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Jewish Groups React to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement

Thirty-three hostages set to be released Jan. 19.
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January 15, 2025
People react to the reports of a possible Gaza cease fire and hostage release deal being reached during a rally calling for the return of hostages held in the Gaza Strip on January 15, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Jewish groups issued various reactions to the reported ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamasannounced on Jan. 15.  As part of the 42-day ceasefire, which will come into effect on Sun. Jan 19, 2025, Hamas will release Israeli hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023 with Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

The reported agreement would be implemented over three phases, with the first phase involving Hamas releasing 33 Israeli hostages and Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners over the next six weeks. On the 16th day of the implemented agreement, negotiations would begin over the second phase in which younger male hostages would be released in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners; negotiations could also bring a permanent end to the war in the second phase.

Jewish Insider senior political correspondent Lahav Harkov shared two statements from hostage family forums on X; the Hostages and Missing Families Forums Headquarters thanked the Biden administration and incoming Trump administration for making the deal possible. “Now, after over 460 days of our family members being held in Hamas tunnels, we are closer than ever to reuniting with our loved ones,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forums Headquarters said. “This is a significant step forward that brings us closer to seeing all hostages return … However, deep anxiety and concerns accompany us regarding the possibility that the agreement might not be fully implemented, leaving hostages behind. We urgently call for swift arrangements to ensure all phases of the deal are carried out.”

The Tikva Forum of Hostages’ Families, however, said they are “deeply concerned” about the deal, as it “leaves dozens of hostages behind in Gaza. It also sets the stage for the next massacre and future kidnappings of Israelis. Like all Jews and Israelis, we all felt excitement and relief at the release or rescue of each hostage after a long and cruel period in captivityby an evil enemy. However, this deal endangers the hostages left behind and Israel a whole.” The forum urged Israeli cabinet members to “not be a part of a government that betrays dozens of hostages, leaving them in captivity” and to work toward “a responsible deal that secures the release of all our loved ones TOGETHER!”

“I’m elated to see a deal that frees 33 of the innocent men, women and children held in captivity in Gaza by the barbarians from Hamas and their accomplices,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt posted on X. “And yet all should remember — Hamas started this war with the horrific Oct. 7 attacks, the most violent act of antisemitism since the Holocaust. Their apologists in the West excused and encouraged this barbarity. This war could have ended at any point, saving countless lives, if Hamas simply had released the hostages.”

American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch said in a statement, ““AJC is grateful to the Biden Administration, the incoming Trump Administration, and other global partners for working together to secure the first stage of the agreement. We cannot wait to see the first hostages come home to their families, but the critical work to free every hostage – regardless of age, gender, or nationality – must continue. The international community must persist in its efforts to ensure that every hostage is reunited with their loved ones.”

StandWithUs CEO and Co-Founder Roz Rothstein said in a statement, “This is a moment we’ve all being praying and working for. This is a time that could ease the pain of suffering inflicted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 and that has continued for more than a year and a half. However, given Hamas’ history of violating agreements and undermining past ceasefires, we remain vigilant in following the developments and hopeful that Hamas will adhere to the agreement.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) issued a statement that it “cautiously welcomes” the agreement. “It has been 466 days of hell for the hostages and their families and 466 days of a terrible war,” the RJC said. “We hope Hamas will release all of the hostages swiftly and without delay. The excruciatingly difficult calculations for Israel around getting the hostages back, releasing terrorist prisoners, and other potential details of a ceasefire agreement are matters best left to the Israeli government. We trust that the Government of Israel has done everything possible to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish state and its people, in keeping with its values.” The organization proceeded to “thank President-elect Donald Trump and his team for helping to move this process forward and for their unwavering support for Israel’s security. President Trump’s pronouncement that there would be ‘hell to pay’ if a deal was not reached for a release of the hostages before he took office on Jan. 20 clearly had a significant impact on closing the gaps to reach this deal.”

Jewish Democratic Council of America CEO Halie Soifer and Chair Susie Stern said in statement, “We are relieved and hopeful that the hostages will soon be reunited with their loved ones, and we are praying for their health given the incredibly difficult conditions they’ve endured in Hamas captivity. We also stand with the families whose loved ones are still being held in Gaza, mourn those lost at the hands of Hamas, and will not rest until every hostage is returned.” Soifer and Stern credited “the tireless efforts of the Biden administration. For over fifteen months, President Biden and key members of his administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk have insisted that any conversation about bringing an end to the war must include the release of the hostages, and today, we are finally seeing the result of those painstaking negotiations.

