After more than 15 months of fighting, the war in Gaza has finally come to an end, with the cease-fire and hostage deal taking effect on Sunday, Jan. 19, a day before Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Israel will withdraw from the Gaza Strip and release thousands of Palestinian prisoners, in return for 33 Israeli prisoners, who were kidnapped during the Oct.7 massacre. 115 hostages were released in a prior deal in November 2023, according to the New York Times. Many of the Palestinians released by Israel were convicted of terrorism charges, such as Muhammad Abu Warda, who is responsible for two bus bombings that killed 45 Israelis in 1996, according to The Jewish Chronicle.
“We shouldn’t normalize negotiations for innocent hostages and release convicted terrorists,” Dan Gotesdyner, 20, computer science major and president of the De Anza Jewish Student Union, said.
Gotesdyner is optimistic about the deal and highlights the resilience of the people of Israel.
“I’ve learned to never bet against the Jewish people. In Judaism, every life is worth a world; 33 people are a galaxy,” Gotesdyner said.
Due to the high civilian casualties in the war against Hamas, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Muhammad Deif, a Hamas commander presumed dead.
“Israel has been targeted more than other countries who have committed similar international law violations,” Jonah Copeland, 19, physics major, said.
Copeland, nevertheless, is critical of the war.
“Would it be great if somehow, Hamas could be removed from power? Yes,” Copeland said. “But the only thing you can do to destroy Hamas in Gaza is pretty much destroy all the infrastructure that Hamas is using, which is a lot, and that’s not something that’s really feasible.”
Copeland personally knows Israelis who had to flee their homes due to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, as well as Arab Israelis, who are often seen as part of the Palestinian people.
“When I’m looking at things on social media, I often make sure to get it from multiple sources,” Copeland said. “Just being able to get multiple perspectives, especially from people that I actually know, has been really important.”
Amit Cohen, 19, political science major, is confident about Israel’s place among the nations, explaining that “Israel’s technology is wanted by the rest of the world.”
One such Israeli innovation is the “fire dome,” made by the company FireDome. In an interview with Israeli-Arab creator Nusseir Yassin (commonly known as Nas Daily), executives Adi Binyamini and Dr. Adi Naor Pomerantz said the “Fire Dome” launches water and fire retardant capsules to put fires out faster.
“Saudi Arabia will sign up for the Abraham Accords,” Cohen said, referring to Israel’s peace deal with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco in 2020. “I am waiting for that day, and that day will be soon.”