Anxious wait as hopes rise Gaza ceasefire plan holds
Zac de Silva and Grace Crivellaro |
Palestinians and Israelis in Australia have welcomed news of a US-brokered peace plan but the last two years of grief and trauma have left them anxious on whether it will come to fruition.
Israeli-born Zach Shachar, whose cousin Naama Levy was abducted by Hamas before returning home in January after 477 days in captivity, said the deal brought a sense of relief.
“The final relief will be when all the hostages are home,” he told AAP.
“I have more confidence that it will go ahead than before but everyone needs to understand that … we are dealing with a terror organisation.”
Palestinian social worker Safaa Rayan hopes the ceasefire brings respite for her remaining family in the bombarded Gaza Strip.
She also remains cautious because of the “constant bloodlust towards Palestinians”.
“We’ve had to sit here on our hands while we watch our family suffer, die and be dispossessed,” the member of Wollongong Friends of Palestine told AAP.
“If Israel does withdraw its military from the Gaza Strip then that is a win.”
The agreement announced by US President Donald Trump was a much-needed step towards ending the conflict and was a ray of light, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament on Thursday.
“There is growing international momentum to bring peace and security to the Middle East,” he said.
He urged all parties to respect the plan’s terms and said there was a “long road to recovery in Gaza, securing long term peace and building the Palestinian state”.
Under the deal, Israel will withdraw its troops to an agreed line and is expected to relinquish its hold on the majority of Gaza.
The remaining Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023 will likely be released from Gaza starting Saturday, according to Israeli officials.
The deal is set be signed off on Thursday evening (AEDT), with the ceasefire coming into immediate effect.
Almost 2000 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released from Israeli prisons as part of the agreement.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley told parliament the plan marked a hopeful first step towards the release of the hostages and today was not a time for protest.
“The coalition has backed the US-brokered peace plan from the start,” Ms Ley said.
“Today we see why. Careful diplomacy delivers results.
“Today is the start of the end of this war, and the beginning of enduring peace.”
Co-executive chief of the Council of Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin was “thrilled” by the news he has been “hoping and praying for for two years”.
“We hope that this is the final capitulation of Hamas and the grip on their own people and their infliction of misery on Israelis and Palestinians,” he said.
The Australia-Palestine Advocacy Network has previously slammed Mr Trump’s proposal, claiming it offers no justice or peace and fails to guarantee sovereignty for Palestinians.
The two-year war that has ravaged Gaza and inflamed community tensions in Australia was sparked by Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which left around 1200 Israelis dead.
The militant group took 251 hostages, some of whom have been released in previous deals and some of whom have been killed.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 people, many of them women and children, according to local authorities.
The ongoing bombardment has been declared a genocide by a United Nations commission of inquiry, a finding disputed by the Israeli government.
AAP
