Celebrations broke out across Lebanon overnight after Israel agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, following U.S.-brokered talks to end seven weeks of attacks that killed nearly 2,200 people, including 172 children. The pause in hostilities brought cautious relief to a country that has seen massive destruction, though many survivors say a temporary ceasefire is not enough. Ibrahim Suwaydi, a 30-year-old living in a tent in Beirut after fleeing Israeli strikes on the suburb of Dahiyeh, spoke for many when he said the fighting must end for good. "Either our land is fully returned, or we don't want the ceasefire," he said. "My home in Dahiyeh in Beirut's southern suburbs has been destroyed. Who will compensate me?" Meanwhile, in Israel, hundreds of people rallied in Tel Aviv on Thursday to denounce escalating attacks on Palestinian communities by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank — and human rights groups say it was the largest protest of its kind yet in Israel. That same day, Iran declared that commercial vessels could pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz for the duration of the Lebanon ceasefire. The announcement sent stock markets rallying and caused oil prices to plummet by about 10 percent. Separately, in New Jersey, progressive Democrat Analilia Mejía won a special election to the U.S. House, filling the seat vacated by former Representative Mikie Sherrill. Mejía, the daughter of a Colombian garment worker and a Dominican laborer, is a former union organizer who served as national political director for Bernie Sanders's 2020 campaign. Once sworn in, her victory will shrink Republicans' majority to just a single vote, giving Democrats rare leverage in closely contested legislation. As ceasefire negotiations continue and populations displaced by conflict look toward recovery, the combination of diplomatic progress, public protests against violence, and shifts in regional power offers cautious grounds for hope that a more lasting peace may be possible.