Will peace finally come?

It's an urgent question for many in Gaza and Israel as delegations from both sides in the war

sit down for negotiations in Egypt on Monday.

Over the course of the past two years, there have been numerous failed attempts at brokering a deal.

Still, a cautious sense of optimism is spreading.

I crossed my fingers very hard, so it will finally happen.

That's Karen Giel.

She was one of thousands of protesters who gathered in Tel Aviv over the weekend, calling

and hoping for an end to the war.

You know, just when I'm thinking about it, it makes me like shiver, because, you know, we want it so bad and let's hope

it will happen. Those feelings of hope can be heard also in Gaza. Amper's report there,

Anas Baba spoke with Iman Abu Aklein. She's a 48-year-old mother of four. She was buying canned food

for her family, and Baba said she was very skinny.

She said the news of a deal has brought some relief.

It's like we've been living in a pressure cooker and we can take a small breath after all

this fear we live with each night. But even as hope takes hold, humanitarian organizations warn that hope is all that many Gazans have

and that aid is needed now.

Consider this.

This seems to be a pivotal moment for diplomacy,

but more than a million Gazans are in desperate need of medicine and food.

When will Israel allow enough aid in? For NPR, I'm Angela Lombong.

On the ThruLine podcast from NPR, what it takes to report on war. Great sleep deprivation.

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