Israel let tens of thousands of Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas​, under terms of a fragile ceasefire​.

Palestinians are returning to areas ruined by 15 months of war after Israel and Hamas resolved a dispute over hostages that threatened to derail the ceasefire.

To truly understand this angst, one must understand Jewish history and one of the main reasons for Israel’s establishment as a modern nation-state.

With a new administration in Washington and a renewed focus on the West Bank, it is in Israel’s interests to maintain the ceasefire in Lebanon. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire in late November 2024 to end more than a year of fighting.

Israel has not toppled Hamas’s rule over Gaza – at least not yet – but for Hamas to portray this as a victory is an act of staggering self-deception. The same in Lebanon. Hezbollah’s leadership has been decapitated,