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On Jan. 15, delegations from Israel, Hamas, the United States, Qatar and Egypt brokered a ceasefire agreement in the 15-month-long Israel-Hamas war. People from Syracuse University and the broader Syracuse community celebrated the deal and called on lawmakers to maintain peace.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched a land assault in western Israel, killing about 1,200 civilians. The attack sparked a 15-month conflict that claimed over 46,000 Palestinian lives and wounded 109,000 others before the two sides reached the ceasefire and hostage deal.

Throughout the conflict, protests broke out across Syracuse, with gatherings ranging from marches and education workshops to poetry readings and fundraisers. At SU, protestors set up roughly 70 tents on Shaw Quadrangle and remained for 3 weeks to show solidarity for Gaza, condemn Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip and call upon university administration to divest from Israel.

As protestors occupied the Quad, SU’s Graduate Student Organization and Student Association passed resolutions in support of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment and students’ rights to peaceful protests. It also condemned antisemitism.

A GSO spokesperson said the organization supports the ceasefire, remains saddened for the many lives lost and expresses compassion for everyone affected. The organization said it would support protesting graduate students in the future, while “building community, promoting healing, and embracing (its) collective humanity.”

Syracuse University has not commented on the ceasefire. In May 2024, the university announced it would no longer make institutional statements or pronouncements on current controversies.

Chuck Schumer, New York Senator and Senate Majority Leader, said the agreement has been long warranted, not only for the Israeli hostages and civilians in Gaza, but also for others throughout the world.

“This ceasefire marks a hopeful turning point for Israel, for the Palestinian people and particularly for the families of the hostages who have waited so long in agony,” Schumer said at a speech to the Senate on Friday. “We will not rest until every hostage comes home. Today, I promise them this: we will keep working to make sure every hostage comes home.”

Despite the war’s distance from central New York, some Syracuse community members said they have felt the ceasefire’s effect locally.

“The first scenes that I saw were people in Gaza, civilians in Gaza, who were celebrating and feeling like a great threat had been lifted from them … It’s another sign of Israel’s intent to continue heavy duty bombardment after the ceasefire was agreed to,” said Andy Mager, coordinator and social movements liaison for Syracuse Cultural Workers.

On Monday, Al Jazeera reported the Israeli government may break the ceasefire, citing previous instances when Israel did not honor similar agreements. In his nearly 45-year career, Mager said the past year-and-a-half has been one of the more dangerous periods he could remember.

Jonathan Brenneman, a member of Syracuse Peace Council Justice for Palestine, said the ceasefire is an important step toward a lasting peace and expressed his hope that both sides uphold the agreement. He also said he and other Palestinians in Syracuse would continue to push for an arms embargo to prevent the U.S. and the city from providing weapons and funding to Israel in the future.

The city of Syracuse has not commented on the war’s conclusion, which Brenneman said disappointed him. With the ceasefire, he hopes New York officials will now divest from Israel’s military spending.

“We have had to struggle, with the support of many in the Syracuse community, to uphold our dignity and humanity in the midst of elected officials’ silence about, and even support for, the attempted extermination of (the Palestinian) people,” Brenneman said. “People in Syracuse are tired of seeing our tax dollars and energy going to genocide.”

Published on January 23, 2025 at 12:39 am

Contact Henry: hdaley@syr.edu