It feels inadequate to consider anything hopeful without the immediate return of hostages because nobody should trust Netanyahu with an agenda like that. It's practically a blank cheque to atrocity spending, and he's going to write a number and cash it. No sane party should underestimate the problem taking hostages has created.

This is great but how will it be enacted. In response Israel cut all of Gaza's communications and has been bombing all night. I am sick with worry

History shows this is the only ending, and will end nothing.

Once Israel decides they have done enough to kill Hamas leaders and destroy resources in retribution for the attack, murder, kidnapping of their citizens, they’ll accept the UN truce, and UN/US will bring in aid to Palestinians. Israel will build up the walls, and separation to try to prevent this from happening again, and Mossad will be more active hunting down Hamas. Meanwhile Palestinians will recover, remembering their losses, suffering under increased repression, and the cycle of desperation and violence starts again.

Then to expand the long bloody history of the area, assuming there is proof of Iranian involvement, no one wants a war, but we’ll likely see the odd bit of assassinations and exploding factories or ports

As always, the only winner is the defense industry

not really uplifting news to the people who are going to be exploded or have their families exploded regardless of this happening, would be uplifting if the UN could actually stop or slow down the ground invasion in any meaningful way, the atrocities committed in this invasion will be incomprehensible

This whole thing is a nightmare. What is anyone's end goal here?

Hamas seemingly intended to draw Israel into a war. They hide behind citizens. But when Israel makes it crystal clear they will shred an arbitrary amount of citizens to get to Hamas --once that's known and understood-- isn't Hamas equally to blame for their deaths. They could have: 1 not escalated, 2 fight openly in uniform instead of cowardly hiding behind citizens.

Tactically, what they are doing makes sense if the goal is to win at a war, but to say so admits they were the first to put the Gaza civilians in danger by starting such a war.

Israel is the only party that can win a war. There can be so much more suffering if it carries on.

I also suspect this whole thing is either orchestrated or exasperated to try to draw Iran in, because Israel and the west would love an excuse to wipe Iran off the map before they get nukes.

So let me hear your opinions, how does this whole thing end? And for the sake of conversation let's assume cease-fire is out, because I don't pragmatically see that happening.