Israel-Hamas ceasefire welcomed but protests in Canada will not stop, groups say

People take part in a pro-Palestinian protest in Toronto on Saturday Sept. 7, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives

Pro-Palestinian groups in Canada say a newly negotiated ceasefire deal to pause the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip 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 a ceasefire in the 15-month war 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.

Mediators said Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have 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.

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

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 his 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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15. 2025.

Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press