13 hours ago
Israelis welcome return to normal life, but fears for Gaza hostages resurface
TEL AVIV/HAIFA, Israel, June 25 (Reuters) - Pop music blared from a Tel Aviv school on Wednesday as children arrived for their first day back after 12 days of air war with Iran kept them confined to safe rooms and bomb shelters with stressed parents.
The sight of children carrying or wheeling their colourful backpacks into school was one of the most vivid signs of life returning to routine in Israel after days and nights of huddling indoors in fear of being hit by an Iranian missile.
Avi Behagen looked euphoric after dropping off his 9-year-old twin boy and girl.
"In one word? Thank you, God!" he said, raising his eyes and hands to the heavens.
"It's good to bring the kids back to school, good for us the parents, and also good for the kids, because they don't admit it, but they do miss the school. And I have twins, so it's a double happiness."
During the conflict with Iran, many families with safe rooms within their homes spent most of their time there, while those reliant on public shelters would run there every time there was an alert, disrupting nighttime sleep and daytime routines.
Israel started attacking Iran on June 13, saying it aimed to destroy its arch-enemy's nuclear capabilities. Its strikes wiped out a senior echelon of Iran's military command and killed several nuclear scientists. Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed and nearly 5,000 injured in the country.
Tehran's retaliatory missiles killed at least 28 people in Israel and damaged hundreds of buildings, until a ceasefire came into effect on Tuesday.
At a Tel Aviv beach, people were swimming, relaxing and playing beach volleyball, but despite the peaceful scene some expressed mixed emotions -- relief, hopes of lasting peace with Iran, but also anxiety and pain over the ongoing Gaza war and the Israeli hostages still held in the enclave.
"I think we kind of focused this past two weeks on the war (with Iran), but we haven't focused on Gaza at all," said Rony Hoter-Ishay Meyer, 38, sitting on the beach promenade.
"So now we're very much concerned about the hostages. Even today, there were seven soldiers killed in Gaza, so I think our heart is still there, exhausted, but still there."
During the war with Iran, deadly violence has continued in Gaza with no respite. Israeli forces killed at least 40 Palestinians in Gaza and ordered new evacuations on Tuesday, local medics and residents said.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to reach U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites since late May as they sought food, the Gaza health ministry said.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel's assault on the strip has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, while displacing most of the population and causing hunger.
Militants took 251 people hostage during the October 7 attacks, of whom 50 remain in Gaza. Only 20 are believed to be alive, and their plight is a central preoccupation for most Israelis. Most Israeli media gives little coverage to how Palestinians are affected by the war in Gaza.
In the northern port city of Haifa, people were sipping coffees and fruit juices at a cafe terrace, chatting, reading newspapers or scrolling on their phones, but some also felt Israel's problems had not ended with the Iran ceasefire.
"We have one trouble less than we had before. That's the situation, you know? Nothing is all right here, nothing," said Ina Marom, 71, a family doctor.
Some hoped that the Iran ceasefire would provide momentum for a deal on Gaza.
"I think Gaza should be part of it because it's all connected," said Jonatan, 45, an estate agent who did not wish to give his surname.
For some, the joy of normal life was enough for now.
"Today I feel freedom. I feel that I'm back to life," said Orly Sapir, 66, a lawyer who had just enjoyed a workout at the gym. "It's life! And I know now much more to appreciate it."
