On Wednesday, January 15, the state of Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas agreed to a ceasefire after 464 days of brutal aggressions.
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, confirmed the ceasefire deal would come into effect on January 19. Final votes and sign off were expected on January 16.
The deal includes a temporary ceasefire, allowing for a pause on the destruction inflicted upon Gaza, as well as the release of captives held in Gaza and a great number of prisoners held by Israel. It will also allow for displaced Palestinians who moved South to return to their homes in the north of Gaza.
Montreal’s residents took to the streets to celebrate, with Montreal4Palestine (M4P) calling for an emergency protest at 6 PM, on Wednesday evening, in front of the U.S. consulate on St. Catherine street.
M4P is a multi-generational community-based movement fighting for the total liberation of Palestine through awareness and education. Originally founded in 2021 under the name “Canada Sanctions Israel,” this grassroots organization is the project of a group of friends who met during a Montreal protest for Palestine when six Palestinian families were forcibly evicted in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in May 2021. This movement has been holding protests every Sunday since the Al Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, calling for a ceasefire, enforcing an arms embargo on Israel, and sanctioning the State economically and politically.
While emergency protests during the middle of the week are not something new for M4P, the general vibe of this protest wasn’t the usual anger and frustration — it was hope.
Resounding drum sounds in the busy St. Catherine streets were accompanied by protestors performing the folkloric Palestinian dabkeh. Trays of baklava and knafeh from the Palestinian-owned Knafé Stop were going around. People were embracing each other, smiling to one another, and screaming “Mabrook!” “Alf Mubarak!” (‘Congratulations! Thousands of congratulations!’).
“467 days of the most brutal genocide known to mankind,” said one of M4P’s founders, Mahmoud Khalil, in a speech addressing the protestors. “I am very honoured to stand in front of you all today, and say, clearly and loudly, that Gaza is victorious! Our resistance is victorious! Allah’u akbar!”
“Allow me to say, Montreal4Palestine, our beautiful community, our beautiful family, mabrook, congratulations to all of you! Not only on our victory, but on your humanity.”
Following his speech, M4P’s organizers played an audio from a Gaza resident, thanking the Montreal community in Arabic for never forgetting about Palestine and for always showing up on the streets: “All the love from Gaza’s grounds to you. To every individual and person, every man, every woman that went out on the streets during these times of war.”
Although the overall sentiment was one of celebration and joy, speeches also stated the importance to continue the fight, to honour the fallen martyrs, and to not forget about Palestine — all 27,027 square kilometers of it.
“We will continue to do this [protesting] until liberation, insh’Allah,” said one of the protest chanters. “The blood of our martyrs, the tears of our women will not go in vain. Our resistance, fighting for the sake of Allah, will not be forgotten.”
The ceasefire is set to take place in three phases. The first phase:
- Will last six weeks.
- Thirty-three Israeli captives, including women, children and civilians over the age of 50 – taken during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023 – will be released.
- In exchange, Israel will release a larger number of Palestinian prisoners during this phase, including prisoners serving life sentences; around 1000 were detained after October 7.
- Israel will withdraw its forces from Gaza’s population centres to areas no more than 700 metres inside Gaza’s border with Israel. However, that may not include the Netzarim Corridor (militarized belt bisecting the Strip and controlling movement along it), the withdrawal from which will take place in stages.
- Civilians will be allowed to return to their homes in the north of Gaza, and the surge of aid will be authorized into the enclave – up to 600 trucks per day.
- Wounded Palestinians are to leave the Gaza Strip for treatment, and Israel will open the Rafah crossing in Egypt seven days after the first phase’s implementation.
- Israeli forces will reduce their presence in the Philadelphi Corridor — the border area between Egypt and Gaza, and will then withdraw completely no later than the 50th day after the deal is put into action.
Both the second and third phases are entirely dependent on both sides meeting conditions agreed upon in the first phase. Although less developed than the first phase, the second phase of the agreement so far includes:
- Hamas releasing all remaining living captives — mostly male soldiers, in return for freeing more Palestinians held in the Israeli prison system.
- The document also requires Israel to “completely withdraw” from Gaza.
The third phase remains unclear, but the main points include the return of the bodies of the remaining captives, with a three-to five-year reconstruction plan of Gaza, conducted under international supervision.
However, these conditions are still debated within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu’s cabinet, with far-right-wing members expressing their discontent and complete disagreement. Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to resign from his position if the ceasefire deal is ratified.
The Israeli cabinet was set to sign the agreement on Thursday, but it was then moved to Friday, January 17, after Netenyahu called off the vote, claiming that Hamas was “reneging parts of the agreement.” Following this statement, senior Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq clarified that the Palestinian group was committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday.
While the ceasefire agreement was declared on January 15, Israeli forces have since intensified their attacks on the city of Gaza, bombing about 50 sites throughout the Gaza Strip, 24 hours after the announcement was made. At least more than 100 civilians, to date, have become fallen martyrs – proving that the ceasefire does not mark the end of Palestine’s struggle.