Ceasefire deal brings hope, but grief lingers for Islanders from Palestinian, Jewish communities

Prince Edward Islanders from both the Palestinian and Jewish communities are reacting with mixed emotions to the recent ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, relieved by the pause in violence but weighed down by the emotional toll of the conflict.

The ceasefire, which went into effect over the weekend, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and it will allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.

The conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has devastated much of Gaza. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 46,000 Palestinians have died, and over 110,000 have been injured since the war broke out. 

There have been events on P.E.I. to show solidarity with Palestinians and call for a ceasefire, and members of the P.E.I. Jewish community have also organized gatherings to mourn the Israelis who died in the conflict.

For Mohammed Lahloub, originally from central Gaza and now living on the Island, the news of the ceasefire brought both joy and grief.

"I was checking on family in the past couple days and making sure everybody's all right, and trying to understand who do we have, who unfortunately passed during this conflict?" Lahloub told CBC's Island Morning.

"It's an overwhelming mix of emotions, honestly, like, there's a lot of happiness, but there's also a lot of sadness of what happened."

For Martin Rutte, who is originally from Israel, the past 15 months have been filled with fear and concern for his loved ones. He said he's been in constant contact with family members since the conflict began.

"What happened after Oct. 7 is I went down the tubes. I was so depressed, I thought that anti-Semitism had, you know, seen its day, and here it was rising up again, and the violence and the horror," Rutte said.

But with the ceasefire in effect, Rutte said there is now a sense of stability.

"My wife and I were in the car yesterday, and she said, 'There's a spark of hope,'" he said.

Cautious optimism

Although Lahloub is safe in Canada, he said the past 15 months have been emotionally draining, waking up every morning worrying for his loved ones and checking in with family members daily despite communication challenges caused by limited internet and power in Gaza.

"I am waking up safe, so I'm very grateful. And then you think of other people, what they are going through."

And he's grateful for the support for Palestinians across Canada.

"Everybody in Canada, without a doubt, showed all kinds of support, whether it's emotional, whether it's going out in protests and rallies and sending all these images and support to the people in Palestine, or even financial support," Lahloub said.

There's still much uncertainty given the history of the region, he said.

"For now, things are good, and everybody is holding their end of the deal, so that's good, and hopefully it'll stay that way," Lahloub said.

Rutte echoed this cautious optimism and said it's time to focus on creating a new narrative for the region, especially since history has shown there are regions warring for years but still coming to peace.

"I'm going to be bold here, what if we have this new story called heaven on earth in the Middle East, not for the Middle East, but in the Middle East?" said Rutte.

He hopes Islanders can continue to contribute to peace efforts by raising their voices and advocating for change.

"You can write to your MPs. I mean, the creativity is unlimited here," Rutte said.