SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Bay Area community leaders are bracing for some groundbreaking developments as Israeli hostages are being freed by Hamas, with Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange.
After more than two years of war and tens of thousands of lives lost, Pres. Donald Trump says the Israel-Hamas War has ended.
Bay Area leaders are hopeful.
“It’s been two years of agony for so many families — Jewish and Israeli families, but also Muslim, Arab and Palestinian families as well,” said Tyler Gregory with the Jewish Community Relations Council.
“I am cautiously optimistic that this will be the end of the genocide in Gaza, but it’s important to note that it is also the beginning of a chapter of rebuilding,” said Zahra Billoo with CAIR SF Bay Area.
RELATED: Israel says Hamas hands over the first 7 hostages to the Red Cross as part of the Gaza ceasefire
According to the ceasefire agreement, Hamas will release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Gaza strip on Monday. Twenty are believed to be alive– another 28 deceased.
Seven hostages have been released at the time of this story’s publication.
“There’s been too many rounds of heartbreak. We’ll believe it when we see it, when we see those 20 hostages that we know are alive, reunited with their families. Hopefully tomorrow, that’s when we’ll be able to breath out a deep sigh of relief,” Gregory said.
Two thousand Palestinian prisoners held in Israel are also set to be released Monday.
“It’s really important for us to acknowledge that for as much as we’ve talked about Israelis being held hostage, there are thousands more Palestinians who are being and have been held hostage,” Billoo said.
MORE: VP JD Vance confirms that Hamas has 20 living hostages, expected release in next 24 hours
Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza, where homes have been reduced to rubble.
Questions remain about the next step — the future of Gaza and the Palestinian people.
“The communities I’ve been talking to, who are Palestinian American, are asking for us to keep pushing for a longstanding peace, but also support and rebuilding a longstanding Gaza and ensuring that Gaza can have fair true elections,” said Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland).
Some say the ceasefire is promising, but there’s still a long road ahead.
“I think it’s important for viewers out there, for the American Israelis, Jews and Palestinians in their life, to remember that just because this ceasefire has been brokered, this isn’t over within our communities,” Gregory said.
Whether this ceasefire will indeed be the one that ends this long devastating war, Simon says we’ll have to wait and see.
“I’m hopeful this war is truly over. We have a lot of atoning to do. We have a lot of rebuilding to do. And again, I think we can push forward and hope for a two-state solution, where both our communities here can applaud for a future that folks will be able to live with safety and dignity,” she said.
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