Deluzio Statement on Israeli-Hamas Hostage Deal and Humanitarian Pause Agreement

CARNEGIE, PA — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) released the following statement in response to the deal reached between Israel and Hamas: 

“October 7th was a terrible nightmare for so many in Israel, and the nightmare has continued—especially for those whose loved ones were cruelly taken hostage by Hamas.  

“I am relieved that dozens of hostages will soon be reunited with their families. The Biden Administration worked hard helping to broker this agreement, including to get Americans home, and we must continue pushing to bring every single hostage kidnapped by this terrorist group home swiftly and safely. 

“The path to a just and lasting peace and a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian people requires that Hamas be decisively defeated. My generation’s military experiences in places like Iraq seared in our memory the difficulty of fighting an embedded adversary like Hamas, and the horrors that a war like this can bring to innocent civilians. It is critical that our ally Israel uses restraint and discretion in this war to protect Palestinian civilians. This extended pause in fighting to bring hostages home and to provide additional humanitarian assistance to those suffering in Gaza is an important step. 

“While there is much more work still to do, I am thankful for the leadership of the Biden Administration in facilitating this important agreement. 

“We must keep working toward a framework for a just and durable peace.”

###