A ceasefire there is also something that the US, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and other nations are eager to promote.
But compared to Israel’s short-lived but bloody conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Gaza is both distinct and more challenging to resolve.
Until Israel withdraws its forces, Hamas, the extremist Islamist group that has controlled Gaza since 2006, is unlikely to release the 100 Israeli hostages it is holding.
Israel won’t take that action until it determines that Hamas’s military capabilities have been so severely damaged that it can never again be a danger.
A official for the Israeli government told the news that Hamas was alone and ought to be more receptive to a truce since Hezbollah in Lebanon was now essentially eliminated.
