Archaeologists exploring an artifact-rich site just south of the Temple Mount have discovered a collection of bronze coins that were minted by Jews rebelling against Roman rule. Unlike most such coins, these date to the fourth and final year of the rebellion, which corresponds to 69-70 CE on the Gregorian Calendar. In the year 70, the Romans succeeded in crushing the revolt and destroyed the Second Temple. Amanda Borschel-Dan reports:

The recently discovered bronze coins are remnants left by hidden Jewish residents of besieged . . . Jerusalem, who sought refuge in the seven-by-fourteen-meter cave [where the coins were found] in 66-70 CE. . . . They are decorated with Jewish symbols, including the four plant species associated with the holiday of Sukkot—palm, myrtle, citron, and willow—and a chalice that may have been used by priests in the Temple. The coins display a paleo-Hebrew inscription, [that is, one written in the older script that was then used alongside the later Hebrew alphabet], which shifted—arguably reflecting the mood of the rebels—during the revolt from earlier years’ “For the freedom of Zion” to Year Four’s “For the redemption of Zion.” . . .

The coins were found alongside broken pottery vessels, including jars and cooking pots. A Hasmonean-period [3rd and 2nd centuries BCE] layer is found at the base of the cave, and these finds were uncovered directly above. The cave, said [the lead archaeologist Eilat] Mazar, was undisturbed since the Second Temple period, creating a “time capsule” of Jewish life during the revolt. . . .

The bronze-coin find is remarkable in that until today, most of the Jewish Revolt coin finds have dated to its second year, when the Romans made great strides against the Jewish rebels.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.