Gaza ceasefire celebrated in Rotterdam with waving flags, car horns
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas sparked celebrations in Gaza and Israel, but also in many other places in the world. In Rotterdam, local Palestinians loudly celebrated the, for now temporary, cease of hostilities with waving flags and honking car horns.
The Rotterdam celebrations happened around the Hofplein and Coolsingel in the center of Rotterdam. People gathered with flags and signs reading things like “never again.” The relief was palpable.
Asked how she was feeling, a woman told a NOS reporter that she was “relieved and a bit hopeful,” but not really happy. “Because we can obviously not be happy in these circumstances. And you don’t know with such a terrible monster whether he will really keep his word. But I am relieved.”
“We feel victorious because now the world knows that no matter what military power you have, you are never going to defeat the Palestinians,” another woman told the broadcaster. “No matter what sacrifices we give, and we have given very heavy sacrifices. So we are very much in pain and will continue to seek justice.”
The ceasefire will last six weeks, so it is currently still temporary and described as “phase one” of the end of the war. During these six weeks, Hamas agreed to release 33 hostages. Israel will release 30 Palestinians from its prisons for each hostage released, according to NU.nl. Israeli troops will also partly withdraw from Gaza. Phase two will be discussed on day 16 of the ceasefire.
The ceasefire starts on Sunday. Israel continued carrying out air strikes on Gaza overnight after the deal was announced, NOS reported.
As of 8:27 p.m. on January 15 local time, Israeli attacks have killed at least 46,707 people in Gaza, including 17,492 children. Over 109,660 people are injured and more than 11,160 are missing, Al Jazeera reported based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Hamas killed 1,139 people and injured at least 8,730 others in the terrorist attacks on Israel that sparked this slaughter on October 7, 2023.
Politicians in the Netherlands also responded with relief to news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Prime Minister Dick Schoof called it “a major breakthrough that I applaud enormously.” Foreign Affairs Minister Caspar Veldkamp spoke of “good news.” And various parliamentarians are relieved that there is “finally” a ceasefire agreement.
