JSpaceCanada welcomes the news that an agreement has been reached for a ceasefire and hostage release deal with the aims of the release of all hostages, both alive and deceased held by Hamas, and the end of the war in Gaza.

“We stand in solidarity with the Israeli hostage families and the majority of the Israeli public that has been supportive of such a deal for many months now, and we eagerly anticipate the reunion of the families with their loved ones,” said JSpaceCanada Executive Director Maytal Kowalski. “We are also hopeful that this puts an end to the fighting in Gaza, a war that has gone on for far too long now, and has brought unimaginable suffering upon Palestinians in Gaza.”

We urge all parties to commit to the difficult negotiations over each upcoming phase of this deal so that all hostages are released, a permanent ceasefire is reached and enforced, aid is brought into and distributed in Gaza, residents of Israel’s south can return home, and the war ends.

“We know there are extremists on both sides who would rather see this deal fall apart, and we cannot allow them to succeed” added Kowalski. “We recognize the fragility of the upcoming weeks and months, and encourage all Canadian political and community leaders to remain committed to supporting a deal that returns every last hostage, removes IDF troops from Gaza, and commits to a post-war plan to rebuild Gaza.”

The only way to ensure that the horrors we’ve seen since October 7, 2023, are not repeated is through a diplomatic deal that ends the underlying conflict. As we have seen in over a year of fighting, Hamas cannot be defeated by military force alone. Both Palestinians and Israelis deserve a credible, political path toward a two-state diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Since October 7, 2023, we have seen how many Canadians care deeply about the lives and future of Israelis and Palestinians. It is up to all of us who care to push for a better future. For all those we’ve lost, and for our future generations.