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Montreal’s weekly walk calling to free the hostages coincides with the release of three held for 470 days
As the literal first breaths of the hostage release saw three young women released into the aching arms of their families and nation, participants in the Bring Them Home Montreal march gathered for their 54th Sunday walk in the city’s west end with renewed vigour and purpose.
For more than a year, people of all ages have routinely walked through Hampstead, Côte Saint-Luc and Snowdon, chanting for the freedom of the hostages and saying their names.
This week, some 80 marchers sported orange ribbons in honour of the second birthday of Kfir Bibas, who was kidnapped on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz at eight months old with his 4-year-old brother Ariel, and parents Shiri and Yarden.
The mood on this frigid day—where wind chill neared minus-20 as marchers made their way down ice-covered sidewalks, under police escort as always—was mixed, a combination of elation to see three daughters of Israel return and angst over future stages of the deal and the fate of the remaining hostages.
Between all the smiles and tears, co-organizer Keren Zach told The CJN the feeling right now “is it’s making a deal with the devil. But we need our people home, they deserve to be home, and right now, Emily, Romi and Doron are on their way to see their moms in the next few minutes. And this is the reason why we’re doing this right now, and we’re going to continue marching until every single one of them are home.”
Asked if this is the beginning of a semblance of justice for Israel, Zach said, “I can’t tell you. We deserve it. I wish it to be yes. But no, not by the way the world is acting. It’s as if we don’t matter.”
She pointed to the extremist language of anti-Israel demonstrators in Montreal the very night the deal for the hostage release and ceasefire were announced, as the crowd chanted calls for intifada and shouted praise in honour of Yahya Siwar and other terrorist leaders.
Philip Greenstein was among the marchers on this historic day. “You can’t be human without being happy that daughters will be returned to their mothers and fathers,” he said. “We understand that the price that Israel has already paid from Oct. 7 on, and you realize that cynically said, that there’s really no justice in the world.
“We’re going to have to take a very, very long view of how these people, these families, will never know justice, the families who now have to watch murderers being returned into Gaza with glee.”
Zach lost friends at the Nova music festival, including Dor Malka, “a really sweet guy who loved soccer and always had a smile,” and worked on Kibbutz Holit with Youssef Ziyadne, whose body was recently recovered from Gaza. She cautioned others to “watch news, but don’t watch the news. Try to keep away from it, and don’t set proper expectations, just hope for the best and expect the worst. Don’t overthink it, because they (Hamas) love to do psychological operations.”
As for the questions of who’s alive and who’s not, “These people will only be free once their feet are in Israel. Once they are in Israel, I will breathe for them.”
Greenstein thanks the universe daily “for making me a Jew in this time. Because this is when it counts. This is when it matters to be Jewish. This is how we show we have to transcend words. I wake up at night thinking about hostages, I wake up in the morning thinking about Israel.” Every day, he said, “you walk by people with keffiyehs. I mean, you know, your head explodes.”
“We have to plant our feet firm, and we don’t know whether this is the first or the last wave of what is just the beginning of a multi-generational war for the survival of Judaism. So more than ever we have to be united. We’re just a big bag of humans but there’s something transcendent about being Jewish and that’s what brings us together. And I hope we can remember that now and act like a tribe, like a people who need to be very connected.”
Hampstead city councillor Jack Edery, a frequent marcher in the group, has encountered the extreme rhetoric of anti-Israel protesters—who have been invited by Montreal mayor Valérie Plante and her colleagues to voice their opinions on pro-Israel politicians at Montreal’s agglomeration council.
Edery likened the current mood to how “Yom HaZikaron is always followed by Yom Haatzmaut, one moment we’re crying and one moment we’re celebrating. So today, we celebrate that they’re home, but we cry that the rest of them aren’t. It’s psychological warfare. We don’t know if Kfir Bibas is going to come back alive or if he is going to come back dead. Personally, I think we need to do everything we can to bring back every one of the hostages, and then after they’re all back, we’ll deal with Hamas.”
Bring Them Home Montreal co-organizer Ruben Hassan moved the crowd with a stirring speech about the hostages—whether released or waiting to come home—with a special message for now 2-year-old Kfir Bibas.
