Anyone who looked at the situation in Gaza on Tuesday might reasonably have concluded that the ceasefire had collapsed.
Israeli forces in Gaza came under grenade and sniper fire in Rafah, according to the military, killing an Israeli soldier. In retaliation, Israel unleashed punishing strikes across Gaza that killed more than 100 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The US-brokered ceasefire looked like it had disintegrated. But by Wednesday morning, both Hamas and Israel had announced they were once again committed to the deal.
It was the second violent escalation since the ceasefire took effect on October 10. But, just like the fighting that occurred nine days later, when two Israeli soldiers and at least 36 Palestinians were killed, it was short, ending within a matter of hours.
Gaza’s new normal seems to be a ceasefire that is both fragile and durable. A truce that holds in general but can vanish in an instant, only to be restored within hours or days.
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