As Palestinians in Gaza cheered the tentative Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal and families of Israeli hostages expressed renewed hope, Israel’s Cabinet rescheduled a vote to approve the agreement.
In New Jersey, home to one of the nation’s largest Palestinian communities, Rania Mustafa, executive director at the Palestinian American Community Center in Clifton, said, “As Palestinian Americans ourselves, we’re also trying to figure out how to navigate this. A lot of us feel numb.”
“When the news of the ceasefire finally broke, I released the breath I had unknowingly held for months,” Dr. Shaymaa Alloh, a physician from Gaza, told reporters at a news conference Thursday. “Relief washed over me in waves of disbelief and gratitude… The unimaginable will happen, the violence will stop, and I am alive to witness it.”
“The proposed ceasefire comes after more than a year of unspeakable suffering, underscoring how long the world allowed Gaza to endure genocide, without meaningful intervention,” the center’s education director, Basma Bsharat, said. “This ceasefire, when it takes effect, is a relief, but it is 466 days too late.”
For families of an estimated 100 hostages — some of them, dead — the ceasefire sparked joy, but anxiety. Seven hostages are American, including 21-year-old Tenafly native Edan Alexander, an Israeli soldier held by Hamas.
“It was very emotional, long in coming, we’ve been so close before,” Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, said in an interview on The Lead with Jake Tapper on CNN, referring to the ceasefire. “And finally the parties managed to pass it over the finish line. We are really grateful.”
But these families have seen agreements fall apart before, and so Alexander urged diplomats meeting in Doha, Qatar to work quickly. “We really encourage the parties still in Doha — do not wait 16 days to start to negotiate for the second phase. Do it tomorrow morning. Don’t waste the time.”
While officials welcomed the news of a fragile ceasefire, most warned the hardest part — seeing it through — is yet to come. In a farewell address Wednesday before leaving office next week, President Joe Biden took credit for the ceasefire but passed the torch.
“This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration,” Biden said in the Oval Office speech. “That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed — as that’s how it should be, working together as Americans.”
On social media, President-elect Donald Trump also took credit, posting that, “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November…” and vowed his national security team “will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”