“We want to tell you and your brother that you are not alone, every candle lit today represents a prayer for your return, a promise to never stop fighting, for you, for your family and for all those who are still held hostage in Gaza. You are the hope of this nation, the faces of a future where life always triumphs.
“Let this birthday be the last spent far from at home. We are waiting for you with hearts full of love and arms wide open. Happy birthday. Ariel, we are also thinking of you, you are our strength, our hope, and soon you will be back among us.”
The post Montreal’s weekly walk calling to free the hostages coincides with the release of three held for 470 days appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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Switzerland Moves to Close Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s Geneva Office Over Legal Irregularities
Palestinians carry aid supplies received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
Switzerland has moved to shut down the Geneva office of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed aid group, citing legal irregularities in its establishment.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May, implementing a new aid delivery model aimed at preventing the diversion of supplies by Hamas, as Israel continues its defensive military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group.
The initiative has drawn criticism from the UN and international organizations, some of which have claimed that Jerusalem is causing starvation in the war-torn enclave.
Israel has vehemently denied such accusations, noting that, until its recently imposed blockade, it had provided significant humanitarian aid in the enclave throughout the war.
Israeli officials have also said much of the aid that flows into Gaza is stolen by Hamas, which uses it for terrorist operations and sells the rest at high prices to Gazan civilians.
With a subsidiary registered in Geneva, the GHF — headquartered in Delaware — reports having delivered over 56 million meals to Palestinians in just one month.
According to a regulatory announcement published Wednesday in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA) may order the dissolution of the GHF if no creditors come forward within the legal 30-day period.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Swiss decision to shut down its Geneva office.
“The GHF confirmed to the ESA that it had never carried out activities in Switzerland … and that it intends to dissolve the Geneva-registered branch,” the ESA said in a statement.
Last week, Geneva authorities gave the GHF a 30-day deadline to address legal shortcomings or risk facing enforcement measures.
Under local laws and regulations, the foundation failed to meet several requirements: it did not appoint a board member authorized to sign documents domiciled in Switzerland, did not have the minimum three board members, lacked a Swiss bank account and valid address, and operated without an auditing body.
The GHF operates independently from UN-backed mechanisms, which Hamas has sought to reinstate, arguing that these vehicles are more neutral.
Israeli and American officials have rejected those calls, saying Hamas previously exploited UN-run systems to siphon aid for its war effort.
The UN has denied those allegations while expressing concerns that the GHF’s approach forces civilians to risk their safety by traveling long distances across active conflict zones to reach food distribution points.
The post Switzerland Moves to Close Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s Geneva Office Over Legal Irregularities first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Key US Lawmaker Warns Ireland of Potential Economic Consequences for ‘Antisemitic Path’ Against Israel
US Sen. James Risch (R-ID) speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Washington, DC, May 21, 2024. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-ID) issued a sharp warning Tuesday, accusing Ireland of embracing antisemitism and threatening potential economic consequences if the Irish government proceeds with new legislation targeting Israeli trade.
“Ireland, while often a valuable U.S. partner, is on a hateful, antisemitic path that will only lead to self-inflicted economic suffering,” Risch wrote in a post on X. “If this legislation is implemented, America will have to seriously reconsider its deep and ongoing economic ties. We will always stand up to blatant antisemitism.”
Marking a striking escalation in rhetoric from a senior US lawmaker, Risch’s comments came amid growing tensions between Ireland and Israel, which have intensified dramatically since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Those attacks, in which roughly 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 taken hostage, prompted a months-long Israeli military campaign in Gaza that has drawn widespread international scrutiny. Ireland has positioned itself as one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s response, accusing the Israeli government of disproportionate use of force and calling for immediate humanitarian relief and accountability for the elevated number of Palestinian civilian casualties.
Dublin’s stance has included tangible policy shifts. In May 2024, Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state, becoming one of the first European Union members to do so following the outbreak of the war in Gaza. The move was condemned by Israeli officials, who recalled their ambassador to Ireland and accused the Irish government of legitimizing terrorism. Since then, Irish lawmakers have proposed further measures, including legislation aimed at restricting imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, policies viewed in Israel and among many American lawmakers as aligning with the controversial Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
While Irish leaders have defended their approach as grounded in international law and human rights, critics in Washington, including Risch, have portrayed it as part of a broader pattern of hostility toward Israel. Some US lawmakers have begun raising the possibility of reevaluating trade and diplomatic ties with Ireland in response.
