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A glimmer of hope sparked after US and Qatari leaders announced that Hamas and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza — starting on Sunday — and a hostage and prisoner exchange, after 15 months of Israeli aggression and over 46,000 Palestinian casualties.

Following the announcement, many celebrities took to social media to celebrate the news, remember the martyrs, and contemplate the future of Palestine.

Activist Alana Hadid, the sister of models Gigi and Bella Hadid, reminded people that liberation was the goal. “Ceasefire today means Gaza can celebrate and we must keep working!”

“Don’t stop now, this is only the beginning of our struggle,” she wrote on her Instagram story.

In a separate post on her social media, Alana highlighted that this “exact ceasefire agreement was proposed in July by Hamas, and [US President] Biden said no, and Israel said no. Thousands and thousands of people have been slaughtered since. Do not forget that.”

Meanwhile, Bella shared a video of Aaed Ahmad, an eight-year-old content creator from Gaza, holding his cat and talking about the ceasefire. “My heart is in pieces, there’s just so much to say,” she wrote on Instagram.

“Wrapping this baby boy, his kitty and his loved ones in so much love.”

Jerusalem-born singer Saint Levant said in a series of Instagram stories, “Rest in peace to every soul lost to this evil regime. We will never forget you. Ceasefire today, now liberation.”

Rapper Macklemore, one of the most prominent mainstream voices who actively spoke about the plight of Palestine, shared an old picture of a Palestinian waving the country’s flag atop a car, and captioned it “Hope”.

He also shared a video of Palestinian children celebrating the announcement and said, “Tears….Ceasefire!!! Free Palestine”.

Singer Kehlani, who received backlash after releasing a pro-Palestine music video for her song ‘Next 2 U’, said she could not make up the amount of emotions inside her as the news was announced shortly after she performed in the Middle East.

In a series of posts on Threads, the singer called for a free Palestine. “I know we all feel still deeply, incredibly worried and mistrusting of the regime and its potentials, but also right now, imma cry at all the Gazan joy and relief. Worth celebrating. Deeply. First steps.”

Beauty mogul Huda Kattan also shared a video of children celebrating the ceasefire with a series of crying and praying hand emojis.

She also shared a video of US President Joe Biden being asked who would get the credit for the ceasefire deal, him or President-elect Donald Trump, to which he responded, “Is that a joke?

“This is what it was really about, this was ego driven, Biden wanted to do this before Trump went into office to try to look like the hero even though he rejected this offer so many times,” Kattan wrote.

Pakistani celebrities react

Singer Hadiqa Kiani shared a picture of herself at a pro-Palestine rally and thanked God for the ceasefire.

Singer Natasha Ejaz, in an Instagram story, said, “IF the ceasefire is really going to be implemented and IF you are Pakistani, you know what happens during the interim periods between war and ‘peace’ #livingthroughpostpartitionblues.”

The singer urged people to pray that the ordeal for as easy as possible for the Palestinians and “actually be a real chance for them”.

Actor Armeena Khan shared news of the ceasefire and wrote, “Man! Reading this is giving me so much joy. My heart could explode with happiness.”

Director Asad ul Haq said the ceasefire came “after they demolishing [sic] the half of the world.”

Additionally, actors Samar Jafri, Mariyam Nafees, and Alyzeh Gabol shared the news and thanked God. Hania Aamir, Aiman Khan, Zhalay Sarhadi, Sidra Iqbal, Osman Khalid Butt, and Hina Altaf also took to their Instagram stories to post about the ceasefire announcement.

We hope that the ceasefire ushers in an era of permanent peace after well over 400 days of onslaught by the Israeli forces.