After 30 years of digging at the Israeli city of Ashkelon, archaeologists have discovered a massive 3,000-year-old burial site that sheds light on the ancient enemies of the Israelites. Ilan Ben Zion writes:

The discovery of a sizable cemetery, where [the remains of at least] 210 individuals [have been identified], at a site conclusively linked to the Philistines, is a “critical missing link” that allows scholars “to fill out the story of the Philistines,” said [Daniel] Master, a professor of archaeology at Wheaton College [and the director of the excavation].

The cemetery, discovered just outside the ancient city walls and dated to between the 11th and 8th centuries BCE—a period associated with the rise of the Israelites—may contain the remains of thousands of individuals, providing an abundance of material to study. . . . With that broad a population, “we’re going to be able to reconstruct what the Philistines as a group were like,” Master said. . . .

Ashkelon was one of the five main Philistine cities . . . from the 12th century BCE until its destruction by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar’s army in 604 BCE.

Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas (the latter necessary to prevent further hostage taking) are to some extent contradictory, since Yahya Sinwar, the ruler of the Gaza Strip, will only turn over hostages in exchange for concessions. But Jacob Nagel remains convinced that Jerusalem should continue to pursue both goals:

Only consistent military pressure on Hamas can lead to the hostages’ release, either through negotiation or military operation. There’s little chance of reaching a deal with Hamas using current approaches, including the latest Egyptian proposal. Israeli concessions would only encourage further pressure from Hamas.

There is no incentive for Hamas to agree to a deal, especially since it believes it can achieve its full objectives without one. Unfortunately, many contribute to this belief, mainly from outside of Israel, but also from within.

Recent months saw Israel mistakenly refraining from entering Rafah for several reasons. Initially, the main [reason was to try] to negotiate a deal with Hamas. However, as it became clear that Hamas was uninterested, and its only goal was to return to its situation before October 7—where Hamas and its leadership control Gaza, Israeli forces are out, and there are no changes in the borders—the deal didn’t mature.