Classrooms across most of Israel reopened as the Home Front Command rolled back much of the wartime restrictions that had kept students home since late February, marking one of the clearest signs yet of a return to routine after the Iran war. The changes took effect Thursday morning, allowing schools and workplaces to operate normally in most of the country, while gatherings in many areas remain capped at 1,000 people. 

The return is not uniform. Along the Lebanon border, in most of the Golan Heights, the Upper Galilee and the Haifa Bay area, schools can function only in spaces with immediate access to shelters, and public gatherings remain limited to 50 people outdoors and 200 indoors. Workplaces in those areas can open only where protected space can be reached in time, reflecting Israel’s assessment that Hezbollah still poses an active threat even after the broader ceasefire took hold. 

While central Israel and Jerusalem moved quickly to restore in-person learning, the north is still being treated as a live front, with the IDF warning that rocket fire could still target the center of the country and even farther south. The military said it coordinated with local authorities and the Education Ministry ahead of the reopening and carried out scans for unexploded ordnance around schools to support a safe return. Education Minister Yoav Kisch also instructed schools to put emotional support front and center for the roughly 2.5 million children returning after weeks of disruption. 

For Israel, the reopening is more than a technical policy shift. It is an attempt to restart daily life while keeping one eye firmly on the northern front, where Hezbollah’s rocket threat has not disappeared. The next test will be whether the security situation stays quiet enough for the temporary easing to hold and for municipalities that delayed reopening to fully bring students back in the days ahead.