On the threshold of a new chapter

After two long and painful years, Israel stands at the threshold of a new chapter. The Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement offers a moment that many feared would never come, a chance to bring home the remaining hostages and turn a page on one of the most traumatic chapters in Israel’s modern history.

Yet this is more than a truce, it’s a turning point, a historic opportunity to reshape the future of Israel and the Middle East.

This breakthrough builds on the momentum of the Abraham Accords, and demonstrates once again that bold leadership can reshape the destiny of nations. Arab and Muslim countries that once sought Israel’s destruction are now working alongside Israel and the United States to forge an enduring peace, one that ensures that Hamas will never again threaten the Jewish people or terrorise the people of Gaza.

This transformation is extraordinary, almost unimaginable only a few years ago. What began in 2020 as a new path of recognition and co-operation could now expand into a regional framework for stability, prosperity, and coexistence.

The agreement offers the possibility of the full return of all remaining hostages – innocent men, women, and children who have endured nearly two years of unimaginable suffering in the tunnels of Gaza. Their homecoming, G-d willing, will mark a moment of profound national healing.

Yet this peace comes at an undeniable cost. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners with blood on their hands will be released, and Israel must rely on an international force to disarm Hamas and prevent it from regrouping.

The Jewish people have learned through hard experience to be cautious about depending on international guarantees for their safety and security.

Over the past two years, the Israeli people have demonstrated extraordinary courage and resilience.

Israel has defended itself not on one front, but on seven and in doing so, it has transformed the Middle East. An entire generation answered the call to defend their homeland. University students abandoned their studies; young professionals left their careers; and newly married couples postponed their lives. They put on uniforms, knowing the cost and accepting the burden. Too many paid the ultimate price.

And while soldiers defended Israel’s borders, civilians defended the home front. Families kept communities alive under relentless rocket fire. Teachers comforted frightened children in bomb shelters. Volunteers fed the displaced. Businesses adapted and persevered amid chaos. Together, they embodied what it means to be am echad – one people, bound by shared destiny and an unbreakable will to survive.

It’s profoundly symbolic that the hostages may soon return home as we approach Simchat Torah, the festival when we complete one cycle of Torah reading and begin anew. As we finish one chapter and open another, we pray that Israel and the Jewish people can close this painful period and begin writing a new story, one of reconstruction, peace, and renewed hope. Perhaps, finally, the ancient words of the prophet Isaiah can become reality: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

At the Jewish National Fund (JNF), locally and in Israel, we are ready to help write this new chapter. We have already begun work on rebuilding the devastated communities of Israel’s south and north; establishing resilience centres in Israel for those scarred by the war; and continuing our programme with the Base Community of bringing released hostages to South Africa for rest and recovery.

JNF/Keren Kayemeth LeYisrael’s experience in water management and environmental restoration will be the bedrock of regional co-operation.

The challenges ahead are immense. Homes must be rebuilt. Forests must be replanted. And most critically, the physical and emotional wounds of those who have suffered must be healed. This is the work of years – perhaps decades – but it’s work we approach with the same determination that has carried the Jewish people through every trial in our history.

Now, as we stand at the threshold of a new era, we draw strength from the knowledge that Israel has not only survived, it has prevailed. The hostages will come home. The Jewish nation will rebuild. And from the ruins of war, the promise of peace will take root and grow, not as a distant dream, but as a living testament to the resilience of the Jewish spirit and enduring hope of our people.

• Michael Kransdorff is chairperson of the Jewish National Fund South Africa.