One year in, war casts a shadow over every aspect of life in Israel

Uncertainty over the future has cast a pall over virtually every part of daily life, even as people try to maintain a sense of normality

People pass by a sign calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas for nearly a year, in Tel Aviv (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

At a busy Tel Aviv entertainment district, diners spill into outdoor seating and clink glasses as music fills the air. There’s laughter, there’s life. But all around the patrons, staring down from lampposts and shop windows, are pictures of hostages held in Gaza, stark reminders that Israel is at war and forever scarred by the deadliest attack in its history.

As Israel’s war with Hamas reaches its one-year mark, it can seem on the surface that much of life in the country has returned to normal. But with many still reeling from Hamas’s October 7 attack, hostages remaining in captivity and a new front of war with Hezbollah in the north, many Israelis feel depressed, despondent and angry as the war stretches into its second year.