Risch’s warning is one of the clearest indications yet that Ireland’s policies toward Israel could carry economic consequences. The United States is one of Ireland’s largest trading partners, and American companies such as Apple, Google, Meta and Pfizer maintain substantial operations in the country, drawn by Ireland’s favorable tax regime and access to the EU market.
Though the Trump administration has not echoed Risch’s warning, the remarks reflect growing unease in Washington about the trajectory of Ireland’s foreign policy. The State Department has maintained a careful balancing act, expressing strong support for Israel’s security while calling for increased humanitarian access in Gaza. Officials have stopped short of condemning Ireland’s actions directly but have expressed concern about efforts they see as isolating Israel on the international stage.
Ireland’s stance is emblematic of a growing international divide over the war. While the US continues to provide military and diplomatic backing to Israel, many European countries have called for an immediate ceasefire and investigations into alleged war crimes.
Irish public opinion has long leaned pro-Palestinian, and Irish lawmakers have repeatedly voiced concern over the scale of destruction in Gaza and the dire humanitarian situation.
Irish officials have not yet responded to The Algemeiner’s request for comment.
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Israel Condemns Iran’s Suspension of IAEA Cooperation, Urges Europe to Reinstate UN Sanctions
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at a press conference in Berlin, Germany, June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang/File Photo
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Wednesday condemned Iran’s decision to halt cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog and called on the international community to reinstate sanctions to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Iran has just issued a scandalous announcement about suspending its cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),” Saar wrote in a post on X. “This is a complete renunciation of all its international nuclear obligations and commitments.”
Last week, the Iranian parliament voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA “until the safety and security of [the country’s] nuclear activities can be guaranteed.”
“The IAEA and its Director-General are fully responsible for this sordid state of affairs,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X.
The top Iranian diplomat said this latest decision was “a direct result of [IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi’s] regrettable role in obfuscating the fact that the Agency — a full decade ago — already closed all past issues.
“Through this malign action,” Araghchi continued, “he directly facilitated the adoption of a politically-motivated resolution against Iran by the IAEA [Board of Governors] as well as the unlawful Israeli and US bombings of Iranian nuclear sites.”
The Parliament of Iran has voted for a halt to collaboration with the IAEA until the safety and security of our nuclear activities can be guaranteed.
This is a direct result of @rafaelmgrossi‘s regrettable role in obfuscating the fact that the Agency—a full decade ago—already…
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 27, 2025
On Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian approved a bill banning UN nuclear inspectors from entering the country until the Supreme National Security Council decides that there is no longer a threat to the safety of its nuclear sites.
In response, Saar urged European countries that were part of the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal to activate its “snapback” clause and reinstate all UN sanctions lifted under the agreement.
Officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), this accord between Iran and several world powers imposed temporary restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
During his first term, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and reinstated unilateral sanctions on Iran.
“The time to activate the Snapback mechanism is now! I call upon the E3 countries — Germany, France and the UK to reinstate all sanctions against Iran!” Saar wrote in a post on X.
“The international community must act decisively now and utilize all means at its disposal to stop Iranian nuclear ambitions,” he continued.
The time to activate the Snapback mechanism is now!
I call upon the E3 countries- Germany, France and the UK to reinstate all sanctions against Iran!
Iran has just issued a scandalous announcement about suspending its cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy…— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) July 2, 2025
Saar’s latest remarks come after Araghchi met last week in Geneva with his counterparts from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas — their first meeting since the Iran-Israel war began.
Europe is actively urging Iran to reengage in talks with the White House to prevent further escalation of tensions, but has yet to address the issue of reinstating sanctions.
Speaking during an official visit to Latvia on Tuesday, Saar said that “Operation Rising Lion” — Israel’s sweeping military campaign aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities — has “revealed the full extent of the Iranian regime’s threat to Israel, Europe, and the global order.”
“Iran deliberately targeted civilian population centers with its ballistic missiles,” Saar said at a press conference. “The same missile threat can reach Europe, including Latvia and the Baltic states.”
“Israel’s actions against the head of the snake in Iran contributed directly to the safety of Europe,” the Israeli top diplomat continued, adding that Israeli strikes have set back the Iranian nuclear program by many years.
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