Today’s suggested actions to support Israel in your local community:

  • Leave an empty seat around your Thanksgiving table for a hostage as part of the Seats of Hope campaign, as we continue to keep the remaining hostages in our hearts and prayers.
  • Share Jewish Federations’ statement on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in response to the forthcoming return home of 50 hostages from Hamas captivity.
  • Wear your #BlueRibbonsforIsrael in solidarity with the hostages taken by Hamas and their families. Click here to order a blue ribbon for yourself and your community members.
  • Raise your voice in solidarity with the remaining hostages on social media using the #BlueRibbonsforIsrael toolkit.
  • Read and share the story of 46-year-old Omri Miran, a massage therapist and nature lover, and wife of Lishay and father of two-year-old Roni and 6-month-old Alma, who was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists 46 days ago while his family was held at gunpoint, and whose fate remains uncertain.

Issue:
After more than 46 days of war following the horrific massacres on October 7th, Israel’s Government voted to approve a limited hostage deal with Hamas, with 50 women and children who were cruelly abducted by Hamas against international law to be released over the coming days. 

Background:

  • The 50 hostages slated for release include 30 children, 8 mothers, and 12 elderly women whose lives are considered to be at risk. The hostages will be released at a rate of 12 to 15 each day for 4 days, with the first batch likely to return to Israel on Thursday.
  • In exchange, Israel will agree to a four-day ceasefire and will release 150 terrorists from a list of 300 potential prisoners, who might be released if further hostages are allowed to return home.
  • The Ministry of Justice released the names of the 300 prisoners. The vast majority are males aged 18 and under – held for murder attempts, stabbings, hurling firebombs and rock-throwing. Thirteen are adult women, including those convicted of stabbings. One of the female Palestinian prisoners set to be released is Misoun Mussa, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a 2015 stabbing attack against an Israeli soldier in Jerusalem. One of the minors is 17-year-old Muhammad Abu Katish, who was convicted for stabbing and seriously injuring a yeshiva student in 2022.
  • Also in the agreement, Hamas will allow representatives from the Red Cross to visit the hostages who will remain in captivity and supply them with medicine. In addition, fuel can enter Gaza during the pause in the fighting.
  • Israel’s President Isaac Herzog stated that the deal is, “a moral and ethical duty that correctly expresses the Jewish and Israeli value of securing the freedom of those held captive, with the hope that it will be the first step in returning all the hostages home.”
  • U.S. President Joe Biden shared, “I am extraordinarily gratified that some of these brave souls who have endured weeks of captivity and an unspeakable ordeal will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented.”
  • A statement from Hamas claimed that, “the provisions of this agreement were formulated according to the vision of the resistance and its determinants that aim to serve our people and enhance their steadfastness in the face of aggression.”
  • The Government made it clear that despite the ceasefire, the military will continue its war against Hamas, stating, “immediately after the end of the pause in fighting needed to secure the release of the hostages, fighting will resume in the Gaza Strip in order to destroy the military and organizational capabilities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza and to create the conditions for the return of all the hostages.”
  • The deep emotional and practical complexities involved with the decision were described by senior journalist Herb Keinon as, “a quintessential Israeli moment; placing responsibility for its citizens above everything else.”
  • A new poll released by Jewish Federations found that 72% of the American public support short-term humanitarian pauses to allow for the return of hostages, while only 20% of the general population support an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

The Community Mobilization Center is monitoring major developments in Israel and North America related to Israel’s war against Hamas. The Community Mobilization Center will rapidly disseminate resources to help mobilize and support our local communities as they build and sustain civic and political support for Israel in this conflict. The work of the Community Mobilization Center will continue as long as it takes Israel to eradicate the terrorist threat and restore security to the country.