Jewish community members in Australia have demanded the release of hostages taken by .
People wore blindfolds and held posters of hostages as they gathered in Melbourne on Sunday for a vigil to remember .
Hamas militants seized hostages of all ages and nationalities and the reported number of hostages has varied. Israel says around 200 are currently being held in Gaza.
The militant group on Friday ho were kidnapped in the attack.
Community seeks Australian government's support
Many who attended the event in Melbourne have friends and relatives in the region and are calling on the Australian government to do more to help secure the return of those held captive.
Nirit Eylon, an organiser for the Australian representative of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, said, “These are not soldiers they are babies, kids families, people who came to a peace festival young people and grandparents.”
For many attending the event, the conflict has shattered their families as well as their communities.
Eilat Rachmani, whose brother-in-law's family lived in one of the kibbutzes attacked, said, "There were about 53 people murdered ... there are still people missing. They're still recovering bodies, burnt bodies, mutilated bodies."
"We need our Australian government to be vocal to speak up to make international pressure to get these innocent hostages released.”
'Assault on collective humanity'
In a separate event in Adelaide, Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined other political leaders at a vigil with members of Adelaide's Jewish community, to mourn the lives lost.
Wong described the Hamas attacks as an "assault on collective humanity."
"It was an act of evil perpetrated by a terrorist group, a hateful group bent on the destruction of the state of Israel and the eradication of the Jews and that is why it must be condemned."
Beit Shalom's Rabbi Shoshana Kaminsky said, "On behalf of our community we light one additional candle to recognise the suffering of the people of Gaza who have been put in harm's way by Hamas."
People who addressed the room at the event reflected on how deeply the conflict has infiltrated their daily lives.
Anat Markus-Arnold, general manager at Jewish Community Services, said, "Soon our Israeli friends will be able to sit in a room and enjoy a conversation without planning a hiding spot or an escape route, but not now."
is the latest boiling point in a long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Hamas is a Palestinian military and political group, gaining power in the Gaza Strip since winning legislative elections there in 2006.
Hamas' stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state, while refusing to recognise Israel's right to exist.
Hamas, in its entirety, is designated as a terrorist organisation by countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.
Some countries list only its military wing as a terrorist group.
Other countries voted against a UN resolution condemning Hamas in its entirety, as a terrorist organisation.
