Peacemakers hope Israel-Hamas ceasefire will hold: 'It’s time for this nightmare to end.'

Relieved. Hopeful. Even optimistic.

Those are the immediate reactions of some peacebuilders in the Gaza Strip, the U.S., and elsewhere abroad Wednesday after Israel and the militant group Hamas reached a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

"I can’t tell you how relieved our staff in the region are, as are our members. This has been the hardest 15 months any of us have ever endured," said John Lyndon, executive director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace, a fast-growing coalition of about 170 organizations worldwide working towards peacebuilding, especially among the Israelis and Palestinians.

"As this deal takes root, we must immediately turn our eyes toward what comes next," he said.

Mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, President Joe Biden said the deal includes a six-week initial ceasefire phase and gradual withdrawals of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza. It also covers the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

This isn't the first milestone in the bloody war. Several waves of negotiations stalled and failed to achieve a sequel to a November 2023 agreement during which 105 hostages were released in a weeklong truce.

These steps still mark three crucial phases for the devastating war, said Lyndon via text from Paris. But peacemakers told USA TODAY future phase details still need to be addressed for them to turn the page.

Scheduled to start Sunday, the truce is intended to stop the fighting that has devastated Gaza, caused unrest in the entire Middle East region and left tens of thousands of people dead in the process.

Peacekeeper says ceasefire will take 'lots of good faith'

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas kidnapped 251 people and killed more than 1,200 when it attacked communities in southern Israel, igniting a military response from the country.

About 94 hostages are still in Gaza, 60 of whom are assumed to be alive, the Israeli government believes. Four of the hostages were taken in earlier incidents. More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military operation, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.

"There are lots of opportunities for breakdown," Lyndon said. "The deal will take lots of good faith, and continued international and local pressure to ensure it's fully implemented so that we do not return to the daily horror and loss of life we’ve seen in Gaza, and that every hostage is reunited with their loved ones."

Shamil Idriss, CEO of Search for Common Ground, a Washington, D.C.-based peacebuilding group, agreed.

"It opens up an opportunity, a fragile opportunity that hopefully translates into a permanent cessation of violence," Idriss said. "Ultimately, we hope this begins an inclusive political process which is the only thing that will bring Israelis and Palestinians lasting security."

From the beginning to apparent end: Israel-Hamas war

Shiri Ourian, the executive director of the New York-based American Friends of the Parents Circle - Families Forum, said she was still taking in the details on Wednesday and called herself "a bit overwhelmed."

The leader of the joint Israeli-Palestinian nonprofit organization of 750 families who have lost a loved one in the conflict told USA TODAY, "this war has caused way too much pain, the human cost from this conflict as our bereaved members are living proof this is beyond anything to pay."

But these peacemakers emphasized that the work is far from over for extended stability.

Lyndon said he believes "this worst chapter in Israeli-Palestinian history" came while governments around the world tried to manage or ignore a conflict that long needed resolving.

"We can't repeat that mistake.? These societies are shattered and traumatized," Lyndon said. "We need a bottom-up and top-down approach to secure this deal, and build a path from it toward genuine conflict resolution." ?

Ourian, whose members still meet regularly, said she's seen too many ceasefires and wants genuine peace.

"We always stress that we must humanize the other side, see them as human beings, Israelis, Palestinians, Americans, all over the world," Ourian said. "In these 466 days, what did see accomplished? Nothing but devastation and loss. It’s time for this nightmare to end."

Contributing: USA TODAY staff

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Peacemakers hope Israel-Hamas ceasefire will hold