[ ]J Street[ ]
J Street Welcomes Long-Overdue, Much-Needed Hostage Release and Ceasefire Deal

January 19, 2025

The J Street community is overwhelmed with relief that the first phase of
a ceasefire and hostage release deal has gone into effect. We are
overjoyed that three more hostages – Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and
Emily Damari – are today safe in Israeli hands after being held captive by
Hamas terrorists since October 7, 2023.

Starting with an immediate truce followed by the gradual release of 30
additional hostages over the next six weeks, the deal will grant a
long-overdue reprieve to the surviving hostages and their families, and to
Gazan families who have been trapped in a devastating war for more than 15
months. Now, the hard work begins to ensure this agreement holds and
negotiations on the next phases succeed.

Even as we rejoice in this profound moment, we know extremists on both
sides are already working to undermine this agreement. Hostage families
have had their hopes crushed too many times before. Two million civilians
in Gaza are struggling to survive in intolerable conditions. Families and
communities in both Gaza and Israel need to rebuild and heal.

“Strong, clear-eyed American leadership is vital to ensure this agreement
holds and advances to the next stages. We cannot return to the death,
destruction and anguish of the past 471 days,” said J Street President
Jeremy Ben-Ami. “President-elect Trump has a historic opportunity to press
both sides toward a lasting peace, remove Hamas’ hold on Gaza for good,
normalize Israel’s relationships in the region and create a free,
demilitarized Palestinian state that will make the Israeli people safer.
If the dealmaker-in-chief has the resolve to get us there, he’ll have our
full support.”

To be sure, it has taken far too long to arrive at this day. With the
countdown toward the next agreement deadline starting immediately, what
happens over the next [ [link removed] ]42 days is critical. It is now squarely on the
Trump Administration to usher in a process that ensures the deal delivers.
Each and every hostage must come home. The fighting must stop. Rockets
must cease. Forces must pull back. Aid must flood in.

“The Trump Administration should continue to use all available US leverage
to permanently end the war in Gaza, surge humanitarian aid and bring every
hostage home,” said Ben-Ami. “The power is in the incoming
administration’s hands to ensure this temporary calm is made permanent;
and if they work towards peace, freedom and safety for all, we will
support those efforts.”


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J Street is the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy
Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the
Jewish people. Working in American politics and the Jewish community, we
advocate policies that advance shared US and Israeli interests as well as Jewish
and democratic values, leading to a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



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