Dear John,

Today has been an awfully long time coming.

More than two years on from those horrific Hamas terror attacks of October 7th, and after all the death and destruction in Gaza since, the ceasefire is finally in effect.

It is, at last, a moment of relief and hope. Hope that both Israelis and Palestinians can now start to heal, and to look forward to a future of peace.

The last hostages are finally free, going home to be reunited with their families. They include Eitan – the younger son of Itzik Horn, who I met in Israel last year. Both of Itzik’s sons were taken captive by Hamas on October 7th. Yair, the eldest, was released earlier this year. Now their family can be together again at last.

Palestinian families – displaced within Gaza by years of war – are starting to return home too. But for many, their homes are now rubble. Many are still facing starvation and disease, after so long without food, water or medicine. Aid must flow into Gaza as quickly as possible, to prevent more tragic deaths.

The process of rebuilding will be long and hard. The trauma is unimaginable – and for many, it will never be truly healed. And a ceasefire is not the same as a lasting peace.

We still have a lot of work to do to deliver the two-state solution that will finally allow Israeli and Palestinian children – both – to grow up free of this cycle of violence.

But at least today, that work can finally begin. And that should give us all hope.

Yours sincerely,