While the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas says it is prepared to release hostages in the Gaza Strip in line with former U.S. president Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan, a demonstration against Israel’s wartime tactics was held in Montreal on Saturday.
At Place des Arts in the heart of downtown Montreal, Palestinian flags of different sizes could be seen waving in the distance.
But as Hamas and Israel show willingness to negotiate, some demonstrators, like Amil Benshagram, were not feeling optimistic.
“It’s very complicated,” Benshagram said. “I hope it will be the last time, but I think that it will not be respected by Trump and Israel.”
Hamas has also agreed to hand over administration of Gaza to an independent body of Palestinian technocrats, though it is calling for negotiations on key details such as timing. Other demands, including the disarming of Hamas, have not been addressed by the group.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is preparing to immediately implement Trump’s plan. In a roughly six-minute Hebrew-language address televised and streamed online on Saturday, he reiterated his demand for the demilitarization of Hamas.
Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Saturday that Israel has agreed to an “initial withdrawal line,” and that a ceasefire will come into immediate effect upon confirmation by Hamas.
Regardless of Trump’s involvement, Netanyahu credited Israel’s military and political pressure for Hamas’s shift and expressed hope that the remaining hostages could be returned home in the coming days.
The Israeli army continues its strikes against the Gaza Strip, where roughly 67,000 people have died since Oct. 7, 2023.
People waved Palestinian flags and held signs in protest of Israel’s tactics in its war on Hamas. (CBC)
Dozens were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Saturday, local health officials said, despite a demand from Trump for Israel to stop bombing in response to a declaration by Hamas that it was ready to free hostages under his plan to end the two-year-old war.
Montreal Rabbi Lisa Grushcow said Friday that the return of hostages is the most important thing.
“It’s very hard to know what will come next or to have confidence in what will come next, but there’s a tremendous amount of hopefulness because this situation can’t be tenable forever,” Grushcow said.
Rama Al Malah, who attended the demonstration Saturday, said it has consistently been the U.S. and Israel that have stood in the way of a ceasefire, with Israel unable to hold its side of the bargain.
“We’re here today responding to this international call to action, where dozens of cities across the world are mobilizing to say that we are continuing to demand a real and comprehensive bilateral arms embargo,” she said. “We do not want Canadian-made weapons and arm components to continue fuelling this genocide after two years.”
Hicham Chebahi said he has been demonstrating for Palestine for two years, every time a protest is organized. He said he hopes the ceasefire will force Israel “to stop the genocide.”
“I am always hopeful, but it is not enough, especially for Canada. As Canadian citizens, our first ask is to stop dealing with Israel — to stop providing them guns and material for that.”