Are We Close to a Ceasefire in Gaza?

A crucial moment in the Gaza crisis.

We are in a very odd moment of diplomacy in the Gaza crisis. On the one hand, the prospect of reaching a ceasefire agreement has never been as tantalizingly close as it is today. There is a deal on the table that the Israeli government has sent to Hamas. The United Nations Security Council endorsed this deal in a near-unanimous vote earlier this week. Crucially, Hamas has thus far not rejected it and has reacted somewhat favorably to it.

On the other hand, the ceasefire negotiations could completely collapse at any moment. The depth of support for this deal in the Israeli government is paper-thin at best. Meanwhile, Hamas seems to be dragging its feet and apparently insisting on changes to the agreement that would not be acceptable to Israel. Meanwhile, the carnage in Gaza continues, and the prospect of a wider regional war sparked by conflict in Northern Israel and Lebanon remains acute.

The deal on the table has three parts. First, it would include a six-week ceasefire and the release…