WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released a statement following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a plan to end the war: 

“I am deeply relieved that a peace agreement has been reached to stop the bombing and end the immense loss of innocent life that has plagued Israel and Gaza since October 7, 2023. For the first time in over two years, people in Gaza—facing daily bombardment, famine, living in tents, and displaced from their homes—can sleep soundly with the assurance that they will wake up in the morning, free from any further violence. Now, desperately-needed food and medicine must immediately begin flowing to the people of Gaza. 

“I’m also immensely gratified that this peace agreement means Israeli families will at long-last be reunited with their loved ones, who have been so cruelly held hostage by brutal Hamas. I hope it will also bring some peace to those whose loved ones have died at the hands of Hamas’ brutality in captivity.  

“I’m grateful for President Trump’s diplomatic efforts, along with peacebrokers in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, for their efforts to bring peace to this traumatized region.” 

The agreement was approved following months of negotiation, and more than two years after the start of the conflict, which has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza—more than two million Palestinians. The conflict has injured over 170,000 and killed more than 67,000 people in Gaza—roughly 11% of the country’s population—and led to widespread hunger, starvation, and mass destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, hospitals, and mosques.  

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