Knowing that the government in Gaza is sworn to Israel's destruction, Jerusalem has decided that recent calm justifies an increase in humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians there. Before the war with Hamas in 2014, about 300 truckloads of materiel went into Gaza every day. Today some 1,000 truckloads make their way to Palestinians there.

After months of negotiations, the USA and Israel have signed a new 10-year military aid package. The US is allocating $38 billion to Israel's defense, all of which must be spent with American manufacturers.