Officials involved in negotiation for a ceasefire in the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip say that the chances of making a deal are “slim,” and the State Department says Secretary of State John Kerry is not going to be there “indefinitely,” couching it as not an “open-ended” offer for a ceasefire.
The big problem is that both Israel and Hamas are angling for some term in the settlement that they can present as “victory” to their respective supporters, and as defeat for the other side.
In the meantime, the civilian death toll in Gaza is soaring, and while both Israel and Hamas insist they are making progress toward a settlement, Israeli officials concede that there is no sign of that any time soon.
Israel isn’t even making it clear what their ultimate goal for the war is, while Hamas maintains they want an end to the embargo. Neither seems particularly likely to get what they want, by all indications.