People in the Jewish and Palestinian communities here in North Texas are reacting to the historic news of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Members of both communities spoke with NBC 5 about what they believed would come next after 15 months of destructive conflict.
Leaders of the Jewish community in the Metroplex hoped the agreement could mark a return to normalcy they haven’t felt since the attack of October 7, 2023.
“It has been 465 days since Hamas took these captives,” said Joel Schwitzer, Regional Director for the American Jewish Committee. “And for the families of those hostages, it must have seemed like a lifetime.”
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That day, a surprise terror attack by Hamas in Israel killed more than 1200 people and saw 250 civilians taken hostage.
The resulting war between Israel and Hamas turned communities in Gaza to rubble.
According to Palestinian health authorities, Israeli forces killed more than 46,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians.
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Dr. Ali Elaydi was raised in Dallas but born in Gaza – where he returned to treat the wounded during the fighting.
“I saw children shot in the head, I saw children’s limbs totally obliterated,” said Elaydi. “I saw everything that you can imagine in a war, that I’d never seen before.”
Elaydi said he felt mixed emotions as he thought of the meaning of the ceasefire.
He hoped to see Gaza rebuilt better than it was, with the roads, schools and hospitals repaired as soon as possible.
“While I am happy that this is coming to an end, I feel like it’s my obligation to remember these lives and to start the rebuilding process of Gaza,” said Elaydi.
A study by the Anti-Defamation League found antisemitic incidents in the US rose 200% in the year after the October 7 attack.
The Jewish community in North Texas hoped this agreement could bring renewed peace to their community at home and abroad.
“Right now, we’re just thinking about the hostages, and thinking about that day that looks like is finally coming that they’re going to be reunited with their families,” said Schwitzer.
Communities on both sides of the conflict told NBC 5 they were looking ahead to Sunday when the deal was set to take effect.