Ceasefire set to begin, Atlantans call for full liberation of Palestine 

ATLANTA — Protesters gathered in front of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta on Thursday in response to the latest ceasefire announcement in Gaza. Organizers called the rally “Ceasefire Today, Liberation Tomorrow” because, despite the announcement of a six-week ceasefire, they said Palestine remains under occupation by the settler-colonial state of Israel, and everyone must continue to fight until Palestine is free.  

The ceasefire is set to begin Sunday. 

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has unleashed a genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people. For the past 15 months, much of the infrastructure in Gaza, such as hospitals and schools, have been completely destroyed. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the death toll in Gaza is about 46,000. However, in November 2024, the medical journal The Lancet reported a death toll of 186,000. The total death toll in Gaza remains unclear because it is difficult to account for the immense number of martyrs, including those still buried under the rubble. 

Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire proposal on Jan. 15, 2025. In the four-day period between when the agreement was entered into and when it would go into effect, Israel has continued to bomb the Gaza strip, killing over 100 Palestinians, according to Al Jazeera. 

The first phase of the ceasefire includes a prisoner exchange, a partial withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza, and the allowance of limited aid to enter the Gaza Strip. Although Palestinians support the release of their political prisoners, many also believe that Israel will continue its genocidal reign. 

“I’m not naive,” Bisan Saleh, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, said Thursday. “A lot of people, myself included, feel as if Israel will not abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement—that their hand will have to be forced.”  

Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, who heads the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), believes that the ceasefire is only a first step and that much more will be required to address the ongoing crisis in Gaza. UNRWA stated on X that it is “ready to support scaling up aid delivery and the recovery of Gaza by resuming education and continuing to provide primary healthcare.” This was in response to the Israeli Parliament’s legislation to end United Nations humanitarian aid in Gaza. 

The United States actively supports the genocide in Gaza. According to a report from Brown University’s Costs of War Project, the U.S. has spent over $22 billion on Israeli military operations, with the report calling this figure conservative.  

Palestinians in Gaza have been seen celebrating the announcement of the ceasefire, but many are also suffering the consequences of living through a year of continued genocide. 

Sama Hasan Alhalbi is a 25-year-old Palestinian woman from Gaza City. After Oct. 7, she was forcibly displaced to the southern city of Az-Zawayda where she lives in a tent with her family. 

“As soon as I heard the word [of the ceasefire], I got goosebumps all around my body,” Alhalbi said. “I’m very nervous. It gives me relief and happiness, but at the same time I feel cautious because as you know, we had ceasefires before, but it doesn’t continue, it always breaks. I feel happy because at last our suffering will end, but sad too, because will we not be able to celebrate the ceasefire with our beloved lost family members.” 

Organizers in Atlanta pointed to organizations like the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) and facilities like Cop City as the next step in the local fight against the genocide in Gaza. 

Jena Jibreen, a Palestinian community member said, “[We need to be] protesting GILEE and protesting Cop City. That to me is the number one focus in Atlanta. There’s a direct link between cops here and the prison industrial complex. If you want to help Palestine in any capacity, you fight against the police here in Atlanta.”