A surge of repercussions from the ongoing Israel-Gaza war is felt in the Waterloo Region, causing a distinct disturbance in the local community. On Tuesday, the city center of Waterloo was flooded with a crowd of demonstrators advocating for Palestine, whilst a show of solidarity for Israel was to be held at a synagogue in Kitchener the same evening.
As the conflict heads into its fourth day, Israeli combat planes incessantly strike the Gaza strip in retaliation to a lethal attack by Hamas militants that occurred over the weekend. The rapid intensification of the war, responsible for approximately 1,900 deaths on both sides, shows no signs of deceleration.
In the early hours of Saturday, the Hamas militants launched a surprise offensive against Israel, accounting for the deaths of hundreds of unsuspecting Israeli denizens dwelling nearby the Gaza border. Marking the first instance in many years, gun battles were brought to Israeli towns. According to Israel, Hamas and other militant societies in Gaza have taken around 150 soldiers and noncombatants as captives.
The retaliation claimed by Hamas is ostensibly the aftermath of the growing suffering of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. This action has only fanned the flames of Israel’s resolve to overpower the sway of Hamas in Gaza, thereby escalating the potential for a broader regional conflict and an humanitarian catastrophe.
Simon Adler, a resident of Kitchener, has been plunged into days of anxiety and fear. With his daughter, grandchildren and brother stationed close to the epicenter of the conflict just outside Tel Aviv, Adler compulsively follows the posters of missing people that appear on his social media after Saturday’s attack.
He expresses grave concern over the possibility of his family’s faces emerging in subsequent missing persons posters. “Once the sirens signal that a rocket is incoming, they have about ninety seconds to seek refuge in their bomb shelter,” reports Adler. He indicates that his personal connection to the crisis is shared by many in his local community.
The Beth Jacob Synagogue in Kitchener, where Adler serves on the executive board, has begun exploring strategies to aid those in need. As a first step, a prayer and community gathering has been planned for Tuesday evening.
Tuesday afternoon also saw over a hundred people amass in Uptown Waterloo for a rally organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement. The rally aimed to highlight the hardship endured by those in Gaza. Shatha Mahmoud of the Palestinian Youth Movement emphasized, “The individuals of Gaza have been surviving in an open-air prison for a duration spanning 16 years.”
Mahmoud contends the current strife in the area as a mere fraction of an invariably longer cycle of violence. She advocates for shifting focus to the root cause of violence, arguing that the contemporary media coverage often sparks when Palestinians begin to resist. Her solution: to end the 75-year colonial occupation of Palestine and the brutal blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, local humanitarian efforts are also underway. The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), which maintains an office in Kitchener, has initiated aid to Gaza, a tiny territory bordered off and inhabited by more than 2 million people, currently under fire from Israel.
Bruce Guenther, MCC’s Disaster Response Director, emphasizes, “Unfortunately, we’ve observed similar situations before and we possess a rich history of responding to humanitarian needs, particularly in Gaza, as it is an area of extreme vulnerability.” The MCC is mobilizing immediate response efforts, primarily food and other basic household supplies such as bedding, thanks to their eight staff members stationed in East Jerusalem.
