Thousands of Palestinian supporters gathered in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday to celebrate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following a 15-month war.
The ceasefire was delayed in a last-minute hitch when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would not begin until Israel received from Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas a list of names of Israeli hostages set to be released.
The ceasefire was supposed to commence at 5.30pm AEDT but was declared about three hours later at 8.15pm AEDT.
Hamas has said it will release British woman Emily Damari, 28, who was kidnapped during the October 7 attacks and has been a hostage for 470 days, along with 23-year-old Romi Gonen and 30-year-old Doron Steinbrecher.
Israel has waged a fierce and deadly war against Hamas since the terrorist attack which has seen thousands of Palestinians perish.
A Pro-Palestine celebration in Melbourne’s Coburg North on Sunday night attracted hundreds in support of those affected by the conflict in the Middle East that has left many grieving for lost family members and destroyed homes.
A ceasefire between Israel and Palestine was declared at 8.15pm AEDT with three hostages (pictured) held by Hamas to be released as part of the deal
British-Israeli Emily Damari, 28, (pictured) was kidnapped during the October 7 attack and has been a hostage for 470 days
Demonstrators march towards Parliament House during a Pro-Palestine demonstration, in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2025
Organiser Hash Tayeh said Sunday’s event was a time to celebrate, mourn and reflect for all of humanity, not just Palestinians.
Mr Tayeh, who has lost 40 relatives in the Gaza conflict, said despite the ceasefire the struggle for accountability and rebuilding continued.
‘I personally woke up pretty happy this morning, full of energy and just excited for that relief that’s going to come to those people,’ he said.
‘But the hardship in terms of people still rebuilding their lives here in Australia and around the world, the homes (that) are destroyed in Gaza, that continues.’
Hundreds also attended a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney’s Hyde Park on Sunday and cheered defiant speeches urging them to continue pushing for a Palestinian state.
The three-phased ceasefire came into effect after Israel agreed to the deal, which will see hostages released.
But Mr Netanyahu said the truce was only temporary and made the ceasefire dependent on receiving the names of hostages to be released.
Thousands of Palestinians and their supporters gathered in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday to celebrate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas (a Sydney rally attendee is pictured)
A rally attendee holds up a placard during a Pro-Palestine rally in Sydney on Sunday, January 19, 2025
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said communities across the globe want the ceasefire to stay in place, despite lingering tensions in the Middle East.
‘We’re certainly hopeful, as I think the world is, that this ceasefire holds. It’s what the world has wanted to see and it is good that it has occurred and that it will come into place,’ he told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.
‘We want to see hostages released, we want to see proper aid be able to get to the people of Gaza, and we want Israelis and Palestinians to be able to live in peace and security.’
Israel’s war in Gaza was launched after Hamas’ attack in 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken, according to Israeli authorities.
Almost 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s retaliatory strikes according to the local health ministry.
The ceasefire came as NSW Premier Chris Minns said the state government would look at strengthening hate speech laws following a series of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney.
In the latest incident, a house formerly owned by Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin was targeted in an arson and graffiti attack on Friday.
Mr Minns said the attacks were ‘despicable’ and further incidents need to be prevented.
‘The initial spark (of anti-Semitism) isn’t going to a synagogue or a house and lighting a match, the initial spark is hate speech in our community,’ he said.
Organiser Hash Tayeh said Sunday’s event was a time to celebrate, mourn and reflect for all of humanity, not just Palestinians. A man is pictured at a rally in Sydney
The Pro-Palestine protesters in Melbourne on Sunday were defiant against Israel
‘Our government’s going to make a decision soon, a difficult decision but the right one, to strengthen hate speech laws in NSW, so if someone’s preaching hatred in the community, it doesn’t manifest itself two months or three months later in a firebombing or an attack or something worse.’
The prime minister said states and territories were united in preventing anti-Semitism.
‘We’re determined to stamp this out, there is no place in Australia for anti-Semitism. There is no place for the sort of outrageous acts that we have seen,’ Mr Albanese said.
The names of the three hostages due to be released had not been handed over when the deadline for the truce to begin passed at 8.30am local time, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, said.
He said the army ‘continues to attack, even now, inside the Gaza arena,’ and would until Hamas complies with the agreement.
The military later said it had struck a number of militant targets in northern and central Gaza.
An Israeli airstrike killed at least eight people in the southern city of Khan Younis after the ceasefire was delayed. Nasser Hospital confirmed the casualties from Sunday´s strike, which it said had occurred around two hours after the truce was supposed to take effect.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported another three deaths from strikes on Sunday in Gaza City.
Hamas had earlier blamed the delay in handing over the names on ‘technical field reasons.’
It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal as previously announced.
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