‘It’s been a rollercoaster’: Wilmington rabbi, Palestinian immigrant react to ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas after 15 months of war

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - It’s been 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas, but one announcement Wednesday showed a possible end in sight.

”A ceasefire and a hostage deal have been reached between Israel and Hamas,” President Joe Biden said.

However, for people in Wilmington on both sides of the conflict, there is not a lot of confidence in a lasting peace.

“I’m feeling apprehension, anxiety,” Rabbi Chaya Bender of Bnai Israel Congregation said. “What’s going to happen tomorrow? I’m not quite sure.”

“We do not know if the ceasefire will hold a very long time,” Palestinian immigrant Musa Agil said.

For Rabbi Bender, the war has been about the hostages. In the first phase of the ceasefire deal, Hamas terrorists have agreed to release 33 of the 90 or so Israeli hostages believed to be in custody.

“I think one of the biggest misconceptions is around this word ‘ceasefire,’ Rabbi Bender said. “I think there’s been a misconception that Jewish people have been against a ceasefire. It’s not that we are against a ceasefire. It’s that Hamas is a terrorist organization that is holding children hostage.”

She also says here in Wilmington, her congregation has felt the effects of the war. Namely, in a rise in antisemitism.

“The local Jewish community has been wiped out,” Rabbi Bender said. “They’re exhausted from the antisemitism that has been happening locally. We’ve had to come together. We’ve had to increase security, and again, all for a war that’s happening thousands of miles away, but it’s still impacting us.”

Agil, who moved to North Carolina from Palestine in 1980, says the war has impacted his local community as well.

“Hopefully, the suffering will stop, but we do not think that the suffering will stop immediately,” Agil said.

He says to hear that the fighting will come to an end is great news, but with much of Gaza reduced to rubble, he thinks his people will continue to struggle for years to come.

“The suffering will continue,” Agil said. “You know, no hospitals, no schools, no homes to go back to, they are suffering the cold weather and starvation. So it really is not the end.”

Both said the war has lasted much longer than they believed it would, and the damage and casualties have been far greater than they ever imagined. That’s why they believe the ceasefire deal is at least a step in the right direction, and hopefully, the start of an eventual peace in the Middle East.

“Jewish people, our motto is that we keep the hope alive,” Rabbi Bender said. “We’ve kept the hope alive for 2000 years so we can only keep the hope alive.”

”I think there is hope for the Middle East,” Agil said. “There’s hope for the Israelis, and there’s hope for the Palestinians.”