We are Hopeful. And We Will Not Stop at Hope.

From Gaza to Tel Aviv, people are celebrating. Men, women and children are dancing. We have waited every day for over two years for the announcement of a final ceasefire and hostage deal—and now stage one of that deal has been signed by both the Israeli cabinet and Hamas leadership. 

This moment has, at long last, provided a desperately needed breath of air—for the families waiting for a return of their loved ones, for Palestinians in Gaza in desperate need of aid, and for those of us who have ached every day at seeing the needless destruction wrought by this terrible war. 

President Trump has announced—directly to the hostage families—that their loved ones will be coming home on Monday or Tuesday. The time between then and now feels like an eternity. And, when we think about the 733 days that they have been held in captivity, it also feels like no time at all. 

Yet today also proves that wherever there is a struggle, there is hope. Wherever we put energy towards change, there is hope. Wherever we lend our solidarity, our voice, our resources, there is hope. 

This deal was forced through by President Trump, to be sure, but without the constant pressure from the Israeli street—from people who refused to give up, who refused to lose faith, and who did not allow their government a moment of quiet—it would never have happened at all. They deserve a tremendous amount of credit. A Maariv poll this week found that 83% of Likud voters are for a deal. That would not have happened without the protestors. 

Because if it were up to Israel’s extremist government, this deal would not be on the table at all. The war would drag on. More Gazans, Israeli soldiers, and hostages would die. Now it is the job of those same determined and courageous activists to keep watch—to make sure their government does not torpedo this deal, that it does not backtrack, dragging Israelis back into the war, into the killing, and into the destruction of Gaza.

But even with all of this in mind, this is a moment for great hope. One we have been waiting for, hoping for, pushing for, protesting for.

In Israel earlier today, thousands of people spontaneously poured into Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square as Israel’s cabinet met to approve the ceasefire. According to Israeli reporting, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage in Gaza, arrived at the square to cheers. Einav, who won NIF’s Truth to Power prize in 2024 for her central and public advocacy on behalf of the hostages and to protest the government’s pursuit of this war has become a much-beloved public figure. 

To see Einav, smiling after two years of struggling to bring Matan home, to witness the joy in her eyes, is utterly beautiful. “Matan is coming home to me, to [his sisters] Natalie and Shani, and to [his partner] Ilana, the love of his life,” she wrote, “I prayed for these tears.”

We also know that the story cannot—does not—end here. There is still so much work to do—to weaken the grip of extremism and support the voices of those who seek an enduring diplomatic solution. Because without such a solution, we know what will happen. We will end up right back where we started. 

Now is the time to exercise our political imaginations—to support those who have already been envisioning what “the day after” looks like for both peoples. To imagine building up from the ashes, the destruction, the death—with the deep knowledge that any future for Israelis and Palestinians must be a shared one, one where equality and dignity reign supreme.