Pro-Palestinian rally at Calgary City Hall ahead of first anniversary of October 7 Hamas attack on Israel

Calgarians gathered for a pro-Palestinian rally at city hall on Oct. 5, 2024. (Darren Wright/CTV News Calgary)

The first anniversary of the October Seventh Hamas attack on Israel is Monday, and that prompted several hundred people to attend a pro-Palestinian rally Saturday afternoon at city hall.

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One person in the crowd, Warda Dawoud, arrived in Calgary from Gaza about one month ago.

"It's hard; no feelings, no life at all, no food, no(t) safe, no sleep," she says. "All the time bombings, you can't sleep, you can't do anything."

Dawoud left her city for Egypt and from there came to Canada. She would like the world to stand with her people.

On Oct. 7, 2023, 1,205 Israelis were killed and 251 were abducted by Hamas; ninety-seven of those kidnapped that day remain in captivity.

The event shocked the world and led to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry says 41 thousand people have been killed.

Calgary police issued a statement stating in part, "As we near the one-year mark since the events of Oct. 7, tensions in the Middle East remain high, and the effects are still being felt here in Calgary.

"We are collaborating with our partners to monitor the situation at local, national, and international levels, and we continue to work with the community to ensure everyone’s safety."

Calgary police say there have been no specific threats identified but they have increased patrols around places of worship and other significant areas.

Numerous pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli rallies took place in major cities around the world Saturday.

Calgarians who stand with the Jewish community are holding a remembrance service Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at city hall to honour the victims in the October 7 attack.

Calgary's Jewish community observed Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, on Friday and Shabbat on Saturday but are in the midst of planning events for Monday to mark the grim anniversary.