Chicago-area Jewish, Palestinian groups welcome news of Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal

Jewish and pro-Palestinian organizations in the Chicago area welcomed the ceasefire deal reached between Hamas and Israel.

The deal, which the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said would go into effect on Sunday, promises the release of 33 of 100 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the freeing of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel in the first phase, with all living women, children and older people held by the militants freed. Fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days, and Israeli troops will pull back to the edges of Gaza. Many Palestinians will be able to return to what remains of their homes as badly needed humanitarian aid enters a territory ravaged by 15 months of war.

The war was a deeply emotional and personal one for some families with Chicago roots whose loved ones were captured. Evanston mother Judith Raanan, 59, and her 18-year-old daughter, Natalie Raanan, were held for nearly two weeks and became the first hostages released by Hamas following the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was also captured by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack, was killed in the Gaza Strip last summer.

His parents, Chicago natives Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, celebrated news of the ceasefire but said it was just the start of the process of getting all the hostages back.

"We view this agreement as only the beginning of the end, not the end itself," they said in a statement. "It is imperative that this process is completed and all 98 hostages are returned to their families."

Israel can begin its healing process when all the hostages are returned, and it's time to end the suffering of the innocent civilians of Gaza, they added.

But they also noted that the framework of the deal was in place months ago.

"Our beloved son Hersh and so many other innocent civilians should have been saved long ago by a deal like this one, especially since the framework for today's deal has been in place since May 2024," Goldberg-Polin's parents said. "We will struggle with that failure for the rest of our lives. But today we celebrate the impending reunification of the 98 remaining hostages with their loved ones with whom we have been tirelessly advocating and so many of whom have become like family to us during this 467-day struggle."

Goldberg, her son and her husband are dual American Israeli citizens. Polin grew up in West Rogers Park and Skokie, while Goldberg grew up in Streeterville. The family moved to Jerusalem in 2008 and still have family in Chicago.

The 15-month conflict also sparked several pro-Palestinian protests and encampments at college campuses. On Wednesday, more than 150 pro-Palestinian supporters celebrated the ceasefire deal as they waved Palestinian flags in the biting wind at a rally organized by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network in suburban Bridgeview, an area known as Little Palestine.

Nida Sahouri, of American Muslims for Palestine, lauded the ceasefire deal and told those gathered that though the war has claimed many Palestinian lives the conflict also served to bring their cause to the forefront of people's minds.

"The Palestinian cause has reset itself, the narrative has changed," Sahouri said. "The cost was high, but we are in a much better place. The whole world talks about Palestine and that is not small."

Jena Kanaan, of Students for Justice in Palestine who lives in Palos Hills, urged the multitudes who protested in the streets over the course of the conflict to continue pushing until Gaza is rebuilt and more of their demands are met.

"SJP implores our people to stay in the street and continue to raise your voice on campus," Kanaan said. "Let's continue until the U.S. ends all military aid to Israel, until Gaza is rebuilt and until liberation."

Members of Congress said the news was an important step forward, but there was work still to be done.

"We will not rest until all hostages, living and dead, are reunited with their families — families in the United States, Israel and around the world," Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said in a statement. "Nor will we shrink from the challenges of seeking a new, secure and peace-filled future for the Middle East."

He added, "This moment can open the door for a new path for Gaza — where Hamas no longer reigns over the people of Gaza nor threatens Israel."

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., whose district includes Evanston where Judith Raanan lived, said it was a "critical step" toward permanently ending the war. "The U.S. and our allies must continue their aggressive diplomacy to bring lasting peace in the region," Schakowsky said in a statement.

Mamayan Jabateh, a 21-year-old University of Chicago senior who was arrested in connection with campus protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza, described their reaction to the news as “absolute 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."

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 more than 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