After nearly 14 months of relentless fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which displaced over 60,000 residents of Northern Israel, a ceasefire has finally come into effect. While the truce offers a sigh of relief and a glimmer of hope, it also raises pressing questions: Will the ceasefire hold? And is it the right decision for Israel’s security and future?
More than 16,000 rockets launched during the conflict destroyed homes and forced thousands into displacement. Now, residents wait to see if the uneasy calm will last or if they’ll once again find themselves seeking refuge in Tel Aviv’s safe rooms. During the conflict, even the occasional northern rocket strikes added to the anxiety in the center of the country. For now, there's a collective breath of relief—but also lingering uncertainty.
CEASEFIRE: GOOD OR BAD?
(ILTV)
“For me, as an Israeli, I have to say that people dying—it doesn’t matter if you’re an Israeli or a Lebanese citizen. All of us, as human beings in this world, are supposed to be against war,” said one resident of Tel Aviv.
Israel’s airstrikes displaced nearly a million people in Lebanon, while Hezbollah continued firing into Israel until the ceasefire took effect. Opinions are divided over the ceasefire: some believe additional military pressure could have further degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities, while others argue diplomacy must now take center stage.
“I think it was a good idea. The northern communities have to go home, and this allows them to get home,” said another Tel Aviv resident. “It’s been a really tough time, both economically and socially, having them away from the north. So I think it’s really important to find an agreement to get them home, even if it doesn’t allow Israel to achieve the last 10 or 20% of the war.”