Some of the Democratic Party’s most outspoken critics of Israel’s war in Gaza, lawmakers who for months have accused the Jewish state of committing genocide, have remained strikingly silent in the days since President Donald Trump’s brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect.

The deal, which resulted in the release of 20 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, has brought the most extensive pause in fighting since the war began nearly two years ago. As part of the agreement, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Monday in exchange for the return of the hostages. The remains of four deceased Israeli hostages were also returned to Israel, while 24 others have yet to be recovered. 

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Yet progressive Democrats who once dominated headlines with calls to “end the genocide” have offered no new public statements acknowledging the development. Among those who have not commented are Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Summer Lee (D-PA) — members of the so-called Squad who have been some of Israel’s fiercest critics.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) is the only member of the group to issue a new statement since the ceasefire took effect. In a post on X, Pressley said she was “deeply relieved that surviving Israeli hostages and detained Palestinians are finally being reunited with their families,” while expressing heartbreak for those who did not make it home. She called the moment “a critical step” and said she hopes it leads to “a just and lasting peace in the region,” as well as “an end to the horrific genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government,” the rebuilding of Gaza, and “a shared future of self-determination and humanity for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

Their silence comes after months of highly charged rhetoric. Tlaib has repeatedly called Israel’s campaign “a genocide funded by U.S. taxpayers.” Omar accused the Israeli government of “indiscriminate bombing,” while Ocasio-Cortez said earlier this year that “Gaza has become a graveyard for children.”

Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, last posted on Oct. 10, reposting a message from Oversight Democrats urging federal workers to call a whistleblower tip line. She has not spoken out since the deal was announced. She was also one of the earliest lawmakers to demand a ceasefire, calling for one just 10 days after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that left roughly 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken hostage. Israel’s campaign in the two years that followed left over 67,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, though its count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

For the sake of humanity, let’s hope this will be a lasting and permanent ceasefire. While this is a hopeful step, we must demand accountability for every war crime committed during this genocide and continue to call for an end to the occupation. https://t.co/V7nh0Z9wEH

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 9, 2025

Omar posted on X on Oct. 9, writing, “For the sake of humanity, let’s hope this will be a lasting and permanent ceasefire. While this is a hopeful step, we must demand accountability for every war crime committed during this genocide and continue to call for an end to the occupation.” She has not issued any further comment since.

Lee posted on Oct. 10 that the ceasefire was “a critical step to ending the genocide, surging aid, and reuniting Palestinian and Israeli families” and said it must hold. She has not posted any updates since the deal took effect.

Ocasio-Cortez, on the House floor in March 2024, accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people. In a September press release, she said, “The children of Gaza are starving to death because Donald Trump will also not stand up to Benjamin Netanyahu. It is time for us to fight for a free Palestine, the release of the hostages, and a diplomatic solution to end the cycle of violence.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), among the most vocal critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza, welcomed the release of hostages and prisoners while again denouncing Israel’s military campaign. Together with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), he attempted to advance legislation seeking to restrict U.S. transfers of offensive weapons to Israel.

“Today, we welcome the long-overdue release of the 20 remaining Israelis held by Hamas and the freeing of almost 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons,” Sanders wrote. “Hopefully, the ceasefire will hold, and the people of the region will find a lasting peace.” He also called on the United States to end its “blanket military support” for Israel, saying the destruction of Gaza “must never happen again.”

Sanders has been among the most forceful voices in Congress criticizing Israel’s campaign. In September, he became the first U.S. senator to accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, calling that conclusion “inescapable.” “Over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas,” he wrote. “Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.” 

Democratic strategist Jon Reinish said progressive Democrats’ silence raises new questions for the party as it prepares toward the next election cycle.

“What’s been very interesting is that the whole ceasefire, progressive cohort who has been clamoring and shouting and calling for a ceasefire since practically Oct. 8 of 2023, now that there is one, I haven’t heard boo from them,” Reinish told the Washington Examiner. “It makes me wonder if it was really about a ceasefire all along.”

Reinish added that Democrats may soon have to grapple with the political fallout. “So many Jews feel so abandoned by our natural political home for most of our lives,” he said. “Is that going to rejigger elections here in America in a lasting way, or even in the upcoming election? That’s the question I’m thinking about.”

He said many Democrats also appear reluctant to credit Trump for securing the ceasefire. “It’s been interesting to see how hesitant some people are to acknowledge that the deal freeing hostages and setting the region, hopefully, on a path to peace came from Trump and his team,” Reinish said. “I’ve heard people say, ‘I want this to happen, but did it have to be Trump who got us there?’ My answer is, ‘Who cares who got us there? It needed to happen.’”

While the progressive flank has stayed largely quiet, other Democrats have been more measured in their responses. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) praised Trump for “getting a lot of credit” for the deal, calling it “a hopeful step toward ending this terrible war.” Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) also welcomed the ceasefire and the release of hostages, calling it a long-awaited moment of relief and a possible turning point for diplomacy.

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Coons said it was “a day long overdue,” adding that he was “overjoyed that the remaining living hostages have been released and are finally being reunited with their loved ones.” Rosen described it as “an important day” after “over 700 days of torture and torment,” expressing relief that “the nightmare is over for the families so they can begin the healing process.” Shaheen said in a statement that the moment “offers hope amid immense suffering” and thanked the Trump administration and regional partners “for their mediation efforts that made this progress possible,” urging all parties “to press forward on diplomatic efforts so Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace, security, and dignity.”

Democratic leaders also praised the agreement. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called it “a wonderful day,” thanking Trump, his administration, and the families of the hostages for their advocacy. He urged all parties to seize the “enormous opportunity ahead for a lasting peace,” reaffirming his support for a two-state solution ensuring “security, prosperity, and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) struck a similar tone, saying he was “thankful that all 20 living Israeli hostages are home with their loved ones” and that humanitarian aid is now reaching civilians in Gaza. “We must now recommit to achieving a just and lasting peace in the region,” he said. “Nothing less than that is acceptable.”