For subscribers

Gaza conflict: The vital next steps to a new vision of the Middle East

Who will keep the peace on the ground in devastated Gaza is a key question.

Palestinians search for casualties, at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at the Magazi Refugee Camp, in central Gaza Strip, November 5, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Palestinians search for casualties, at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, at the Magazi Refugee Camp, in central Gaza Strip, on Nov 5.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Jonathan Eyal

Follow topic:

It is now exactly one month since fighters belonging to Hamas broke through the supposedly impenetrable border between Gaza and Israel and

proceeded to murder an estimated 1,400 Israelis.

In response,

Israel launched a ferocious military offensive

to root out Hamas in Gaza, which continues to unfold.

The violence and carnage – the Palestinian death toll has crossed the 10,000 mark – won’t stop any time soon. Yet, notwithstanding the current gloom, the United States and its Western allies in the Middle East are

engaged in a frenzy of diplomatic activity

designed not only to reduce the current bloodshed, but also to lay the foundations for a possible future dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.

Gaza conflict: The vital next steps to a new vision of the Middle East

Follow topic:

See more on