Following over a year of war, a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Jan. 19.
Several Iowa officials, politicians, and University of Iowa students feel the ceasefire was long overdue and, despite their stance on the conflict, were glad to see it called.
As of Dec. 16, 2024, over 45,000 Palestinians had been killed as a result of the conflict, according to the Associated Press. Iowans for Palestine, a group that has organized several protests on the UI campus since the initial attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, have spent countless hours expressing their distaste for the conflict.
Newman Abuissa, chair of the Arab American Caucus of the Democratic Party, expressed gratitude that there is finally a glimmer of hope for Palestinians.
โThis is a huge step forward to allow the Palestinians time to breathe, to get some food and to get some water, and to be able to move back to whatโs left of their homes,โ Abuissa said.
Abuissa also said this is a huge improvement for the situation in Gaza, and he hopes the U.S. continues to push for phases two and three of the ceasefire.
Phase one of the ceasefire, which will last for a total of 42 days, includes the release of 33 hostages by Hamas and over 1,900 Palestinian hostages by Israel, according to the Associated Press.
Jarad Bernstein, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines, said that while he is glad to have a ceasefire in place, there have been some mixed emotions among other Iowans.
Bernstein shared the story of a hostage being released in the deal who was convicted of planting a suicide bomb at Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 2002, killing nine people โ five of whom held American citizenship.
โHow do you say to family members โ those Americans who had some bit of closure when that terrorist was put away in prison for life โ that this prisoner who is responsible for your family memberโs death is now being released in a deal to release hostages?โ Bernstein said.
Itai Ben-Shahar, UI second-year student and co-president of Students Supporting Israel, said he felt Israel was justified in the conflict.
โOne of my best friends in Israel, his cousin is still a hostage,โ Ben-Shahar said. โHe is coming back in the hostage deal, but we donโt know if heโs dead or alive.โ
Though Ben-Shahar is happy to see any hostages coming back at all, he said that if Hamas continues to hold even one hostage, he hopes Israel continues to fight.
โUntil thereโs people on both sides that want true peace, itโs just going to keep happening over and over and over again,โ he said.
Tom Henderson and Charles Schneider, co-chairs of Iowans Supporting Israel, both shared their support for Israel, stating that the state of Iowa in particular has several ties to the country.
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The bipartisan nonprofit was founded in 2013 and, before the Oct. 7 attacks, focused on educating the general public about Iowa and Israelโs relationship.
โWhat we did was largely invite speakers to talk to our members about ties between Iowa and Israel in business and agriculture and medicine and issues like that,โ Schneider said.
Since the Oct. 7 attacks, the group has focused on educating their members about the ongoings of the war.
โWe focus primarily on those issues and calling out Hamas as a terrorist organization, reminding people that itโs a U.S.-designated terrorist organization and trying to support Israel as much as we can,โ Schneider said.
Henderson also said the group supported Israeli troops by purchasing protective vests for first responders.
โI think having a ceasefire is wonderful,โ Henderson said. โI donโt think thereโs anybody who is against having a ceasefire over there if possible, and I hope they continue to get the hostages back because your heart bleeds for them.โ
Abuissa, who is part of a weekly pro-Palestine protest group, said he has seen several people in Iowa City rejoice with the news of the ceasefire but knows the work is far from over.
โWeโve had more than 15 months of bombardment and genocide, and now itโs time to celebrate, even though itโs a temporary ceasefire,โ he said. โWe are happy for the Palestinians. We are happy for our movement to have resulted in the ceasefire. We are more energized to continue, more than ever before, with our efforts to put enough pressure on Israel to reach a permanent ceasefire and final resolution for the conflict.โ