By Daniel Opasinis, Jasmine Makar and Jerry Zhang
As the ceasefire deal between Hamas and the State of Israel reaches implementation, student groups at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) who have been advocating for communities affected by the war are watching closely.
On Jan. 15, Qatar and Hamas officials announced in a public statement that a peace deal was in the final stages of negotiation between Hamas and the State of Israel. Shortly after, former United States vice-president Kamala Harris verified this ceasefire deal in an official statement.
The official Qatari statement outlines a three-stage plan for the withdrawal of Israeli Defence Force troops from Gaza, with 33 Israeli hostages being returned home in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
TMU is home to many student groups that represent communities impacted by this conflict. Among them is Hillel TMU, a student group whose mission is “Enriching the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world,” according to their website.
In an interview with The Eyeopener, third-year business management student and president of Hillel TMU Coby Sadeh expressed his sentiments regarding the recent news coming out of the Middle East.
“We’re happy with any solution that brings the hostages home and puts an end to the war. And so if the ceasefire deal achieves that, then we’re happy to see the hostages come home,” said Sadeh.
Additionally, he expressed the impacts that the past 15 months have had on the Jewish community. “Lots of Jews have been seeing a horrible rise in anti-semitism due to the entire crisis in its entirety. It’s just been very disheartening and it’s brought a lot of unity to the community,” he said.
According to their website, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) “Seeks to empower, unify, and support the Student Movement for Palestinian liberation.”
In an interview with The Eye, SJP TMU spokespersons shared their views on the recent ceasefire deal.
TMU students who are a part of SJP shared their group’s hopeful outlook on the possibility of a ceasefire. “We are very excited for what could happen…but we are also very wary of what this actually means,” they said.
Members of SJP* explained how a ceasefire deal won’t bring an end to their work on campus. “These student demands have existed prior to 2023 because of the ongoing violent dispossession of Palestinian land…we oppose everything that happened, even prior to the current episode of the Nakba**.”
As of Jan. 20, three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners have been returned home via the Red Cross and the ceasefire deal has gone into effect, according to Al Jazeera.
TMU President Mohamed Lachemi said in an interview with The Eye, “TMU stands with voices around the world calling for peace. The ongoing violence has been profoundly distressing for many members of our community.” Lachemi said he hopes that affected students will make use of campus resources like the Student Care team.
*These are members of SJP who wished to remain anonymous due to personal safety concerns. The Eye has verified this source.
**“Nakba” is the Arabic word for “Catastrophe” according to the United Nations
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