residents of northern Israel are learning to live again in a precarious calm

After more than a year of rushing to shelters as soon as the sirens sounded, the inhabitants of northern Israel are relishing the calm found thanks to the truce with Hezbollah, as fragile as it may be.

For the first since the start of the truce, which began 48 hours ago, the Israelis struck, with the American green light, suspected Hezbollah positions on Lebanese territory. On the other side of the border, the Shiite militia no longer sends rockets into the territory of the Jewish state.

The last rocket sent by the Shiite militia and neutralized by Israeli air defense exploded during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. “It made a very big detonation, but really very loud which made the walls of the house shakesays Johanna. You could really hear the sound of the shaking. And then nothing.”

Nothing to report therefore, in the sky of Ma'alot-Tarshiha, just seven kilometers from the Lebanese border, where Johanna, her husband and their four children live. “I'm relieved to no longer have this already constant noiseexplains the Israeli. It reminds me a little of when we were able to go out to take transport for the first time without a mask during the Covid period. It's not the same implications, but it might do that a bit… And above all, no longer have to be constantly telling me where the nearest shelter is.”

“I think we’re going to have to get used to going out in a more relaxed way.”

Johanna, resident of Maalot

at franceinfo

Fifty kilometers further south, the city of Haifa has been regularly targeted by drones and rockets and the Rambam hospital has since received war wounded. There are 380 soldiers and 470 civilians who have been treated at this hospital for over a year.

There are still 15 under surveillance according to Doctor Philippe Abecassis: “Of course there is reliefexplains Doctor Philippe Abécassis. We continued to hide in shelters in the hospital or on the stairs. It was stressful for us and for the patients. Fortunately it's over, we can finally breathe”he confides.

Before sliding: “And above all, I would say, the most important thing for hospital staff is to come from home. When you have, as happened almost every day, alerts, and you have a 20-minute drive in places that are completely deserted you can't protect yourself and that's very scary.

“We have a hospital which, since the 1973 war, has had experience. I wouldn’t say that the wounded or the war are in the DNA of the hospital, but a little all the same.”

Doctor Philippe Abecassis

at franceinfo

However, the establishment has not returned to completely normal operation. Hospital beds are still in the basement, in a designated parking lot, protected from rockets.