Several thousand people took part in a Jewish prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday, in solidarity with the hostages held in Gaza since October 7.
Jewish communities around the world were called upon to join in this particular prayer, known as the Fast of Esther and broadcast live on the Internet, which culminates in a joint recitation of the “Shema Israel” (“Hear Israel”), a fundamental daily prayer of Judaism, usually said in a low voice.
The Esther fast, practiced by the most observant Jews, was instituted in memory of this biblical heroine who had asked the Jews of ancient Persia to fast and pray to be saved when they were threatened with extermination by an imperial decree, according to the biblical text.
The fast precedes the feast of Purim, which will be celebrated this year on Sunday and Monday, and which, according to Jewish tradition, marks the rescue of the Jews thanks to Esther’s courage and cunning.
Located in East Jerusalem, an area of the Holy City occupied and annexed by Israel, the Western Wall is the last vestige of the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and the holiest place where Jews are allowed to pray.
Thursday’s exceptional prayer comes at a time when Israel has been at war with Hamas since October 7, following an attack by commandos from the Palestinian Islamist movement who infiltrated from Gaza and carried out an attack that resulted, on the Israeli side, in the deaths of at least 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli sources.
According to Israel, some 250 people were kidnapped and 130 of them are still hostages in Gaza, 33 of whom are dead.
Israeli military operations against the Gaza Strip in retaliation have killed almost 32,000 people, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
On the political front, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is facing increased international pressure, with its Western allies now calling for an immediate ceasefire.
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Malo Pinatel with AFP
