Editorial | Guns Fall Quiet Now

It has taken weeks of intense combat, but Iran and Israel have made peace. A ceasefire is established. For the first time in what has felt like forever, rockets are no longer in the air. The skies are silent. Cities are quiet. The terror hasn’t completely disappeared, but for today, at least, people can breathe. The sound of war is silent, and that is a big deal. Even though the silence is tenuous, it is important. This is not peace yet, but it may be the beginning of something more.

The battle has caused profound hurt to both sides. Common people have been hurt the most. They were not involved in the decision to fight, but they bore the biggest price. Families lost loved ones in Iran, in Israel, in Gaza, and throughout the region. Children have witnessed war firsthand. Houses have been flattened. Electricity has been shut off. Schools have shut down. Hospitals have been flooded. A lull allows individuals to rest. An end to violence for an instant can prevent deaths. It can also allow hearts to start to mend.

The shooting has ceased, but the pain remains. Loss does not go away with a truce. Individuals are still mourning. Damage is still done. Debris remains where houses were. Sirens, screams, and funeral memories will not soon be forgotten. Kids will have this fear for years to come. Some will become angry men and women, unless they are shown something better than war. A ceasefire is merely the beginning. The hard work follows: mending the people, the sites, and the broken faith.

This is the time for leadership not tough talk, but wise. Iran and Israel should use this lull not to restock, but to think. They should ask themselves: what’s next? More war? More killing? Or something else? Genuine leadership involves listening to the people. It involves deciding on peace, even when it is difficult. Arrogance should not get in the way. Peace requires courage. It requires vision. Leaders need to speak now, not menacingly. All wars end in words so why not say those words before the next missile flies?

Wars construct walls. They segment people. They make hate flourish. But words can build bridges. Negotiations can make people get one another. A ceasefire opens a door. It provides space to speak. Iran and Israel need to use this moment to talk directly or indirectly. Peace does not occur overnight. It emerges slowly, in many gradual steps. But those steps must begin somewhere. This is the opportunity to take the initial one. Bridges are difficult to construct, but they are more durable than walls.

This quiet is extremely delicate. One rocket, one attack, one misstep — and it may all come crashing down. That is why all individuals need to guard the peace. Not only leaders, but commanders, soldiers, and even the populace. Each has a role to play. One quiet step can maintain calm or dismantle it. Ceasefires collapse when unobserved. They require nurturing, as does a small plant. With patience and tending, they develop. But they may perish unattended. Each day needs to be a decision for peace.

Peace is not the absence of war. It is better than quiet. Peace is life. It is mothers and fathers who are able to raise their children in security. It is children who can attend school without taking cover in bunkers. It is employees who can work, farmers who can plant, and kids who can play outside. Peace equals employment, education, and development. It provides individuals with an opportunity to dream. War steals everything — time, money, health, future. Peace returns it all. That is why peace is always the better option, even when it is more difficult.

This ceasefire should not be overlooked by the rest of the world. Other nations should aid this silence. Not with guns, but with donations, with negotiations, and with pressure. Strong countries should pressure for dialogue. The United Nations has to remain engaged. Neighboring nations have to remain calm. If the world sits in awe when bombs drop, but remains silent when peace starts, then peace will not survive. It is time for the world to act — not with force, but with compassion. Peace in one location benefits peace everywhere.

In Iran, in Israel, and in each spot affected by this war, people desire the same: safety, dignity, and a better future. They are weary of sirens. Weary of funerals. Weary of fear. This ceasefire provides them with hope, even tiny hope. This hope cannot be allowed to be lost. It must be guarded, as a flame in a breeze. Leaders should not extinguish it. The world must not look away. Every peaceful day is a victory. Let us not waste this one.

Silence, after war, is powerful. It speaks of what is possible. It gives people room to live. But silence alone is not enough. It must be followed by action, by talks, by justice. If this ceasefire holds, maybe something better can begin. Let this be more than a break. Let it be the start of something new. The guns are quiet now. Let the silence stay.