A component of the ceasefire agreement was the return of hostages held by both Israel and Hamas. Photo courtesy of AP News.

ELLA HALL | STAFF REPORTER | erhall@butler.edu

Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in Gaza under a peace plan coordinated by the United States on Oct. 10. The deal included an Israeli military withdrawal from parts of the territory and the release of hostages on both sides in an effort to put an end to the conflict. The agreement has already been put to the test with accusations of attacks being made over the weekend, triggering a violent response.

The ceasefire comes just after Oct. 7, the two-year anniversary of the most recent conflict’s outbreak — a milestone that had already brought the topic to the forefront of campus as different student activist groups reflected. 

Students Supporting Israel (SSI) put up a flag display between Jordan Hall and Atherton Union, representing Israeli deaths, while Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) set up a mock refugee camp on Butler’s north mall and held a vigil to honor those who had been killed and affected in the conflict. These displays highlighted the relevance of the international conflict on campus and a student-driven commitment to entering larger conversations.

Riley Mehall, a senior sociology major and president of SSI, is one student who has celebrated the recent initiatives taken toward peace between Israel and Hamas. 

“The joy of the end of the war within the pro-Israel and Israeli community has been so big — celebrating that there is a ceasefire, that the hostages are home, that there’s no more fighting [and] that the soldiers can go home to their families,” Mehall said. “It’s really been a very joyous thing for us.”

Mehall sees the ceasefire agreement as a step in ensuring the safety of both Israeli and Palestinian citizens from Hamas and “the danger that they pose as a terrorist group.” 

However, other students view the ceasefire as more of a pause and shift in the larger conflict rather than a solution. 

Sumaiyah Ryan, a senior political science and public health double major and one of SJP’s co-presidents, raised concerns about whether the ceasefire would remain intact.

“Throughout history, Israel has repeatedly broken ceasefire agreements,” Ryan said. “So it is something in which we are prepared for, and [we are] not willing to stop our activism just because a ceasefire was announced.”

Just days after the ceasefire went into effect, Israel and Hamas have both blamed each other for breaking the agreement.

Israel accused Hamas of breaching the truce through military attacks, which Hamas denied, reaffirming their commitment to the ceasefire. Israel responded with airstrikes on Gaza on Oct. 19, ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and carried out by Israel Defense Forces troops.

Israel stated that it would return to honoring the ceasefire agreement after carrying out the strikes on Gaza.

Ryan emphasized that though an agreement has been reached, conditions are still far from ideal for Palestinians, and that by bringing conversations about the conflict into a larger context, she hopes to see efforts toward complete Palestinian liberation.

Omar Daas, a junior computer science and biochemistry double major and SJP’s other co-president, echoed Ryan’s sentiments.

“We are working towards making sure that Palestine does not fade into the background, [and] things do not return to the status quo,” Daas said. “Just because the bombs are quieter, just because they’re not as numerous, does not mean that it has not happened. It doesn’t undo the damage.”

Daas calls for work to be done to stop American investments supporting Israeli military efforts in Gaza.

“We would like to see accountability to ensure that this cannot happen again,” Daas said. 

As efforts are made to remedy the ongoing conflict, some Butler students hope that there is an opportunity for others to see nuance in the situation.

Jonah Miller, a junior risk management and insurance double major and Butler’s Israel on Campus Coalition Community Impact Fellow, expressed his hope to see increased conversations about the conflict and a willingness in people to learn.

“Opinions are meant to be fluid, and you should not just staunchly hold to an opinion despite anything that’s brought forth,” Miller said. “I know I’ve changed my opinion multiple times when it comes to this conflict. As [general] opinions change and update, I changed [mine] with it and essentially took a less hard line stance on it all. You need to be able to engage in conversation and expand your thought processing instead of trying to change others.”

He hopes that people can come to understand the need for unity in trying times. 

“I think we need to stop with an us-versus-them mentality,” Miller said.

Similarly, Mehall views disagreement as constructive to a larger goal of understanding and increasing empathy.

“I really hope that there are some students who [can] take a step back from the sensationalization of it all and really, really reflect on [the nuance of the issue],” Mehall said. “Maybe [you] can land somewhere in the middle. [You] don’t have to be pro or against. [You] can just be pro-peace, pro-human, which is really what I am.”

Members of SJP say they will continue advocating for unrestricted aid to Gaza throughout the ceasefire and an increase in Palestinian rights. Both SJP and SSI emphasized the importance of education and informed discussion during this time.