Welcome to +972’s Sunday Recap! 

After the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect on Oct. 10, Ahmed Ahmed joined the crowds of thousands of Palestinians returning to Gaza City, after he was displaced to Deir Al-Balah in the center of the Strip during Israel’s recent invasion. Yet the joy of being home quickly gave way to yet more uncertainty and fear — with ongoing Israeli airstrikes nearby and street clashes between Hamas and local militias.

Yuval Abraham wrote about the logic that helped Israeli liberals commit genocide, based on conversations he conducted with dozens of soldiers and officers as part of numerous investigations over the past two years. By attaching a military goal to each act of killing — focusing on one target at a time — Israelis of all stripes could partake in the slaughter without questioning the morality of their actions.

The olive harvest in the West Bank began less than two weeks ago, and already it is shaping up to be one of the most violent yet. As Basel Adra and Local Call’s Oren Ziv reported, Israeli military restrictions and over 150 settler attacks this month have prevented many Palestinians from harvesting this year’s crop.

For over a year, Abdullah Aljazzar had rehearsed his departure from Gaza; in August, after being accepted to study at Maynooth University in Ireland, the rehearsal was over. He detailed his journey out of the Strip and the pain and shame of leaving his family behind — especially his younger brother Nour, who has been missing since he vanished during Israel’s bombing of Khan Younis.

And on the latest episode of The +972 Podcast, Ghousoon Bisharat spoke with Dahlia Scheindlin, a public opinion researcher and founding member of +972 Magazine, about the lessons Israelis are drawing from two years of war and why international pressure is the only path to a political settlement.

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