Israel-Hamas War

‘Unpredictable': Father of hostage, local pro-Palestine activist react to ceasefire

NBC Universal, Inc.

Ruby Chen’s 19-year-old son, Itay, was on the Israel-Gaza border Oct. 7 when Hamas took him hostage.

His biggest fear is that the ceasefire agreement will fall apart before his son is released.

“What is predictable about being in the Middle East is that it is unpredictable,” Chen said.

Local activists see problems with the deal, too.

For months last year, pro-Palestinian protesters flanked the street outside Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s home. Their mission was to get Blinken and the Biden administration to stop supporting Israel's actions in Gaza.

The demonstration ended over the summer after Virginia State Police forced the activists to leave.

“Advocacy for human rights is an ongoing fight for us,” said human rights activist Hazami Barmada.

Local

Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information

Ice skaters hold showcase to honor lives lost in Potomac Crash

DC police investigate weekend wave of violence

Barmada is a part of the group that protested outside Blinken's home.

News4 sat down with her after the major announcement made Wednesday that a ceasefire deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas after months of negotiations and bloodshed.

“First off, a cease fire should have happened 460 some days ago,” Barmada said. “What is left of Gaza? Gaza is uninhabitable. So much of the population has been uprooted.”

While she’s happy the deal has been reached, she feels a ceasefire isn’t a full solution to the conflict that led to the war in Gaza.

“And that is what I’m afraid is going to happen, is that we’re going to quickly get to a place where we let our foot off the gas pedal and don't have as much momentum in demanding justice and accountability, and we need to keep the pressure up,” Barmada said.

Her group continues to host demonstrations in D.C. regularly. They do not plan to stop even with a new administration coming into the White House.

“Our policies, our advocacy, will not change,” she said. “We will continue to be in the streets. We will continue to do everything that we can to educate, to raise awareness and to really rebrand this idea of who's an activist.”

Barmada’s group is in the middle of planning a demonstration this weekend or Inauguration Day.

Contact Us