‘It’s going to be tough’: the impact of war on Israeli lives and businesses

Despite signs of revival, the true costs of conflict are impossible to calculate because no one can say how long it will last

Cafe Merkaz is busy. A handful of patrons sit at its half dozen tables on Jerusalem’s Hanevi’im Street on a sunny lunchtime, while inside the coffee grinders grind and a pile of sandwiches on the counter shrinks hour by hour.

“A month or so ago, things looked pretty desperate. But we had twice as many people through the door this morning by 10am as we had in entire days back then. Now I think the year is just going to be tough, but we’ll hang on,” said Yaakov Saly, the 27-year-old owner.