Northbrook vigil honors Israeli victims of Hamas rocket attacks

More than 100 people attended a vigil honoring victims of rocket attacks by Hamas against Israel at a Northbrook synagogue Thursday evening.

Rabbi Aaron Braun of Northbrook Community Synagogue, the first of nine speakers, condemned the violence - the fourth round of major conflict between Israel and Hamas since 2008 - while recognizing the victims.

"These acts of violence do not discriminate," Braun said. "The world deserves better than this. The world deserves peace and compassion."

Braun said that Israel, with a diverse population, deserves the right to exist, to be recognized "by everyone" and as a nation has a right to a peaceful and normal life.

Dozens of people in attendance either held photos of the Israeli victims or carried the Israeli flag. Cars were parked throughout the street in the surrounding neighborhood, since the vigil occupied the majority of the synagogue's parking lot.

The death toll has climbed steadily since the start of attacks by Hamas and strikes by Israel: As of Friday evening, 126 people have been killed and 900 wounded in Gaza, a narrow strip of land between Israel and Egypt that's home to 2 million Palestinians but controlled by Hamas since 2014, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Seven people have been killed in Israel and 10 in the Occupied West Bank.

• The Associated Press contributed to this report.