The delay in voting by the Israeli cabinet on a proposed ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has led to calls for urgency among Jewish and Palestinian communities in Ireland, with some lacking faith in the agreement.
A vote on the ceasefire – which is scheduled to come into effect on Sunday – has been stalled by the Israeli cabinet, which accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the deal. The vote is now set to take place on Friday.
Since the ceasefire’s announcement on Wednesday, at least 80 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
Eman Mohammed, a Gazan photojournalist who moved to Dublin last year, said the delay in voting “makes it feel like it’s a joke”. The 37-year-old left Gaza for the US with her Irish-American husband Sean in 2014 when their daughter was injured in an air strike.
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She said some of her close friends have been killed since the war began in October 2023, many of whom were journalists reporting on the conflict, while others who survived have lost “entire families”.
Aside from an aunt who fled to Egypt, her own family remain displaced in Gaza, which she said has been “catastrophic” to their dignity and mental health.
News of the proposed ceasefire has brought about a “conflicted mix of feelings” for her and her family , she said, including a “cautious optimism”. But there is also a lack of trust that the ceasefire will be effective. She said. “How can we trust that it stops?”
While there is relief at the news, “no one is fully happy or even able to say those words, and the problem is that it didn’t go into effect, we’re not even near Sunday,” she said.
Meanwhile, Maurice Cohen, chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, has urged all parties to prioritise a peaceful resolution. “We would hope that any possible obstacles would be removed as soon as possible,” he said.
“A ceasefire offers an opportunity to address urgent needs, including the release of some, but not all, of the hostages who have been kept in horrendous conditions since that fateful day of October 7th, 2023 when the Jewish people saw the worst atrocity perpetrated on them since the end of the Holocaust.
“A ceasefire will allow the provision of medical aid, food, and shelter to affected civilians as well as an end to death and casualties on all sides,” he said.
While a ceasefire represents a crucial step forward, Mr Cohen said significant challenges remain in addressing the root causes of the conflict, rebuilding trust and ensuring a durable peace.
Mr Cohen also called on the Oireachtas “to prioritise a moderate, balanced and thoughtful narrative which has been sadly lacking”.
Regardless of a ceasefire, demonstrations organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign will continue, including one scheduled for January 25th in Dublin, said chair Zoë Lawlor,
“It’s important that the new government knows that this movement has not gone away and that even if there is a ceasefire, that is the very bare minimum,” she said. “We have demands for the government to place sanctions on Israel and to enact legislation.”
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