Community members awaiting return of hostages grapple with the fallout of the brutal conflict
Members of the Australian Jewish community hold an Israeli flag during a memorial service in Sydney on 7 October 2024.Members of the Australian Jewish community hold an Israeli flag during a memorial service in Sydney on 7 October 2024.Andy, an Australian-born Jewish man now living in Melbourne, lived in Israel for 15 years. He was there on 7 October when Hamas attacked, sparking the 15-month long war – now, perhaps temporarily, ceasing.
Bart, who is in Sydney and also does not want his surname used, says he hopes the ceasefire brings welcome relief and is the first step to a longterm cessation of hostilities.“For a lot of us, the No 1 concern is what the civilians have been going through in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, the absolute devastation by the Israeli government.
Denise, a Jewish woman in Sydney, is happy about the ceasefire but unhappy about the hostage situation.“And not all the hostages are coming back, and we don’t know how many are alive or dead.” He called on Australia to join the international community to address “the root causes of this violence”: “Israel’s brutal occupation, unequal treatment, and continued campaigns of violence against Palestinians.”Zionist Federation of Australia president, Jeremy Leibler, called the ceasefire a “significant milestone” and said it was “unfathomable that women, children, and the elderly have been held captive in the dungeons of Gaza for over 15 months”.
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