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​.

Some troops had been expected to withdraw to allow hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans to go home. But Israel said the hostage exchange before that step had not gone as agreed. Hamas accused Israel of stalling.

Israel kept thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza as it accused Hamas of violating a fragile ceasefire by changing the order of hostages it has released.

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.