Calgary Jewish and Palestinian communities react to Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement

A 15-month war between Israel and Hamas is set to end with a ceasefire agreement, sparking mixed reactions from local Jewish and Palestinian communities in Calgary.

The agreement, which Israel will have to ratify, will see a phased release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a ceasefire in Gaza.

During an initial 42-day ceasefire, 33 of the remaining approximately 100 hostages, including women and children, will be reunited with their families.

There will also be the release of Palestinian detainees and the delivery of up to 600 trucks of humanitarian aid per day into Gaza.

Lisa Libin, from the Calgary Jewish Federation, expressed a mix of relief and apprehension.

“The announcement is bittersweet, I think, for all of us,” she said.

“There’s a baby and a child still there. There’s women that have been living in the depths of hell for a year and a half. These individuals never leave our thoughts and prayers.”

Libin also expressed skepticism about Hamas’s commitment to the agreement.

“We’re very unsure; we’re very critical and in disbelief that Hamas is actually going to keep their deal in any form,” said Libin.

Despite these concerns, Libin acknowledged the potential for the agreement to bring about positive change.

“Israelis and Palestinians deserve safety, freedom and dignity, bar none,” she said.

“And if this can be a path toward that, then I am fully supportive of it.”

Libin says she is hopeful anti-Semitic attacks on her community will calm.

“I think hate exists, whether it’s in a public forum or private forum,” she said.

“It’s not going to get rid of it. Hopefully, it will allow things to be calmer in key areas like our campuses and areas that our students and kids are experiencing it on a regular basis, but there’s a lot to be done.”

Wesam Cooley, a local activist and organizer of pro-Palestinian protests, welcomed the ceasefire but expressed concern about the long-term implications.

“This is a much-needed relief for Gaza,” said Cooley.

“This could have been ended much, much sooner, and it’s really Israel and its international supporters who ensured that this continued.”

Cooley emphasized that the fight for Palestinian rights in Calgary would continue.

“That movement that we’ve built and those protests are not going to go away just because we’ve had a ceasefire deal,” said Cooley.

“I want to let everyone know these protests are going to continue.”

Cooley also expressed skepticism about the long-term viability of the agreement.

“I’m not sure how it’s going to be possible to go forward without a serious, serious reconsideration of what we are asking the Palestinian people to put up with,” he said.

“I’m not going to stop continuing to push for freedom for Palestine, for justice, for everything that’s happened during these last 15 months.”

Details of further phases aimed at ending the conflict will be negotiated during the initial ceasefire period.

The agreement comes into effect on Sunday.

Israel has not guaranteed an end to attacks once the first phase of the deal is complete.