Israelis chose the Hebrew word for “homecoming” as the word of the year, the Academy of the Hebrew Language announced Thursday.

The Academy asked the public for suggestions for words that summarized the previous year, offering 10 candidate words. Thousands of members of the public responded, with habaita — meaning “homecoming” or “homeward,”  — coming in first, with 25 percent.

The word symbolized the return of all hostages from Gaza, with the exception of Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, whose body remains in the Strip.

It also symbolized the return home of some residents of towns near the Gaza and Lebanon borders that were ravaged or otherwise evacuated amid the multifront war, amid hope for the return of the rest, the Academy said in a Facebook post.

In second place was “artificial intelligence,” with 15.2% of the votes, while “hope,” with 14.6%, came in third.

The other options, each of which earned between 5% and 8% of the vote, were:  “conscription,” “investigation,” “trauma,” “normalization,” “Rising........

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