Gaza Ceasefire Exposes Hypocrisy and Evil Intent of Anti-Israel Protesters

By Matthew Narh Tetteh

On October 9, 2025, Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of a United States-brokered ceasefire deal, a 20-point framework spearheaded by President Donald Trump. Israeli troops began withdrawing from parts of Gaza City and other urban centers, pulling back to a buffer zone along the territory’s edges. In exchange, Hamas committed to releasing the remaining living Israeli hostages—around 20 believed to be alive—within 72 hours, starting as early as Monday or Tuesday. Israel, in turn, will free 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, 1,700 detained since October 7, 2023, and all Palestinian women and children in custody. The Rafah crossing will reopen bidirectionally, and aid convoys—long throttled by blockade—promise a lifeline to a population where over 67,000 have perished and 170,000 more lie wounded.Scenes of jubilation erupted on both sides of the divide. In Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, families wept and chanted “Thank you, Trump!” as crowds booed mentions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, crediting the American president for what they called a historic breakthrough. In Khan Younis and Gaza City, displaced Palestinians—many trekking miles over rubble-strewn roads to reclaim ruined homes—embraced amid cautious cheers, their faces etched with a mix of relief and raw grief. World leaders, from the United Nations’ António Guterres to Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, hailed it as a glimmer of hope, with Trump himself declaring it a step toward strong, durable, and everlasting peace. Even China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed all efforts to restore peace and save lives.

Yet, as the ink dries on this pact—brokered in Sharm el-Sheikh with mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey—a darker undercurrent reveals itself in the global chorus. For those who spent months decrying Israel’s military response to Hamas’s barbaric October 7, 2023, assault as genocide and demanding an immediate ceasefire, the reaction has been muted or laced with venomous skepticism. Protests persist in Melbourne and London, where demonstrators wave flags and chant against the illegitimate deal, as if peace itself were the enemy. On social media, the anti-Israel brigade—once a tidal wave of hashtags like #FreePalestine and #StopTheGenocide—now pivots to conspiracy theories: secret clauses allowing Israel to resume strikes, or claims that the deal is a surrender propping up Netanyahu’s regime. One viral post from a prominent activist sneered, “Israel breaks every ceasefire it makes,” ignoring the phased withdrawal already underway.

This is no mere cynicism born of experience—though Gaza’s history of shattered truces, including a brief one in January 2025 that crumbled by March, offers ample reason for wariness. No, this is hypocrisy laid bare, a selective outrage that exposes the true animus: not a principled stand for Palestinian lives, but a seething hatred of Israel itself. These critics, who flooded streets and timelines with calls to end the occupation and save Gaza, now balk at the very cessation of hostilities they professed to crave. Why? Because a pause in the fighting—let alone a potential path to demilitarization and reconstruction—robs them of their narrative. It forces acknowledgment that Israel’s campaign, however devastating, was a response to Hamas’s rockets, tunnels, and hostage-taking, not an unprovoked “genocide”.

Consider the irony: When Israeli airstrikes thundered, these voices screamed for ceasefire. Now, with troops retreating and hostages en route home, they whisper of humiliation for Israel or incomplete justice for Palestinians. As one social media user aptly noted, “No one on the anti-Israel camp is celebrating. They seem unhappy that Israel is getting its hostages back and Hamas is being run out of Gaza. What does that tell you?” It tells us their protests were never truly about Gazan suffering. If they were, they would rally behind aid surges from the World Food Programme or the World Health Organization’s pleas for peace as the best medicine. Instead, they fixate on Israel’s deterrence loss, echoing Hamas’s own defiant rhetoric that the deal is a victory only because it halts Israel’s advance.

This selective sorrow reeks of antisemitism—an ancient venom repackaged as anti-Zionism. It is the same playbook: Demonize the Jewish state not for its actions, but for its existence. Hamas, after all, embeds military assets in civilian zones, uses hostages as shields, and diverts aid to terror tunnels—yet the ire falls squarely on Israel. When Trump—flawed as he may be—steps in to broker this truce, crediting Arab mediators and even inviting Iran to the signing table, the backlash intensifies. Why? Because peace undercuts the myth of Israel as the eternal aggressor. It highlights that, despite the carnage, Israel’s resolve—bolstered by allies—forced Hamas to the table, not vice versa.

Make no mistake: This deal is imperfect. Questions loom over Gaza’s governance—will the Palestinian Authority step in, or will Hamas retain shadowy sway? Reconstruction will cost billions, and Trump’s vision of a “Trump Riviera” for Gaza draws eye-rolls from skeptics fearing exploitation. Palestinians in Gaza express joy mixed with fear, haunted by March 2025’s broken truce and fresh re-arrests. Even Israeli right-wingers decry it as a danger for releasing prisoners who may return to violence. But to dismiss it outright? That is not advocacy; that is malice.

The true evil intent lies not in Jerusalem or Washington, but in the hearts of those who cheer war’s continuation under the guise of justice. Their unhappiness with this ceasefire is not about Palestinians or Gazans—it is about Israel enduring, thriving, and prevailing. As thousands trek homeward through Gaza’s ruins today, let us hope this fragile accord holds. And let the hypocrites’ silence—or sneers—serve as a stark reminder: True peace exposes true prejudice. Blessed are the peacemakers, indeed. But cursed are those who root for ruin.

Matthew Narh Tetteh , Author and Advocate for Israel

+233 55 8790632 / matthewtettehnarh47@gmail.com