APN mourns the lives of innocent civilians lost in this disastrous round of violence, on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border, and wishes a quick recovery to those injured in the hostilities.

APN's President and CEO Debra DeLee said: "At the end of this round of hostilities, after so much bloodshed, destruction, terror and pain, Israel and Hamas engaged in diplomacy - the same kind of diplomacy that APN has been calling for since Hamas came to power in the Gaza Strip five years ago."

"We are grateful to President Obama and Secretary Clinton for their efforts to end the violence and help bring about a ceasefire agreement that hopefully will be solid and sustainable."

"After seven days of death and destruction, it is time to rebuild. It is time to rebuild the damaged towns and villages of southern Israel. It is time to rebuild the lives, homes and infrastructure of civilians in the Gaza Strip. Most of all, it is time to rebuild a political horizon for both Israelis and Palestinians by re-launching a credible peace process - something that only our re-elected President can do."

"While we welcome the ceasefire agreement, we caution all parties involved - as we have in the past - that a ceasefire cannot be an end in itself. For this ceasefire to not turn into just another intermission between rounds of violence, it must be harnessed to a diplomatic process that addresses the underlying causes of conflict."

"Time has come to break the dynamic of reciprocal violence and pivot toward peace negotiations facilitated and brokered by the U.S. and its international allies."

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