Schakowsky Calls for Permanent End to the Violence in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank; Immediate Release of Remaining Hostages

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) released the following statement calling for the immediate release of all remaining hostages captured by Hamas and a negotiated end of the war that sets the stage for a democratic sovereign Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with a democratic Israel:

“Now is the time for the Administration and our allies in the international community to build on their diplomatic efforts and facilitate a permanent and durable negotiated peace to end the war that started on October 7, 2023, with Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack. This agreement must be one that secures the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, leads to the removal of Hamas from operational control of Gaza, ends the violence against Palestinian and Israeli civilians, and allows for the influx of humanitarian assistance that is necessary to end the suffering in Gaza and rebuild its devastated areas.

“As Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said just days ago, ‘The lesson is that you can only win in urban warfare by protecting civilians… and if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.’  I believe that is exactly what continued military operations in Gaza are doing today. With the Israeli military expanding its ground assault against Hamas to all of the Gaza Strip, I fear there is nowhere safe for civilians to seek refuge. That is why I believe that a permanent end to the violence is the only way to protect civilians, secure the safe return of the remaining hostages, and avoid a protracted regional war. 

“The human cost of this war is staggering, and it must end now. An estimated 15,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its response to Hamas’s horrifying terrorist attack. I have constituents who have lost loved ones during airstrikes in Gaza. I have constituents who have been victims of settler violence in the West Bank. I have constituents who lost loved ones on October 7th. And I have constituents who are living a nightmare waiting for any news about their loved ones who were violently kidnapped by Hamas. We have seen the vast majority of Gaza’s civilian population displaced, many with no homes to which they can return. And nearly all of Israel’s western and northern border communities have be displaced as Israel is faced with relentless rocket fire from within Gaza and from Hezbollah in the north. This is unsustainable and the death and destruction must stop now.

“It is time to bring all the hostages home, end the violence once and for all and expand and expedite efforts to implement a two-state solution. This is the only path that will bring long-term peace, prosperity, justice and security to Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

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