Rep. Watson Coleman Releases Statement on the Announcement of a Gaza Ceasefire Deal

Rep. Watson Coleman Releases Statement on the Announcement of a Gaza Ceasefire Deal

Today, Congresswoman Watson Coleman (NJ-12) released the following statement regarding the announcement that Hamas and Israel have agreed to the first phase of a new ceasefire and hostage deal:

Two years ago, on October 7, 2023, Hamas's attack on southern Israel represented the single deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. Over 1,000 Israelis lost their lives and 251 others were kidnapped. These attacks caused great pain for many of our neighbors in the 12th District.

Since October 7th, Palestinians living in Gaza have endured devastation on a scale that few can comprehend. At least 67,000 people have been killed by Israeli ground and air assaults in Gaza, an estimated 62% of those have been women and children. Neighborhoods have been erased, hospitals bombed, and families starved under blockade. Their struggles, their grief, and their fears have been felt around the world, and right here in New Jersey as communities of neighbors and friends have come together in support of each other.

The pain of this war has touched every side. Innocent civilians have been killed, families torn apart, and hostages held in unimaginable fear. I am grateful that steps are now being taken to return people to their loved ones and to give families, both Israeli and Palestinian, a moment of relief. Every life spared, every reunion that becomes possible, is a victory in recognizing our shared humanity.

The larger goal cannot simply be the absence of war. It must be the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state - one that exists in peace and mutual respect with Israel and its neighbors. True and lasting peace will require the restoration of the right of Palestinians to live freely, the rebuilding of Gaza, and the ability of Palestinians to govern their own future. Any process that excludes them or substitutes international management for local governance is a weakened attempt at peace, or occupation under another name.

For this reason, I approach this moment with cautious optimism rooted in experience. Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly disregarded international law, ignored humanitarian obligations, and manipulated negotiations for political gain. The United States and the joint task force facilitating these negotiations must continue to hold all parties to account - to trust, but verify. Progress will require enforceable commitments, accountability, and a clear timeline for the forthcoming phases of this plan. Perhaps most importantly, it will require oversight, and not merely the word of a government that has yet to keep its own.

The United States has a responsibility to ensure that this agreement leads to a permanent end to the horrors we have seen unfold, and to the beginning of a reconstruction directed by Palestinians themselves. Anything less prolongs injustice. Our goal must be a peace built on equality, mutual security, and prosperity: one that allows both Palestinians and Israelis to live free from fear, with dignity, and with the right to self determination.