The news of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has brought both Israeli and Palestinian Canadians living in Halifax cautious relief.
Israel and Hamas agreed last Wednesday to a ceasefire, which went into effect on Sunday.
Since then, Ibrahim Manna, a Halifax resident with deep ties to Gaza, has been making calls and checking in on his family living in refugee camps near Egypt’s border.
“I’m happy that it’s stopped and there’s no more killing, but there is a long road ahead of them,” said Manna.
Some Palestinians were seen returning to Gaza before the ceasefire went into effect on Sunday. Manna has learned he has relatives that are too ill and likely will not make it back to Gaza.
“A lot of damage has happened, and not just material-like buildings, but actual human damage that happened,” he said.
The ceasefire agreement involves three phases, the first being the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Stage 2 would be a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The third stage involves the reconstruction of Gaza.
“Right now, our immediate focus is the return of the hostages – something that is palpable by the Jewish community in Halifax and across Canada,” said Mark David, president of the Atlantic Jewish Council.
Israel has released at least 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees since Sunday, while at least three Israeli hostages have been released from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
The release of Palestinian prisoners has prompted some concerns.
“We are deeply concerned,” said David. “We see some of the people that are being released and what they are convicted of doing and why they are in an Israeli prison; deeply concerned about who those people are and what they are going to do going forward.”
For Manna, he hopes relatives of close friends who were captured years ago are among those freed.
“There isn’t that list of the names that they could release,” said Manna. “Even if they are still alive in their prisons, we won’t know until the release.”
The first phase of the ceasefire should see 33 Israeli hostages gradually returned and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees released over 42 days. The next release of hostages is expected on Saturday.
With files from The Associated Press
