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Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc., reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the existence and safety of the state of Israel and the self-determination of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland. Hadassah supports strong American leadership to build bridges and advance peace discussions in the Middle East. In order for there to be lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians and an end to the long reign of terrorism, Hadassah affirms its steadfast support for the complete disarmament of Hamas.
With around 20,000 armed fighters still in Gaza and ongoing support from Iran and others, Hamas’ access to arms is an existential threat to regional and global security. In October 2025, after two years of war, a ceasefire and 20-point peace plan were announced between Israel and Hamas. The plan, developed and brokered by the United States under the Trump Administration, includes the full disarmament of Hamas. Hadassah welcomes recent progress toward phase two of the peace plan, including international support for and the commencement of work by the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
Over the course of the past thirty years, Hamas has employed advanced weapons and terror tactics to cause the mass destruction of Israel and the Jewish people. Hamas indiscriminately targets civilians, often in public and crowded areas, through deadly suicide bombings and missile attacks. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US, Organization of American States, European Union and 10 additional countries, with bans instituted on Hamas in Jordan and Switzerland. On October 7, 2023, over 5,000 Hamas missiles were fired and armed Hamas militants murdered 1,200 people in Israel, wounded over 5,400 and abducted over 250 hostages. Hamas systematically targeted multitudes of Israeli women and girls with brutal sexual violence and mutilation during the massacre and continued to sexually abuse female and male hostages throughout the Israel-Hamas war.
As the parties work to advance phase two of the peace plan, global leaders are wavering in their commitment to disarm Hamas. Recently Qatar and Turkey, both strong powers in the region and key players in the peace process, proposed conditions on full disarmament and are now advocating for lighter alternatives. Meanwhile, Hamas officials refuse to disarm and continue to call for the destruction of Israel and elimination of the Jewish people.
As a global humanitarian organization, Hadassah remains committed to healing and building bridges to peace. Only when Hamas is fully disarmed, with the support of the global community, can lasting peace be secured in the Middle East.
Hadassah strongly urges:
- US leaders and peace plan mediators to continue their steadfast support for the complete disarmament of Hamas.
- Foreign leaders and international mediators to commit to enforce Hamas’ full disarmament, independent of political negotiations or ceasefire conditions.