas. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza, killing more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Shavit said she feels like the Canadian government’s response wasn’t enough.
“They didn’t even push for humanitarian help. I thought we came to this great country (a) long time ago because this is the country for everybody and everybody are equal and the importancy (sic) of human life is the top priority,” she said.
“I haven't seen any of it from our government, except of course condemning terror as everybody should. But talking and actions are two different things.”
With files from CTV News Toronto’s Rahim Ladhani and The Associated Press.
