The Ceasefire in Gaza: Voices from Israel

“A child, no more than six, dancing with joy, shouting ‘ceasefire, ceasefire’. Such relief should never belong to children. 

A ceasefire may still the warplanes, yet it cannot still grief, nor wash away the war crimes that brought us here. This cannot be mistaken for peace; it must be the beginning of dismantling the politics of war, occupation, and militarism that made such devastation possible.”

“There is great joy that this terrible chapter has finally come to an end. The bombing, killing and starvation in Gaza will stop and the hostages will return to their families.

However, there is great anger towards Netanyahu, because this did not happen thanks to him, but against his will. The hostages could have been released long ago through an agreement and the war could have been ended.

We have stopped the war and must now ensure that there is no more. This can only be achieved through an Israeli–Palestinian peace agreement that ends the occupation and leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.

There is no other way to ensure that there will be no more 7 Octobers and no more wars of annihilation. Only a just political settlement that respects the national rights of both peoples equally can bring us both security, freedom, justice and independence.”

Source: @uri.weltmann, Facebook

“HOPE. For the first time in such a long time. Hope that it’s really over. That the genocide is ending. That the hostages come home. That Gaza gets all the food, medical support, and rebuilding it needs after Israel’s criminal campaign. The rain mirrors the tears in my eyes. 

But it is a hope that is also fragile. I’m pretty sure the first phase is a done deal, but Netanyahu will surely want to drag us back into war and massacres, and we can only hope Trump doesn’t let him. And even if the entire deal goes through, if the war and genocide are truly over, we need to keep all eyes on Palestine. The apartheid regime that was the bedrock of 7/10 (without relieving Hamas from responsibility for its crimes) is still going to be there. 

We will need to keep fighting to dismantle this regime, to offer justice and liberation to all Palestinians. That is the only way to ensure long-term peace and security for all of us. Dare we hope this is but the first step on our way there?”

Source: @Ha_Matar, X

We at Isha l'Isha (“Woman to Woman”) are hopeful as we follow the development of an agreement to end the war on Gaza and secure the release of the hostages. We long for an end to the incomprehensible killing and destruction and for a life in which Israelis and Palestinians reach a just and sustainable peace agreement. 

Alongside our hope, our hearts are also filled with concern about the fact that those responsible for the agreement and its implementation are authoritarian leaders who have worked tirelessly in recent years to curtail and undermine democracies in the West — leaders who are responsible for the killing of children, women and men and who have denied people access to food and medical aid.

We appeal to the governments of the world, the region, and the leaders in Israel to work towards a genuine and sincere reconstruction of our shared lives — Palestinians and Jews — between the Jordan River and the sea: the restoration of our trust that our governments act in the service of the common good, the rehabilitation of the hundreds of thousands of wounded, disabled, and traumatized, support for the displaced, the homeless and the families who have lost loved ones, the restoration of roads, infrastructure, social services and culture, the healing of souls and bodies, of society and community.

We have a long road ahead of us — we are here to walk it — and we hope for leadership that turns away from the culture of death and revenge and chooses life and humanity.

“This deal could have been reached 22 months, if not 2 years, ago — thousands of lives, mountains of suffering could have been spared. It is a complicated feeling of very cautious joy — especially as we must not forget the atrocities continuing in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem daily, the colonialist annexation threats, and actually the fact that there is an extreme right-wing government in Israel that must fall. 

We still have a long struggle for the freedom and self-determination of the Palestinian people and for a regime and public opinion change in Israel — so the path to peace and stability can start to seem possible. The international solidarity and pressure have been and still are crucial to guarantee that this war is truly over.”