Ceasefire in Gaza

Israel has declared Hamas defeated and the war in Gaza over, says the BBC. Israel has achieved its goals of ending rocket attacks into Israeli territory and disrupting Hamas military action, and is no longer actively fighting. Their troops, however, will remain in Gaza until Hamas has demonstrated that it is not continuing its attacks. A Hamas spokesperson has pledged that Hamas will not accept an Israeli occupation, and still demands the removal of the blockade of the region. However, the United Nations has called for a war crimes investigation into the death of two Palestinian children, who were killed by Israeli tanks while sheltering in a U.N. school.

Though the conflict has ended officially, it remains to be seen whether the ceasefire will hold, or even truly take hold. Both Israel and Hamas will have to make concessions to end the battle. Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's Middle East Editor, wrote that "when this misery ends both sides will say that they won".