Peace activist, believed to have been held hostage in Gaza, has died

According to her son, a Canadian-Israeli peace activist believed to have been kidnapped and taken to Gaza on October 7 was confirmed killed in the first attack that day.

During the attack, the activist, Vivian Silver, 74, wrote to members of the Women Wage Peace group she had helped found, telling them that terrorists had entered her home in Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel and that they were hid in a hiding room. Because her body was not initially found in the ashes of her house, which had been set on fire, her friends and family thought she was missing.

The Israeli government believes that more than 230 hostages are being held in Gaza, including children and elderly people from several countries.

Ms. Silver’s photo has appeared on posters plastered in cities around the world to draw attention to the Oct. 7 kidnappings, and her story has been widely shared.

Her family has been formally informed of her death by Israeli authorities, her son Chen Zeigen said on Tuesday.

Ms. Silver was known for her commitment to peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians. After the war in Gaza in 2014, she co-founded Women Wage Peace, which lobbies for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. She also helped found and lead the Arab-Jewish Center for Empowerment, Equality and Cooperation served for many years on the board of directors of B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization.

Ms. Silver regularly drove sick Palestinians from Gaza, near her home, to Israel for medical treatment as part of the Road to Recovery organization.

“We have never stopped hoping that she was kidnapped, that she is still alive, that she is with other people, that she will come back to us,” said Yael Braudo-Bahat, co-director of Women Wage Peace, which accompanied Ms. Silver, in an interview.

Susan Lax, a longtime friend who met Ms. Silver on a kibbutz about 50 years ago, said she was immediately attracted to her.

“She was my role model for women’s rights, for feminism and for never giving up on peace,” Ms. Lax said.

Ms. Silver would have wanted Women Wage Peace’s work to continue, Ms. Braudo-Bahat said.

“Vivian will sit on my shoulder from now on,” she said. “I’m going to apply all the things I learned from her so that there will be peace here.”

Roni Rabin reporting contributed.