An excavation in Israel has uncovered a pottery fragment bearing one of the oldest known Hebrew inscriptions. One, containing only the words “Ishbaal son of Beda,” suggests something notable about religion in the time of King David, as Hershel Shanks writes:

The name Ishbaal or, more commonly, Eshbaal, is well known from the Bible. It means “man of Baal” [a storm god worshipped in the area]. The name Beda appears for the first time in this inscription.

Dating to about 1000 BCE, the inscription reads from right to left and consists of whole and partially preserved letters incised into the clay pot before firing. . . . In the Bible, various Baal names appear of people who lived in King David’s time or earlier: Jerubbaal (Judges 6:32), Meribbaal (1 Chronicles 9:40), etc. But the Bible mentions no Baal names after this—neither Baal nor Eshbaal. Baal names simply do not appear in the Bible after David’s time.

The archaeological situation is a bit, but not completely, different. We have more than a thousand seals and seal impressions (bullae) and hundreds of inscriptions from Israel and Judah from the post-David period (the 9th to 6th centuries BCE). The name Eshbaal is not to be found among these names. The situation with the name Baal is slightly different; it does occasionally appear in [northern] Israel—and of course in Philistia, Ammon, and Phoenicia. But not in Judah.

It seems that Baal and Eshbaal were banned in David’s kingdom. One reason may have been that, at least officially, Judah was monotheistic.

On Monday night, the IDF struck a group of Hamas operatives near the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, the main city in southern Gaza. The very fact of this attack was reassuring, as it suggested that the release of Edan Alexander didn’t come with restraints on Israeli military activity. Then, yesterday afternoon, Israeli jets carried out another, larger attack on Khan Yunis, hitting a site where it believed Mohammad Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, to be hiding. The IDF has not yet confirmed that he was present. There is some hope that the death of Sinwar—who replaced his older brother Yahya after he was killed last year—could have a debilitating effect on Hamas.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is visiting the Persian Gulf, and it’s unclear how his diplomatic efforts there will affect Israel, its war with Hamas, and Iran. For its part, Jerusalem has committed to resume full-scale operations in Gaza after President Trump returns to the U.S. But, Gabi Simoni and Erez Winner explain, Israel does not have unlimited time to defeat Hamas:

Israel faces persistent security challenges across multiple fronts—Iran, the West Bank, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon—all demanding significant military resources, especially during periods of escalation. . . . Failing to achieve a decisive victory not only prolongs the conflict but also drains national resources and threatens Israel’s ability to obtain its strategic goals.

Only a swift, forceful military campaign can achieve the war’s objectives: securing the hostages’ release, ensuring Israeli citizens’ safety, and preventing future kidnappings. Avoiding such action won’t just prolong the suffering of the hostages and deepen public uncertainty—it will also drain national resources and weaken Israel’s standing in the region and beyond.

We recommend launching an intense military operation in Gaza without delay, with clear, measurable objectives—crippling Hamas’s military and governance capabilities and securing the release of hostages. Such a campaign should combine military pressure with indirect negotiations, maximizing the chances of a successful outcome while minimizing risks.

Crucially, the operation must be closely coordinated with the United States and moderate Arab states to reduce international pressure and preserve the gains of regional alliances.