When the UN Security Council approved a US-backed resolution Monday to deploy an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, it acknowledged a core truth Israelis have known for years: The security vacuum that enabled Oct. 7 cannot be allowed to return.

Encouraging as this may be, two realities must remain immovable as the world designs Gaza’s future: Hamas cannot retain any foothold, and Israel cannot be expected to outsource its security to external actors.

I was reminded why these principles matter last week as I traveled to both Israel and Gaza.

Forty-eight hours and a five-minute drive separated my visits to two places that define this war — and the world’s misunderstanding of it.

The first was Kibbutz Nir Oz, 117 of whose 415 residents — more than a quarter — were murdered or kidnapped on Oct. 7.

I walked around with Irit Lahav, who hid in her home with her daughter for 12 hours as Hamas terrorists tried five separate times to break down her door.

She jammed a boat oar beneath the handle and prayed it would hold.

Before the attack, Irit believed deeply in coexistence.

She was one of the many........

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