An invasion of Gaza, and then what? In the buildup to a ground operation, Israel’s leadership has vowed to crush Hamas. But beyond public pronouncements, as residents on both sides of the border hold their breath, what is the actual plan? From destroying smugglers' tunnels to reoccupying the territory that Israel left in 2005, the spectrum runs wide.
It's a race against time for Palestinians in Gaza, who are squeezed by a blockade from Israel and Egypt. We ask about moves to let aid in and civilians out of the Gaza Strip. A long war also means Israelis and the regional partners with whom they have normalised ties have to manage the optics of the Arab world watching as a humanitarian catastrophe unfolds.
How will hardliners tap into that sympathy for the Palestinians? A case in point is Iran, whose foreign minister sat down on Sunday in Qatar with the civilian leader-in-exile of Hamas. Amid fatal skirmishes between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-aligned Hezbollah group, as the US Secretary of State returns to Tel Aviv for the second time in days, we ask what's next.
Produced by Charles Wente, Juliette Laurain and Louise Guibert.