“We thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, and their team for their determined and enduring leadership and support of Israel and for their commitment to ensuring the hostages’ release. We strongly urge the incoming Trump administration to follow through on the measurable progress made by President Biden to end the war in Gaza and ensure that all parties honor their commitments.”

Combat Antisemitism Movement CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa said in a statement, “We are relieved that an agreement has been reached to free the Israeli hostages and look forward to seeing them reunited with their loved ones back home. For nearly 470 days, the hostages have endured unimaginable cruelty, with their fundamental human rights brutally denied to them by their Hamas captors. Hamas’ barbaric tactics, reducing innocent lives to macabre bargaining chips, stand in stark contrast to Israel’s unwavering commitment to humane values. While we are grateful to both the outgoing Biden and incoming Trump administrations for their efforts to broker this deal, we must note our deep concern over the imbalance of an equation where dozens of terrorists are exchanged for a single civilian or soldier. This agreement highlights Israel’s dedication to its citizens while exposing Hamas’ gross disregard for human decency and international law. The suffering of these hostages must serve as a call for the world to hold Hamas accountable for its crimes.”

Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky, who heads the International Legal Forum, posted on X that “Israel essentially had to make a deal with the devil, that will come with considerable risk. But the no.1 prerogative is getting as many hostages out – alive – as possible. The IDF is also far stronger today. Lessons have been learnt from Oct. 6. While Hamas is virtually decimated.” He added that there will soon “be a new President in the United States, who if needed, will give Israel absolute leeway to operate as required, without restrictions. We also need to maintain focus on Iran, and the threat it presents. There were no easy choices here. Only painful decisions. But the number one prerogative has always been to get our loved ones back. I understand not everyone will support this decision, but the decision having been made, now is the time for unity, for healing and to shore up support behind Israel, our hostage families and heroic IDF soldiers.”

“Israel essentially had to make a deal with the devil, that will come with considerable risk. But the no.1 prerogative is getting as many hostages out – alive – as possible. The IDF is also far stronger today. Lessons have been learnt from Oct. 6. While Hamas is virtually decimated.” –Arsen Ostrovsky, International Legal Forum

J Street posted to X that “words can’t express the epic, overwhelming relief we feel – tempered only by the risks the deal still faces …The families who we hope will soon be embracing their loved ones once again,” J Street wrote. “The gratitude that this horrific war may soon be over – that food can reach those who don’t have enough. Help can reach those injured. The displaced may now find shelter.” The Jewish group added that “it’s critical that all parties remain committed to the difficult negotiations ahead to implement the next phases of the agreement so that all the remaining hostages are released and a permanent ceasefire deal is reached, signed and enforced.”

On Jan. 13, Zionist Organization of America National President Morton A. Klein issued a statement opposing the reported terms of the deal, calling it “a huge mistake.” “It would mean that many more innocent Jews will be murdered and kidnapped by these released terrorists. It would mean more Oct. 7s,” Klein said. “It would be an Israeli surrender, and a victory for the Hamas and Palestinian Authority terrorists – after hundreds of precious Israeli soldiers fell in battle, and thousands were wounded and crippled, to try to prevent future Oct. 7s. No responsible Israeli government should agree to such a dangerous surrender deal.” Klein pointed out that “some hostage families have spoken out against” the deal; he also said that the ZOA agrees with Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called it a “surrender deal,” and Minister of Settlement Affairs Orit Strock, who called the deal “a victory for Hamas.”

Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that supports the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, said in a statement, “Today, after 15 months of the Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, supported and enabled by the U.S. government, a 42-day ceasefire agreement was reported. We hold tightly to the hope of a halt to the Israeli military’s bombardments, an end to the starvation of Palestinians by the Israeli government, a beginning of rebuilding in Gaza, and the return of hostages held in Israel and in Gaza to their families. The coming days and weeks during this fragile ceasefire will be critical for the Palestine solidarity movement to turn this temporary agreement into a full halt of the genocide, including the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid and an end to the Israeli military occupation and siege of Gaza.” The group added: “As Jews, we know that the trauma of this campaign of annihilation will unfold for generations. As Americans, we understand that the Israeli genocide has been carried out with U.S. bombs, U.S. funds, and U.S.-facilitated impunity — we continue to demand a full weapons embargo now. We also demand an end to the complicity of corporations that profit from genocide. Left in the hands of the U.S. and Israeli governments, weapons manufacturers, and warmongering institutions, this fragile respite will not mean an end to Israeli genocide or to the violent status quo of Israeli apartheid. It is up to all of us to ensure that this temporary agreement is only a beginning.”

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