The son of a Canadian woman who believes she is among the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza wants the world to pressure for an end to the fighting, saying he fears the escalating Israeli attack will end any chance of safely returning his mother home.

Jonathan Zegen said, "My fundamental belief is that military actions will solve nothing."

His mother, Vivian Silver, is one of an estimated 229 hostages taken by Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7, when Hamas fighters breached Israeli defenses and invaded nearby towns like Silver's town, opening fire on soldiers in the assault.

Zegen recounted that day during a call via Zoom on Sunday organized by the Jerusalem Press Club. He said he and his mother heard news of Hamas's incursion into Israel from the Gaza Strip, which is less than five kilometers from Kibbutz Be'eri, Silver's home.

He also said, "We thought that in the next moment, it would be over, but it did not happen. We could not comprehend the Israeli army's inability to protect civilians... We started saying goodbye because we realized these might be our last words to each other."

Zegen added that his mother's phone was geolocated in Gaza, but he said he is unsure of her condition or exactly where she is.

Silver was a volunteer with groups striving for peace with Palestinians and helping Gaza residents obtain medical care, as her son said that those connections shared information that led him to believe she had been taken hostage.

He also said he has been in contact with officials from the Canadian government about securing his mother's release, adding, "I don't know how much power Canada has, but it seems they've invested a lot in doing their utmost."

Zegen stated that Silver made him believe peace is the only way to resolve decades of conflict in the Middle East, and he fears that hostages face more danger if the ground invasion continues.

He continued, "The right thing to do is to push immediately for diplomacy and understand the leverage that Hamas wanted when they took them." He added, "This could also be the first step towards an alternative reality... if we can negotiate and strike deals regarding the prisoners."

Zegen also mentioned that Hamas "took the prisoners as a leverage tool, and if they lose this leverage, they will no longer be of any use to them," adding that the mother he knew before her abduction would have opposed the Israeli military operation in Gaza, but he acknowledges he cannot say how she would feel today given the massacres that occurred in her community, where he says her home has been burned.

Zegen also said, "The attack that occurred on October 7 was truly fierce and brutal. But it happened in a certain context for this region of years and years of dehumanization of people on both sides."

He noted that his viewpoint sparked violent reactions inside Israel, which he attributed to people who reject the initiatives that helped his mother manage that call for a radical shift in how Israelis deal with Palestinians.