ATLANTA — Israeli officials in Atlanta are expressing cautious optimism following Israel’s peace deal with Hamas, signed just days after the two-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks.

Anna Shteingart, Israel’s Deputy Consul General to the Southeast, says the agreement brings a sense of hope after two years of grief and uncertainty.

“That’s the news that we were waiting for, for the last two years,” she said. “I do believe we have a kind of positive direction, and I really hope that we manage to fulfill all of the stages for the agreement in a diplomatic way.”

Shteingart says the return of hostages will be a critical step toward closure for many families. “I believe that on one hand we are very strong and very resilient; on the other hand, we need to process everything, and we can’t even start to do it until we have everyone home,” she said.

She hopes the deal marks the beginning of a new era of cooperation and peace in the region. “We truly believe that we can expand the circle of faith, peace, and normalization, and this is just the first step for that,” Shteingart said.

Calling it “the beginning of a healing,” Shteingart says she hopes the agreement will hold and mark the start of a new era of peace and cooperation in the region.

WSB’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story