By Jerry Zhang

Thousands of pro-Palestine activists and students from all over the Greater Toronto Area gathered in downtown Toronto on Oct. 4 to mark two years since the start of Israel’s disproportionate attack on Gaza.

The protest was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and various student groups, including Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), according to a post on PYM’s Instagram account.

In January 2024, the International Court of Justice issued provisional measures regarding Gaza, finding that Israel’s action amounts to genocide and ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures” to protect Palestinians in Gaza. Last month, the United Nations declared the same. Israel’s actions are in retaliation for an attack from Hamas which killed 1,195 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.

At approximately 1:30 p.m., a student contingent consisting of TMU students gathered near Lake Devo.

Soon after, chants began echoing across the TMU campus as students started demanding an end to the suffering of Palestinians and divestment of TMU from companies complicit in the genocide in Gaza.

In an email statement to The Eyeopener in August, TMU said “the university does not directly invest in any companies and there is no exposure in the University’s endowment fund to companies contained in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights database.”

By 2 p.m., the student contingent moved towards the larger contingent at Sankofa Square, which was packed with tens of thousands.

“We have been out in the streets for two years now”

By 2:30 p.m., the large crowd consolidated in the square around a truck that was adorned with the Palestinian flag and the images of journalists who had been killed by Israel during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The crowd stretching five to six blocks started moving east on Dundas Street before turning north on Bay Street.

As of Oct. 7, the documented death toll in Gaza for the past two years, has risen to 67,173 according to Al Jazeera with the estimated death toll being much higher.

Nearly 300 journalists have also been killed since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Al Jazeera’s estimate as of Sept. 1.

Yara Shoufani, an organizer with PYM, said the march symbolized both remembrance and resistance against the ongoing genocide.

“When the genocide happened, I felt so hopeless”

“We have been out in the streets for two years now, demanding that the Canadian government take more concrete action to stop this genocide,” she said. “Canada’s role in either selling or purchasing weapons from Israel makes Canada complicit in genocide.”

One of the organizers* of the student contingent and a member of SJP at TMU described the protest day as emotional and exhausting but necessary.

“As a Palestinian, this commemorates…beyond the two years of the genocide but it also represents the last 77 years of apartheid,” they said.

They also told The Eye about feelings of hopelessness they often experience, watching the genocide unfold in Palestine.

“We’re gonna do as much as we can”

“When the genocide happened I felt so hopeless because [it is] truly a unique experience and what it’s like to be living while your people are being genocided,” they said.

They also said that institutions like the university and the Canadian government have been turning a “blind eye” to the genocide.

“They know what’s going on but they chose that. They chose money over people,” they said.

In July 2024, a report by Arms Embargo Now uncovered data that suggests arms are still flowing from Canada to Israel. The report found entries in the database of the Israel Tax Authority which showed Canadian-made military weapons and ammunition entering Israel.

Despite the lack of response from the Canadian government and TMU, they remain hopeful, pointing to the progress and achievements pro-Palestine activism has accomplished over the years.

“We’re gonna do as much as we can. Right now, we’re successful in that…and we’re trying to get the administration to show that even after years of you guys ignoring us…we’re gonna call you guys out,” they said.

Following the unveiling of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan on Oct. 2, they expressed that they remain skeptical about the effectiveness or longevity of the deal.

As of Oct. 6, Al Jazeera has reported that 104 Palestinians have been killed despite the demand from Trump to stop Israeli attacks.

*This source has requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter. The Eye has verified this source.