Attendees call for peace at Saturday pro-Palestianian rally in Winnipeg | CBC News

More than 250 people gathered at the Manitoba Legislature Saturday for a pro-Palestinian rally, during a temporary ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas — the first respite in fighting that has gone on for more than a month.

Attendees at Saturday’s rally in Winnipeg were encouraged to bring flags from their communities in hopes of letting “the voices of the world be heard,” according to a Facebook post from the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba. 

“It just shows that everyone’s all in for support and everyone wants love for each other and peace for each other,” said Mohammad Zeid.  

A four-day ceasefire that began Friday is the first halt in fighting since Hamas fighters launched an attack on Israel Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, according to the Israeli government.

In response to that attack, Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas militants who run Gaza, raining bombs and shells on the enclave and launching a ground offensive in the north. To date, some 14,800 people — roughly 40 per cent of them children — have been killed, Palestinian health authorities said on Saturday.

During the temporary halt in fighting, a total of 50 hostages taken from Israel are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continues to release hostages at a rate of at least 10 per day.

“This is just a temporary thing,” said Jomay Amora-Dueck, a member of Filipinos for Palestine who was at Saturday’s rally in Winnipeg. “For me personally, I’m not happy with the truce — we want permanent peace.” 

Amora-Dueck said the group has about 15 to 20 members and has grown substantially over the last four weeks. She said her advocacy work began with research. 

“I myself went to the library, borrowed books — my husband and I, we’ve been reading books to educate ourselves,” she said. “For me, there is no excuse to be ignorant. There’s no excuse to look away.” 

Alie Puhach, who moved to Winnipeg from El Salvador seven years ago, said she felt compelled to attend the rally because of her experience in her home country.

“I came from a country [with] so much crime and violence and everything, and seeing this here is like, I don’t know — it’s like I needed to be here,” she said. 

What’s happening during the war has broken her heart, she said, especially as a mother of two 

“We’re humans right?… We bleed the same colour,” she said.

“We need to be here, everyone needs to be here because what is happening, it’s so bad.” 

The Winnipeg Jewish Community was also set to hold a solidarity rally at the Asper Jewish Community Campus Saturday night. The evening was to include song and prayer, while calling for the freedom of hostages.