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Jewish, Pro-Israel Organizations Have Mixed Reactions to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal
Israelis protest against the government and to show support for the hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Nov. 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Jewish and pro-Israel organizations reacted to the ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday to halt fighting in Gaza, expressing both joy that hostages will be released and concern that it could leave Hamas in power and release thousands of terrorists from Israeli jails.
The deal comes after 15 months of fighting between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization, which rules the Gaza Strip. The war started when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages during its invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. In response, Israel launched a military campaign aimed at returning the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in Gaza.
While there have been final obstacles to be ironed out, Israeli officials said on Thursday that the ceasefire and hostage-release deal will be implemented this weekend.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) wrote in a statement that it “welcomes the first stage of an agreement that will facilitate the release of 33 of the remaining hostages brutally abducted from Israel during Hamas’ attack.”
“While we await the final announcement from the Israeli government, AJC is grateful to the Biden administration, the incoming Trump Administration, and other global partners for working together to secure the first stage of the agreement,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “We cannot wait to see the first hostages come home to their families, but the critical work to free every hostage — regardless of age, gender, or nationality — must continue. The international community must persist in its efforts to ensure that every hostage is reunited with their loved ones.”
Both the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) and Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) celebrated the news, although the former attributed the agreement to US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and the latter gave credit to incoming US President Donald Trump, a Republican who is set to be inaugurated on Monday.
“Since Oct. 7, 2023, we have shared in the anguish of the hostage families as they awaited the return of their loved ones held in Gaza by Hamas,” JDCA’s chief executive, Halie Soifer, and chair, Susie Stern, said in a statement. “Today, we are relieved and hopeful that the hostages will soon be reunited with their loved ones, and … we also stand with the families whose loved ones are still being held in Gaza, mourn those lost at the hands of Hamas, and will not rest until every hostage is returned.”
Soifer and Stern continued, writing, “We thank President Biden, Vice President [Kamala] Harris, and their team for their determined and enduring leadership and support of Israel and for their commitment to ensuring the hostages’ release.” They also urged the incoming Trump administration to “follow through on the measurable progress made by President Biden to end the war in Gaza and ensure that all parties honor their commitments.”
Meanwhile, the RJC said it “cautiously welcomes news that a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas that will bring the release of hostages.”
It explained, “The excruciatingly difficult calculations for Israel around getting the hostages back, releasing terrorist prisoners, and other potential details of a ceasefire agreement are matters best left to the Israeli government.”
RCJ thanked “President-elect Donald Trump and his team for helping to move this process forward and for their unwavering support for Israel’s security” and argued that Trump’s promise there will be “hell to pay” if Hamas does not release the hostages by his inauguration “clearly had a significant impact on closing the gaps to reach this deal.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) wrote in a statement that it welcomes “the announcement of the deal to release the hostages who have been brutally held captive by Hamas in violation of both international law and basic humanity.”
“We are grateful these hostages are coming home, yet it is unconscionable that all those held by the terrorists have not yet been released, including US citizens,” AIPAC continued. “American and world leaders must increase the pressure on Hamas and its allies to ensure the terror group adheres to this deal and finally releases all the remaining hostages.”
On the other side, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) opposed the deal, saying it was “appalled at recent reports regarding a final draft hostage deal’s alleged terms.”
It argued that “the reported final draft deal would be a huge mistake. It would mean that many more innocent Jews will be murdered and kidnapped by these released terrorists. It would mean more October 7ths. It would be an Israeli surrender, and a victory for the Hamas and Palestinian Authority terrorists.”
Jewish religious denominations also reacted to the deal. The Orthodox Union, in a statement titled “Mixed Emotions,” said, “We rejoice with the hostages who are being released, and we weep with those remaining in the hands of the Hamas monsters …We rejoice with the soldiers able to return to their families, homes, and daily lives, and we weep for those who will not.”
It continued, “We rejoice with those whose heroic sacrifices have brought Israel outstanding successes, and we share the frustration of many of them that their mission remains incomplete … We are infuriated by the trading of monstrous terrorists for innocent hostages, and we are fearful of the evil those monsters seek to unleash.”
The statement concluded, “We are grateful to President Trump for moving quickly to bring freedom to many, but we will not forget for even a moment the many who remain. There should still be hell to pay.”
The Union for Reform Judaism approached the deal with more optimism. It wrote, “Today is a moment we have prayed to see for more than 15 months. We welcome today’s news of a ceasefire and hostage agreement with bittersweet joy: with open arms to embrace and welcome home the hostages, with hearts filled with deep appreciation for all those who made this ceasefire possible, and with heartfelt prayers that, from the ashes of this enormous tragedy, a process might finally emerge that leads to true and lasting peace with security for all.”
It emphasized the Jewish imperative to redeem captives and added that “to prevent further suffering and death of additional IDF soldiers, hostages, and innocent Gazans — now is the time for those who have consistently blocked this agreement, especially Hamas, to steadfastly uphold this accord.”
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Antisemitic Incidents at Argentina Local Soccer Match Spark Official Investigations, Condemnations
Fans of Argentinian soccer club All Boys marched through the streets before their match against Atlanta soccer club, carrying a coffin draped with an Israeli flag alongside Iranian and Palestinian flags. Photo: Screenshot
Argentinian authorities and soccer officials have launched investigations following antisemitic incidents by Club Atlético All Boys fans during Sunday’s local match against Atlanta.
