Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer
Local and national Jewish organizations are mostly in agreement that the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas is a major first step towards peace, although it is by no means time to sit back and celebrate.
“This agreement is not the end but the start of a broader reckoning. Hamas’ brutal and inhumane actions — taking innocent civilians hostage and using them as pawns — represent the depths of terror and evil. We recognize that while some families will reunite, others may face the devastating reality of receiving the remains of loved ones murdered by terrorists,” said a spokesperson from the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
The deal calls for a six-week cease-fire. As part of the deal, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages and Israel will release 95 Palestinian detainees. Both releases will be staggered. The deal also promises more humanitarian aid to Gaza and a partial Israeli military withdrawal from the 140-square-mile strip.
Marcia Bronstein, American Jewish Committee Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey Regional Director, said that this deal with see families reunited, and that is a victory.
“AJC welcomes the first stage of this agreement. I joined everyone who eagerly watched TV as the three innocent civilian women Emily, Doron & Romi were handed over to the IDF and got to hug their mothers for the first time in 471 days,” she said. “It is truly a pivotal moment in the war. For the 33 hostages who will be released in the first phase of this agreement, this will mark the end of more than 15 months of brutal captivity at the hands of Hamas terrorists.”
Israel’s security cabinet voted to approve the deal last week.
A spokesperson from the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey said that every day since Oct. 7, 2023, has been filled with uncertainty, and that any bit of respite from that is welcomed with open arms.
“Every day for over 15 months, our community has held the hostages in our hearts,” the spokesperson said. “There is much work to be done and significant uncertainty ahead, but we are hopeful that the first phase of this agreement will pave the way for the remaining hostages to be reunited with their family … and for an era of security and rebuilding for both Israel and her neighbors.”
Rep. Brendan Boyle, who serves parts of Center City and Northeast Philadelphia, said that, unfortunately, this agreement comes too late for some families. But thankfully, it is on time for others.
“On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a barbaric attack, killing over 1,200 innocent people and seizing 251 hostages. The devastation that followed has claimed the lives of far too many innocent civilians, leaving countless families in heartbreak and grief,” he said. “This agreement is a vital step toward ensuring the safe return of Israeli hostages. I am overjoyed for those families who will now be able to welcome home their loved ones.”
Boyle added that the deal also makes way for aid to be given to Palestinians.
“The cease-fire also provides a critical opportunity to ease the suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza and deliver much-needed humanitarian relief — something I have strongly supported since the start of this conflict,” said Boyle.
Unfortunately, this deal does not free all of the Israeli hostages.
“While we are relieved that 33 hostages will finally return home after over 465 days of captivity, nearly 100 remain in Gaza, and their immediate release must be prioritized. Every single one of them must come home,” the spokesperson said.
Mort Klein is the president of the Zionist Organization of America and lives in Merion Station. He said he is against the swap of hostages for prisoners.
“The ZOA strongly opposes this hostage deal even though we are thrilled that a few live Jews are being released. This deal is a terrible case of appeasement, and appeasement always fails,” Klein said. “Is this what almost 1,000 young Jewish soldiers died for and lost limbs for in Gaza? Didn’t Israel learn from having released 1,000 terrorists for Gilad Shalit and seeing dozens going back to terrorism and joining Hamas?”
He added that this deal falls short of what both American and Israeli leadership promised over the past year.
“What happened to President-elect (Donald) Trump’s insistence that ‘there will be hell to pay’ if all of the hostages are not back before January 20th? What happened to (Benjamin) Netanyahu’s promise of ‘total victory’ and Hamas’ destruction?” he asked.
Bronstein said that she thinks long term peace is still attainable, and that matters a lot.
“The talks to release hostages and pause fighting were enormously complex and painstaking. Achieving a long-term deal will likely be no less difficult. Peace has often proved elusive in the region, but we should not view it as out of reach,” she said.
The debate over how much credit belongs to Trump or outgoing president Joe Biden has been roaring since the deal was announced. The Jewish Federations of North America fell short of assigning credit to either the 46th or 47th president in its statement, saying that both men brought forth “unprecedented coordination” to work on behalf of the hostages.