When the ceasefire starts, Israelis assess the damage and consider going back to the north.
The first day of the ceasefire with Hezbollah was disrupted by the sound of gunfire near Kibbutz Menara in northern Israel, close to the Lebanese border.
Kibbutz Menara faces Meiss el-Jabal, a village in Lebanon. The Israeli military reported firing warning shots at multiple suspects spotted in the area. Rather than engaging in direct combat with Hezbollah fighters, the military stated that the shots were meant to deter the individuals. Four suspects were subsequently apprehended.
In Menara, the ceasefire brought Meitel and her 13-year-old daughter, Gefen, their first return home in over a year.
“This is unbelievable. It’s like a nightmare,” Meitel said, surveying a damaged building.
The two had left the kibbutz on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel, following Hamas’s deadly attack on southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Israel’s government declared that its extensive bombardment and ground operations in Lebanon aimed to ensure that tens of thousands of northern Israeli residents, displaced from their homes, could return safely.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a speech on Tuesday, defended the ceasefire, stating that the war had significantly set Hezbollah back, destroyed much of its rocket arsenal, and decimated its border infrastructure.
Despite this, Meitel expressed skepticism about the ceasefire’s stability, pointing to the gunfire still echoing through Menara’s deserted streets.
“They want to come back. We need to keep them away,” she said.
Widespread Destruction in Menara
The toll of nearly 14 months of conflict has left three-quarters of Menara’s buildings in ruins. Infrastructure, including electricity, sewage, and gas supplies, has been decimated.
Hezbollah missile strikes have left homes with gaping holes, burned-out interiors, and shrapnel scars etched into walls. The communal kitchen roof lies collapsed, tangled in heaps of concrete and metal.
Through shattered windows, the damage extends across the border, revealing the similarly devastated homes of Lebanese neighbors.
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