Atlanta, a soccer team based in the Villa Crespo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, has deep historical ties to Argentina’s Jewish community, which has long been a significant presence in the area.
This latest antisemitic incident took place outside the stadium before the game had even started.
All Boys fans were seen waving Palestinian and Iranian flags, carrying a coffin draped with an Israeli flag, and handing out flyers bearing messages like “Free Palestine” and “Israel and Atlanta are the same crap.”
Before a football match today against the Argentine sports club Atlanta, which is closely associated with the Jewish community, fans of the opposing team, All Boys, waved Islamic Republic and Palestinian flags while parading a coffin draped in an Israeli flag through the streets.… pic.twitter.com/IQs4v6eoFz
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 29, 2025
Then, during the match — which ended in a 0-0 draw — a drone carrying a Palestinian flag flew over the stadium, while some fans reportedly chanted anti-Israel slogans.
Local police confirmed they have issued citations to individuals accused of inciting public disorder and related offenses.
On Monday, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) condemned the incidents as “abhorrent” and confirmed the organization has opened a formal inquiry into the events.
“This is not folklore. This is discrimination,” the statement reads.
Argentina’s Security Minister Patricia Bullrich also announced that a criminal complaint has been filed, citing “acts of violence, expressions of racial and religious hatred, and public intimidation.”
In a post on X, the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA), the country’s Jewish umbrella organization, condemned the incidents and called on both local authorities and the soccer officials to “take firm action against these acts of hatred.”
“We urge the authorities to take all necessary actions and apply the full force of the law,” the statement reads. “Violence and discrimination must have no place in our society.”
Repudiamos enérgicamente las expresiones antisemitas ocurridas hoy en las inmediaciones del estadio Malvinas Argentinas.
Exigimos a las autoridades correspondientes, a la AFA y al Club All Boys que actúen con firmeza ante estos hechos de odio.
La violencia y la discriminación no… pic.twitter.com/3AmY7IQscY— DAIA (@DAIAArgentina) June 29, 2025
Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Argentina has experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents and anti-Jewish hate crimes.
According to a recent report by DAIA, Argentina experienced a 15 percent increase in antisemitic activity last year, with 687 anti-Jewish hate crimes recorded — up from 598 incidents in 2023 — marking a significant rise nationwide.
The study indicates that 66 percent of the antisemitic incidents originated in the digital realm, with a significant rise in Nazi symbols and conspiracy theories, but there was also a 34 percent increase in reported physical assaults, with such hate crimes rising in schools and neighborhoods.
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Iranian nuclear program degraded by up to two years, Pentagon says
A satellite image of Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility. Photo: File.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran’s nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.
Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding that the official estimate was “probably closer to two years.” Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment.
“We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department [of Defense] assess that,” Parnell told a news briefing.
U.S. military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.
The evolving U.S. intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran’s program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday’s briefing.
Such conclusions often take the U.S. intelligence community weeks or more to determine.
“All of the intelligence that we’ve seen [has] led us to believe that Iran’s — those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated,” Parnell said.
Over the weekend, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program have been.
Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it.
But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes.
A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested that the strikes may have only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran’s nuclear program was severely damaged.
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage.
“No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,” Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday.
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Switzerland Moves to Close Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s Geneva Office Over Legal Irregularities
Palestinians carry aid supplies received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
Switzerland has moved to shut down the Geneva office of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed aid group, citing legal irregularities in its establishment.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May, implementing a new aid delivery model aimed at preventing the diversion of supplies by Hamas, as Israel continues its defensive military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group.
The initiative has drawn criticism from the UN and international organizations, some of which have claimed that Jerusalem is causing starvation in the war-torn enclave.
Israel has vehemently denied such accusations, noting that, until its recently imposed blockade, it had provided significant humanitarian aid in the enclave throughout the war.
Israeli officials have also said much of the aid that flows into Gaza is stolen by Hamas, which uses it for terrorist operations and sells the rest at high prices to Gazan civilians.
With a subsidiary registered in Geneva, the GHF — headquartered in Delaware — reports having delivered over 56 million meals to Palestinians in just one month.
According to a regulatory announcement published Wednesday in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA) may order the dissolution of the GHF if no creditors come forward within the legal 30-day period.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Swiss decision to shut down its Geneva office.
“The GHF confirmed to the ESA that it had never carried out activities in Switzerland … and that it intends to dissolve the Geneva-registered branch,” the ESA said in a statement.
Last week, Geneva authorities gave the GHF a 30-day deadline to address legal shortcomings or risk facing enforcement measures.
Under local laws and regulations, the foundation failed to meet several requirements: it did not appoint a board member authorized to sign documents domiciled in Switzerland, did not have the minimum three board members, lacked a Swiss bank account and valid address, and operated without an auditing body.
The GHF operates independently from UN-backed mechanisms, which Hamas has sought to reinstate, arguing that these vehicles are more neutral.
Israeli and American officials have rejected those calls, saying Hamas previously exploited UN-run systems to siphon aid for its war effort.
The UN has denied those allegations while expressing concerns that the GHF’s approach forces civilians to risk their safety by traveling long distances across active conflict zones to reach food distribution points.
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