Edmonton communities worry what comes after ceasefire in Gaza ends

Edmonton's Palestinian community held a rally raising awareness of the conflict in the Middle East while local Jewish leaders shared firsthand experiences of grief and trauma.

Members of Edmonton’s Palestinian community gathered outside the Alberta legislature to bring attention to the conflict in Gaza.

Sunday’s rally was focused on Palestinian children, which the group says have suffered horribly since the conflict began.

“It’s hard to look away from the children in Gaza, said Mousa Qasqas, spokesperson for the local Palestinian community. “Even UN officials have called Gaza a graveyard for children right now.”

The group lined dozens of children’s shoes along the plaza in front of the Alberta legislature with a list of names of Palestinian children they’ve collected who they say have died in the conflict.

The rally was organized by local youth. The group plans to donate the children’s shoes to local charities.

“What we ultimately need is a permanent cease-fire,” Qasqas said. “The same message that we’ve been giving from the beginning. We need to end the occupation, and end the siege and blockade of Gaza. Until we address those issues, temporary ceasefires are not going to do anything for us.”

Israel’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved a temporary cease-fire with Hamas that brought the first halt to fighting in a devastating six-week conflict and win freedom for dozens of hostages held captive in Gaza.

The deal calls for a four-day cease-fire, during which Israel will halt its military offensive in Gaza while Hamas frees “at least” 50 of the roughly 240 hostages it and other militants are holding, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.