No cease-fire likely: Yesterday, United Nations (U.N.) officials advocated for a cease-fire before the U.N. Security Council, saying that 1.4 million out of Gaza's total 2 million population has been displaced. And last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authoritatively declared that "calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas."
Israel started its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip on Friday, after delaying for many days. It kept initial details quiet, and is most likely responsible for the massive blackout that crippled communications into and out of Gaza, cutting off phone and internet service for the region. The "strategic ambiguity" with which Israel is carrying out its ground invasion of Gaza "keeps Hamas uncertain about Israel's next steps" and "allows Israeli soldiers to maintain a siege of Gaza City, where Hamas has dug a network of underground tunnels and fortifications," reports The New York Times. Speculation also abounds that Israel is trying to buy time and assess Hezbollah's response to make sure the northern front isn't heating up in parallel.
