‘Tears of joy’ at Gaza ceasefire, but protesting groups in Canada say they won’t stop

Vancouver resident Nasser Najjar said he cried tears of joy after hearing that a ceasefire had been reached in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Wednesday.

Najjar, who lived in Gaza from 1999 to 2015, still has family in the region where the 15-month-long conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.

He estimated more than 40 of his friends and former colleagues had been killed.

 “And once (the ceasefire) happened, I just started crying out of joy. Those are my first tears of joy that came out. I was so happy to hear this,” he said.

“It’s unimaginable to know that there is an end to the suffering that my people went through, to the babies that (are) not with us anymore, to the starvation that they went through.”

Mediators said that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a three-phase deal, which promises the release of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. 

The ceasefire would allow hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes and pave the way for the flow of much-needed humanitarian aid in the territory. However, Israel said final details are still being ironed out.

Israel declared war on Hamas after the militant group staged a brutal attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and kidnapped scores of hostages. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent bombardment, while Israel says 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s initial attack. Both numbers include combatants.

Pro-Palestinian groups in Canada say the deal will not end their regular demonstrations in cities like Toronto, while a national Jewish advocacy group says it “will not rest” until every hostage held by Hamas is released.

While the ceasefire is welcome news, “there will be no pauses, no breaks, no rests” in protests that have endured for more than a year, said Gur Tsabar, a spokesperson for the Jews Say No to Genocide coalition.

“We’re all praying that this deal comes through for the sake of the people on the ground in Gaza who have been suffering one of the most horrific and brutal atrocities,” Tsabar said Wednesday.

Yara Shoufani, a Palestinian in Toronto who is a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, said the goal of the group’s protests moving forward will be to pressure the Canadian government to impose a two-way arms embargo and hold the perpetrators of atrocities in Gaza accountable. 

“I think it’s really important to note that this ceasefire does not mean the end of oppression of the Palestinian people,” she said.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said its main focus is the return of hostages taken by Hamas, despite the “painful concessions that Israel has been willing to make” in the ceasefire deal. 

“Canada’s Jewish community will not rest until every hostage taken on Oct. 7 is returned home to their loved ones,” the organization’s interim president, Noah Shack, wrote in a statement. 

The United Nations estimates 70 per cent of the people who died in Gaza are women and children. 

Najjar said his sister, who is a doctor, and three nieces are still in Gaza and that he has been able to help other family members evacuate to Egypt.

He said his family spoke to his sister on Wednesday and is trying to keep her spirits up ahead of the ceasefire, which is set to begin Sunday and last for six weeks.

“We’re trying to raise their spirits and tell them that end line is there. It’s just at the horizon. We asked them to stay where they are, not to move a lot,” he said.

“But she is one of the last female doctors in her area. She says that she can’t promise to do that. So we hope that these days are going to pass by quickly and no more civilians are going to be targeted.”

Najjar said his sister told him “there’s no life left” in Gaza and she is conflicted over whether to stay.

“If my sister left, who’s gonna take care of the women over there?” he said. 

Tsabar, who has taken part in many protests, said the ceasefire will help stop deaths in Gaza, but “absolutely nothing changes for the rest of us (protesters).”

He said the group will continue demonstrations until “Palestine is free.”

The Palestinian Youth Movement has been taking to the streets of Canadian cities, calling on the federal government to help end the conflict. 

“We feel a sense of relief at the news of a ceasefire. We know that there are people inside (Gaza) right now who are erupting with joy at this news,” Shoufani said. “But we also know that this ceasefire is coming 15 months too late.”

But Maureen Leshem, a Toronto resident whose cousin was taken hostage by Hamas, said the pro-Palestinian protests have been a source of pain and disappointment for her family and the Jewish community.

“The hateful rhetoric that we’re seeing on our streets is despicable. It’s unacceptable,” she said. 

Leshem said her family has been told that her cousin, Romi Gonen, is alive “but not in good condition” since her capture. 

She said all the hostages taken by Hamas have endured unimaginable pain and trauma.

“You want to be optimistic (about the ceasefire), but you also have to be very, very, very real, right?” she said. “The people that existed on Oct. 7 and the people that are going to be returning to us are going to be very different people.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed news of a ceasefire deal, saying he hopes it will “turn down the temperature” on tensions in Canada.

— With files from Sonja Puzic in Toronto and The Associated Press.