The News
Israel began an “extensive” new ground offensive in Gaza, even as teams from Tel Aviv and Hamas held indirect ceasefire talks in Doha.
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel have languished since a temporary truce ended in March; one hold-up, according to Israeli media, is Hamas’ demand for an international guarantee, particularly from Washington, that Israel will not restart the war at a later date.
Most Israelis do not support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy for Gaza, Haaretz’s Anshel Pfeffer argued, prioritizing the return of hostages instead of Netanyahu’s stated aim of “total victory over Hamas.”
But unless Israelis “insist on their own version of victory,” Pfeffer wrote, it seems likely that “international pressure will force Israel to end the war … through sanctions and international isolation.”