📍 The Nationwide March for Palestine will take place on Sunday 12 October across major Australian cities. Organisers call on all Australians to march for justice, sanctions, and a permanent end to the genocide in Gaza.

After nearly two years of unrelenting devastation in Gaza, a flicker of hope has appeared. United States President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace framework – a plan that promises an immediate ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners, and an initial Israeli military withdrawal.

Yet, even as international headlines proclaim “peace,” on Friday 10 October, explosions continued to echo across Gaza within hours of the announcement, killing more than 35 Palestinians and underscoring what many in the region and around the world are calling a shaky and incomplete truce.

A temporary pause or a prelude to more violence?

The agreement, part of Trump’s 20-point “peace plan” is being hailed by the White House as “the end of the war.” Trump, who has said he intends to travel to the region for an “official signing,” went so far as to take personal credit for “ending the conflict.”

But on the ground, conditions tell another story. Reports of continue to emerge of Israeli strikes, leaving dozens dead and many injured.

Israel’s two-year assault on Gaza has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and wounded over 160,000, while reducing the enclave to rubble and displacing nearly its entire population. Famine and disease continue to spread amid the blockade.

Meanwhile, questions swirl over the terms of the deal, particularly whether Israel will once again resume attacks after securing the release of its captives.

AFIC: ‘This is not peace – it is only a pause’

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) cautiously welcomed reports of an initial ceasefire but warned that it “must not become another brief lull before the next wave of destruction.”

“This ceasefire, if honoured, may bring a desperately needed halt to the killing, but it is not peace,” said AFIC President Dr Rateb Jneid. “True peace cannot come without justice. And justice begins with acknowledging what has happened, holding perpetrators accountable, and finally addressing the root causes of this conflict – the occupation, the blockade, and the denial of Palestinian self-determination.”

AFIC reiterated that lasting peace will remain “illusory” without a genuine effort to end apartheid, lift the blockade, and recognise the Palestinian right of return and statehood.

APAN: Australia must act, not applaud

The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) issued one of its strongest statements to date, reminding the Australian government of its “legal and moral duty to act.”

“Two years into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Australia has an obligation to sanction Israel for its crime of crimes – genocide,” APAN declared. “By failing to do so, our government remains complicit.”

The group called the ceasefire a “necessary pause in the killing,” but warned that “Trump’s deal cannot whitewash the atrocities or erase two years of starvation, bombardment and ethnic cleansing.”

APAN urged Canberra to impose sanctions, end military cooperation with Israel, and support accountability through international tribunals.

“Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea,” the statement concluded, echoing chants that have filled streets across Australia for nearly 24 months.

ANIC: ‘Silence is complicity’

The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), marking two years since the beginning of Israel’s assault, described the situation as “a systematic genocide carried out in full view of the world.”

“More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, the overwhelming majority women and children,” ANIC said. “Entire neighbourhoods lie in ruins, hospitals and schools have been deliberately destroyed, and famine continues to starve civilians to death.”

ANIC demanded that the Australian government condemn and sanction Israel, end all arms trade, and ensure safe humanitarian access to Gaza.

“This is not a war. It is genocide,” ANIC stated firmly. “Silence in the face of oppression is complicity.”

Students for Palestine: ‘We do not trust Trump or Israel’

Students for Palestine (SfP), which is organising the Nationwide March for Palestine this Sunday across more than 23 Australian cities, said that the movement will continue regardless of the ceasefire announcement.

“We hope for every second of relief for Palestinians, but we do not trust Israel or Donald Trump,” said National Co-Convenor Jasmine Duff. “Israel broke both previous ceasefires. The Palestine movement must keep marching, striking and occupying until the genocide ends permanently.”

SfP criticised the deal for omitting any mention of Palestinian self-determination, saying it “hands control of Gaza to those who have supported its destruction.”

“Gaza belongs to the Palestinians,” Duff added. “Peace without justice is not peace, it’s surrender.”

Australia’s streets speak

This Sunday’s marches, led jointly by Students for Palestine, Free Palestine Melbourne, and other solidarity groups, are expected to draw hundreds of thousands nationwide.

Organiser Mai Saif urged Australians to “flood the streets once again.”

“Two years into this genocide, we will show the world that Australians have not forgotten Gaza,” she said. “If you’ve never marched before, this is the time. Every life matters.”

A fragile truce under fire

As aid convoys wait at the border, over 170,000 tonnes of food and medicine ready to enter Gaza. Analysts warn that talks over Hamas’s weapons and governance could unravel the deal.

Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya claimed the group had received “guarantees” from mediators that the agreement means “the war has ended completely,” but experts remain doubtful.

European Council on Foreign Relations analyst Hugh Lovatt said Hamas may be open to a limited decommissioning process, but only under “clear guarantees that any international task force would not act as Israel’s proxy.”

For the families in Gaza’s ruins, and for the millions marching worldwide, the question remains: will this ceasefire finally hold or will the bombs soon return.