Residents of metro Denver — many of whom have ties to the Middle East — cautiously welcomed Wednesday’s announcement of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, with backers of the Jewish state maintaining it has no choice but to accept the terms and pro-Palestinian activists saying the agreement will mean real relief for the people of Gaza.

“I wish the price would be lower and I wish there was one deal for all the hostages, but it’s a deal that has to made,” said Amir Kaufman, a Denver resident and former Israel Defense Forces infantry officer. “I think Israel owes it to its citizens and it’s what’s on the table.”

“We hope that Israel will live up to its intentions,” said Reema Wahdan-Alaswad, a research instructor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and board member of the Palestinian Relief Fund Denver chapter.

Wahdan-Alaswad added: “Any type of cease-fire is a breath of fresh air for the people living in Gaza.”

While most expressed hope, both sides also offered skepticism.

The three-phase cease-fire, once concluded, means the release of dozens of hostages held in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

The agreement will also permit thousands of displaced people in Gaza to return and allow humanitarian aid into the region ravaged by the war sparked by the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants crossed into southern Israel from Gaza, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.

College students across the U.S., including in Denver, protested Israel’s retaliatory offensive by setting up encampments on campuses. Some 3,200 people were arrested nationally. In Colorado, the police apprehended more than 40 on the Auraria campus.

The protests set off a fierce debate over the parameters for free speech, drew allegations of antisemitism and put a spotlight on university officials, who struggled with the tension between upholding their declared ideals of free speech and maintaining campus security. At the University of Denver, officials said they saw instances of antisemitism at the pro-Palestinian encampment.   

In a statement Wednesday, JEWISHcolorado and the Jewish Community Relations Council said the cease-fire brings “renewed hope” for the safe return of all hostages and a step toward alleviating the suffering in the region.

“Here in Colorado, the impact of this conflict has been deeply felt,” the groups said. “Some have used this difficult time to spread harmful narratives that amplify antisemitism and hate. These actions have added pain to an already strained moment, deepening divides and making it harder for our local our communities to feel safe and to work together.”

Adam Rovner, director of the Center of Judaic Studies at the University of Denver, said the cease-fire is “a very good moment for Israelis.”

“I also believe that this offers a window for Palestinians who desire peace,” Rovner said. “The Middle East is poised to change its face, and this is an opportunity that I hope, that Israelis and Palestinians join together to seize.”

Rabbi Joe Black of Temple Emanuel, the largest synagogue in the Rocky Mountain region, expressed both optimism and caution.

“If we’re dealing with a terrorist organization who committed the worst act of anti-Jewish violence since the Holocaust, we have to understand what we’re dealing with,” he said. “I don’t trust Hamas at all.”

Black, who said he learned of the news Wednesday morning while skiing in Vail with other rabbis, added, “We’re all kind of holding our breath to see what the next steps are going to be.”

“For the most part,” Black said, “the vast majority of Israelis and Jews are relieved that the hostages are finally coming home and this horrific, absolutely unnecessary, destructive chapter will be ended.”

Rabbi Bruce Dollin, a longtime Jewish leader in Denver, called Hamas an “evil organization that has held women and children.”

“And to make a deal with a terrorist organization is horrible, but the Israelis have to do it. We’re all made in the image of God, and want to preserve life. To redeem the captives, Israel is making a sacrifice to uphold the highest of Jewish values, and they should be commended for that,” he said. 

Joshua Epel, member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee national council and Greenwood Village resident, is skeptical.

“We have to recognize Hamas has done everything to promote death, including deliberately seeking to have its citizens targeted, and that’s a basis for skepticism,” he said. 

For pro-Palestinian activists, the timing is suspect, noting President-elect Donald Trump will assume office in less than a week.

“Israel has shown time and time again that its concern was never for the hostages but for total destruction and extermination of Palestine and its people,” said V. Reeves, a local activist working in the homelessness arena. “So, I’m curious what their motive is for stopping the genocidal rampage they’ve been on.”

Without Israel ending its “occupation” of Palestine, there is still more to be done, Reeves said.

Khalid Hamu, a University of Colorado Denver senior, echoed the sentiment.

“Palestine is still under occupation,” Hamu said. “They’re not liberated yet.”

Some of the activists expressed doubts as to whether the cease-fire would hold.

“While the cease-fire is cause for celebration, I am cautiously optimistic since Israel has denied cease-fire deals in the past,” said Jazmine Bjelland, a 2022 University of Colorado Denver alumnus who, in April, joined the Auraria protests.

“Institutions must continue to boycott and divest from Israel and world leaders need to hold all war criminals accountable for their actions in committing and upholding the genocide against Palestinians,” Bjelland said, calling Israel an “apartheid state” — a familiar refrain among activists.

Several organizations have noted a rise in antisemitism that escalated after the Hamas attack 15 months ago. An Anti-Defamation League survey published Tuesday shows nearly half of adults worldwide — about 2.2 billion people — hold antisemitic views, “an all-time high globally.”

Conducted with Ipsos, a global market research firm, the survey queried more than 58,000 adults in 103 countries about, among other things, Jewish stereotypes and awareness of the Holocaust.

“Antisemitic tropes and beliefs are becoming alarmingly normalized across societies worldwide,” Marina Rosenberg, ADL’s senior vice president for international affairs, said in a statement. “This dangerous trend is not just a threat to Jewish communities — it’s a warning to us all.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.