Jewish and pro-Palestinian organizations in the Chicago area welcomed the ceasefire deal reached between Hamas and Israel.
The deal, the result of painstaking negotiations that the prime minister of Qatar said would go into effect on Sunday, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes, and would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a territory ravaged by 15 months of war.
In a statement, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network said the deal was a victory for people all over the world who have raised their voices against the conflict since its beginnings.
“The masses of the world, many in opposition to their government’s stances, support the liberation of Palestine,” the organization said. “We will never forget the millions of people marching in the streets of dozens of countries across six continents.”
But the organization also said their mission wasn’t over.
“Gaza must be rebuilt, all the displaced and exiled must return to their homes, and all Palestinian political prisoners must be released,” the organization said.
USPCN will be holding a rally in Bridgeview Wednesday afternoon.
Dan Goldwin, chief public affairs at the Jewish United Fund of Chicago, said its sometimes difficult to remember what life was like before the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, and news of the ceasefire deal gives him hope for a better future for all people in the region.
“If the guns are really truly going to go silent, and the hostages are going to come home, and we have an opportunity to rebuild parts of Israel that were evacuated and destroyed, and a chance to rebuild the parts of Gaza that were evacuated or destroyed, then that will be something that we can all be very happy with,” Goldwin said.
But Goldwin added that there are still questions about this deal — such as how many hostages are still alive — and there will still be people in Hamas custody after this first phase.
“On the one hand I’m incredibly thrilled that 30 or so hostages who have lived under unbelievable conditions are going to get released and sent home to their families,” he said. “I’d like to see all the hostages released as soon as possible, not a single person that Hamas took back to Gaza should be held for one minute longer.”
IfNotNow, a national Jewish organization with a chapter in Chicago, said news of the ceasefire “couldn’t come soon enough,” but added that the fight to protect Palestinians will continue.
“We will not stop fighting for a long-term political solution that ends Israel’s system of apartheid over Palestinians and guarantees equality, justice and shared safety for Palestinians and Israelis,” the organization said in a statement.
Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, expressed relief at news of the breakthrough, saying he was “heartened to hear about a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Gaza. The widespread suffering, death, and destruction on all sides has been heartbreaking and desperately needed to end.”
Mamayan Jabateh, a 21-year-old University of Chicago senior who was arrested for their involvement in campus protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza, described her reaction to the news as “absolutely joy.
“I think this is what student organizers have been wanting for a very long time,” Jabateh said. “We need to restore faith, we need to build back what was broken.
The deal, coming after weeks of painstaking negotiations in the Qatari capital, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in phases, the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes. It also would flood badly needed humanitarian aid into a devastated territory.
Any agreement still needs to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet, but is expected to go into effect in the coming days.
Many longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.
Still, the announcement offered the first sign of hope in months that Israel and Hamas may be winding down the most deadly and destructive war they’ve ever fought, a conflict that has destabilized the broader Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel responded with a fierce offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population and sparked a humanitarian crisis.
More than 100 hostages were freed from Gaza in a weeklong truce in November 2023.
Contributing: Mary Norkol, Associated Press