 |
|
I’m writing as a J Street advocacy leader to share important updates from the region as well as J Street’s statements and resources from the past week.
This week marked the devastating, second anniversary of October 7 and the beginning of the war in Gaza, in addition to the announcement that Hamas and Israel reached an agreement on the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire framework. J Street welcomed the announcement with overwhelming relief. We remain hopeful that all hostages will be safely returned, humanitarian aid to Gaza will increase, and the war will come to an end.
Following the announcement of the agreement, J Street issued a statement and convened a rapid-response briefing with J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami, Chief Policy Officer Ilan Goldenberg, and Gershon Baskin – one of Israel’s most seasoned hostage negotiators. We closed out the week by facilitating conversations with hostage families, Palestinian activists, and a doctor in Gaza, taking this moment to reflect on the past two years and focus on the work ahead.
You can find more on each of these developments and others below, along with our most recent statements here.
I invite you to reach out to your J Street Public Affairs staff with any questions.
All the best,
Lily
—
Lily Adelstein
She/Her
Deputy Director of Government Affairs, J Street
Cell: 202-699-2701
J Street’s Congressional Resource Page
|
This week on j street
|
|
|
| Statement |
|
J Street Welcomes Announcement of Agreement on “First Phase” of US-backed Ceasefire Framework
|
| Read more → |
|
|
|
|
|
| Statement |
|
J Street Marks Two-Year Anniversary of October 7
|
| Read more → |
|
|
|
|
|
| Webinar |
|
Life and Death in Gaza Since October 7
|
| Watch now → |
|
|
|
|
|
| Rapid Response Briefing |
|
Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Deal
|
| Watch now → |
|
|
|
|
|
| Webinar |
|
October 7: Remembering the Victims, Fighting for the Hostages
|
| Watch now → |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What we’re reading
|
Israeli Military Says Cease-Fire Is in Effect in Gaza
|
| The Israeli military said on Friday that a cease-fire had come into effect at noon as its soldiers were repositioning themselves within Gaza, a step that mediators hope will lead to the end of the two-year war… Israel agreed to a cease-fire deal with Hamas early Friday morning. As part of the agreement, Hamas would release the remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while Israeli troops would partially withdraw. Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Mideast envoy, said the U.S. military had verified that Israeli troops had withdrawn to the agreed-upon line inside Gaza. That, he said on social media, opened a 72-hour window in which Hamas must hand over the remaining hostages. |
| read more |
Aid Groups Prepare to Provide Quick Relief to Gaza Under Cease-Fire
|
| International organizations were gearing up on Friday to funnel as much aid as possible into Gaza as a cease-fire there took hold, but workers on the ground said they did not yet have a clear picture of what would be allowed in under the deal. The truce agreement reached on Thursday between Israel and Hamas contains stipulations for an increase of aid and the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. About 600 trucks of humanitarian aid and other commercial goods are planned to enter Gaza daily, according to four officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details in the agreement. Those trucks will include food, medical equipment, temporary shelters and fuel. |
| read more |
Trump promised not to let Israel break Gaza ceasefire to get deal
|
| As negotiations for a Gaza peace deal approached the finish line, President Trump provided a personal guarantee he wouldn’t let Israel abandon it and resume the war, two U.S. officials revealed in a briefing with reporters. Why it matters: Trump’s assurances were a key factor in convincing Hamas to take the deal, the sources say. The ceasefire is now officially in effect after Israel’s cabinet approved the deal early Friday morning local time. |
| read more |
Celebration and trepidation in Gaza and Israel following ceasefire plan agreement
|
| News of the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas was met with celebrations and joyous scenes in both Gaza and Israel, though residents on both sides of the devastating war expressed trepidation that a deal may still fall through… Jubilant crowds gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to celebrate the agreement, with many people expressing joy that the hostages held captive by Hamas may finally come home… Palestinians in Gaza heralded the agreement, cautiously hoping it would bring an end to Israel’s devastating assault on the besieged enclave, which now lies in ruins. Crowds gathered near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis to celebrate in the predawn darkness, clapping and cheering. |
| read more |
These numbers show how 2 years of war have devastated Palestinian lives in Gaza
|
| Numbers alone cannot capture the toll the Israel-Hamas war has taken on the Gaza Strip. But they can help us understand how thoroughly the conflict has upended the lives of 2.1 million Palestinians living in the territory and decimated the territory’s 365 square kilometers (140 square miles). Out of every 10 people, one has been killed or injured in an Israeli strike. Nine are displaced. At least three have not eaten for days. Out of every 100 children, four have lost either one or both parents. Out of every 10 buildings that stood in Gaza prewar, eight are either damaged or flattened. Out of every 10 homes, nine are wrecked. Out of every 10 acres of cropland, eight are razed (more than three out of every four hectares). |
| read more |
Many American Jews sharply critical of Israel on Gaza, Post poll finds
|
| Most Jews say Israel is committing war crimes — and 39 percent say genocide — while often distinguishing between the country and its leadership… American Jews are particularly unhappy with the current Israeli government. Sixty-eight percent give negative marks to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership of Israel, with 48 percent rating it “poor” — a 20-percentage-point jump from a Pew Research Center poll five years ago. But Jews also overwhelmingly blame Hamas, with 94 percent saying Hamas has committed war crimes against Israelis. |
| read more |
From Doha strike to Sharm el-Sheikh breakthrough: How US brokered elusive Gaza deal
|
| In the days following Israel’s September 9 missile strike targeting Hamas’s leaders in Doha, as the limited nature of the results began to crystallize, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose to double down on the decision, which had galvanized the entire region against him like never before… Less than three weeks later, though, Netanyahu was in the Oval Office, holding a phone handed to him by US President Donald Trump and reading a scripted apology to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani, who was on the other end of the line…The strike “caused a lot of angst within the Arab world,” said the senior US official involved in the negotiations during a briefing with reporters on Thursday. “There was a sense that it shouldn’t happen. There was a sense that if it did happen, it could happen to other countries.” |
| read more |
Top U.S. Officials: Mideast States to Oversee Disarming Hamas, U.S. Will Not Enter Gaza
|
| Forces from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey will operate in Gaza when the cease-fire takes effect, working in collaboration with Israel and the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), senior U.S. officials said overnight into Friday. The officials said that the United States would not send forces to the enclave. Rather, it would assist in managing Gaza from abroad, and “initially have 200 people on the ground” to “oversee and observe” enforcement of the agreement in coordination with Israel, one of them said. They said Middle Eastern states will be responsible for disarming Hamas. |
| read more |
