If a second Gaza ceasefire extension holds, it will have been well over a week since the respite began for the daily pounding of the Gaza Strip. Pressure from hostages' families has forced Israel’s government to prioritise the return of loved ones above revenge for the bloodiest day in the country’s history. What has happened since the guns have gone quiet?
Desperately-needed aid has entered a Gaza still under blockade, although not enough to make up for the destruction and displacement of population on an epic scale. Will it really be a return to massive air strikes when the deadline passes?
What is the alternative? That is largely the decision of Israel's hard right government, which for now is negotiating with Hamas but will not settle for anything less than forceful removal from Gaza. Can this be done without killing thousands more civilians?
Is there a way for Hamas to go quietly? That is hard to imagine under the command of its brutal leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, but with all the hard bargaining going on, are there others – outside of the radicals on both sides – ready to contemplate an alternative?
Produced by Charles Wente, Juliette Laurain and Guillaume Gougeon.
