GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

When Israel and Hamas Stop Short of War in Gaza

Nov 16, 2018 | 17:37 GMT

An Israeli airstrike hits the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV station in the Gaza Strip on Nov. 12, 2018.

An Israeli airstrike hits Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV station in the Gaza Strip on Nov. 12. This week's fighting and cease-fire between Palestinian militants and Israel underscore the nature and causes of escalations in the Gaza Strip.

(BASHAR TALEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • This week's fighting and cease-fire between militants in the Gaza Strip and Israel underscore the nature and causes of escalations in the Palestinian territory.
  • Both Hamas and the Israeli government have an interest in maintaining their respective leadership positions; it is one of many factors that determine how they choose to respond to events in Gaza.
  • Individual incidents in Gaza may produce escalating clashes, but both sides in the conflict will seek to avoid high-intensity conflict as long as it doesn't serve their higher interests.

This week's flare-up of violence around the Gaza Strip raised the specter of another Israeli ground incursion into the Palestinian territory. Despite an intense escalation of violence over less than 48 hours, however, the two sides pulled back from the brink of war, agreeing to a cease-fire that ended the exchange of militant rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes and dissipated fears of further military operations. So why did similar violence in the past lead to an Israeli ground war while this episode did not? What sets apart these escalations and what determines how far they actually go?...

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