‘It’s terrible — what was the war for?’ Israelis doubt ceasefire will last

For bakery owner Yoel Khalifa, the war’s impact was felt most in daily life.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israelis voiced a mix of frustration, defiance and cautious reflection on Thursday as a ceasefire with Iran took hold, with many questioning what the past month of conflict had achieved and what comes next.

Shoppers and vendors in downtown Jerusalem described to The Press Service of Israel a war that fell short of expectations and left unresolved fears about the future.

Revital Ariel said she had hoped for a decisive outcome that would remove the Iranian threat entirely.

“Overall, I expected the threat to be completely removed — that Iran would no longer be a threat, and that its citizens would be set free and able to live the way they truly want,” she told TPS-IL.

“I’m quite disappointed, because I wanted it to really end once and for all.”

Ariel also expressed concern about the optics of the ceasefire and declarations of “victory” made by Iranian officials.

“In one word — I can understand it, meaning their statement,” she said.

“First of all, because they still want to maintain their power over their own citizens. Secondly, the moment we raised our hands and allowed them a ceasefire, then I do think we lost.”

Looking ahead, she said she would be willing to endure hardship if it led to change inside Iran. “I’m willing to sit in shelters, I don’t mind it at all. I’m willing for us to suffer a bit, as long as their citizens are freed, because they deserve it.”

Sara Karlibach was more blunt, rejecting the premise that the threat had diminished. “It still is,” she said when asked whether Iran remains Israel’s greatest danger.

She questioned the purpose of the war if it ends without a decisive result.

“I think that if there really is a ceasefire, it’s terrible — because what was the war for? What was all this for? It’ll just happen again and again, another round and another round, so I don’t see the point in it.”

Karlibach dismissed Iranian claims of victory as dangerous, regardless of their accuracy.

“That’s very bad. It’s very bad that they’re being made to feel that way — because what did we achieve in the meantime?” she said.

“Is it true? Did they really win? Not necessarily, but it is true that they got a lot of what they wanted.”

For bakery owner Yoel Khalifa, the war’s impact was felt most in daily life. “It’s been a difficult period. There are no people in the streets,” he said.

“I’ve been in Israel for five years now, so I’ve been through a few wars, and I feel like there’s no real end.”

Khalifa described a sense of repetition. “We start something, then there’s a pause, and that’s it. It feels like the same thing over and over again,” he said.

He rejected the idea that either side had emerged victorious. “Personally, I don’t think so. I think that actually no one succeeded in this war,” he said.

“The children don’t have school, and neither do we. The situation hasn’t really changed much.”

Khalifa said the deeper issue lies beyond military outcomes. “As long as there is baseless hatred, nothing good can come of it,” he said.

“There won’t be any peace at all.”

Others at the market struck a more supportive tone toward the government while still expressing unease about the ceasefire.

Hezi Mizrachi called the operation a success. “In my opinion, the operation was something exceptional,” he said.

“We’re lucky… and together with [U.S. President Donald] Trump, of course, it was successful. Thank God, we are very pleased.”

But his companion, David, said the outcome fell short. “They didn’t follow through on the threat to strike Iran all the way,” he said.

“This was a very good opportunity, in my opinion, because I don’t know what will happen tomorrow.”

Shmulik Hacham offered a more complex view, arguing that the ceasefire may reflect strategic constraints. “We ran out of interceptors,” he said.

“We need time to recover. We need to rearm, to rebuild our capabilities.”

Despite differing views, the common denominator was that the past month of conflict is unlikely to be the last round of fighting.

“It feels like there’s no real end,” Khalifa said.