Wednesday, January 16, 2025
President Joe Biden
Today, after many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity.
I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council. It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy. My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.
Even as we welcome this news, we remember all the families whose loved ones were killed in Hamas’ October 7th attack, and the many innocent people killed in the war that followed. It is long past time for the fighting to end and the work of building peace and security to begin. I am also thinking of the American families, three of whom have living hostages in Gaza and four awaiting return of remains after what has been the most horrible ordeal imaginable. Under this deal, we are determined to bring all of them home.
Jewish Federations of North America
Jewish Federations welcome news of a deal to release dozens of hostages, create a framework for releasing all the hostages, and allow Israel a path forward to protect the safety and security of its citizens.
Every day for over 15 months, our community has held the hostages in our hearts, wept for their plight, prayed for their safe return, and mourned for those who we lost.
We’ve held close our Israeli brothers and sisters who have suffered, been displaced, fought in reserves, struggled to keep their businesses afloat, and worked to keep their families and communities alive.
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, for hostilities to end, and for an era of security and rebuilding for both Israel and her neighbors.
We must also thank President Biden and President-elect Trump, for their unprecedented coordination to bring both sides together to get a deal done.