Thousands of Israelis lost their homes to Iranian missiles but thousands more Israelis have mobilised to clear the rubble, fix smashed windows, supply essentials to those who lost everything, furnish temporary accommodations and cook meals for anyone who needs.

Almost a week after the ceasefire and you could get whiplash from the speed with which Israelis have gone back to their regular routines. Streets are clogged with traffic, beaches are crowded (despite the arrival of seasonal jellyfish in many places), kids finally had their end of year graduations, summer camps are gearing up for the end of the school year, plays and shows are back on at theatres and clubs and people are back to holding hostage vigils in public places that are once again crowded.

And here and there as you drive through certain Israeli cities you suddenly come across a damaged street or building, some hoardings with a bombed out building peaking out, some historic old buildings with shattered tile roofs or broken windows, repair work ongoing.

The Weizmann Institute lost its cancer research building to an Iranian missile but the campus has reopened and some of the world's most dedicated scientists and grad students are back to working on making life saving breakthroughs.

The war against Hamas continues. Down in fields and greenhouses near the border you can still hear it, the pursuit of gunmen who helped orchestrate the atrocities of October 7, the dismantling of yet more attack tunnels, weapons caches and booby trapped buildings. Despite the weakening of Hamas the work remains dangerous. In the last week alone more soldiers have fallen in the ongoing fight for Israel's safety. We are acutely aware of the price of freedom and security.