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Latest from Israel-Gaza - ceasefire came into effect at 04:30 local time. IDF say 690 missiles fired at Israel from Saturday morning until the early hours of this morning.
4 Israelis killed and 123 wounded. Palestinian sources say 23 Palestinians killed but Israeli sources say a large number of these were Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters manning military posts or firing missiles.
The ceasefire takes us back to the situation before Friday and the same issues as to whether Israel agrees a deal with Hamas for an end to violence in exchange for allowing in Qatari cash, opening border crossings and sending fuel supplies.
There are many loud voices among Israeli politicians criticising the ceasefire as a weak response from PM Netanyahu.
Some military analysts say Israel is losing its deterrent capability. With each new phase of fighting the intensity and range of Gaza missiles is increasing. Nearly 700 missiles in two days is a new high. Anti tank missiles were also fired at civilian vehicles in Israel.
Israeli intelligence sources also point to Iran’s role. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is influenced by Iran to a greater extent than Hamas. Both groups receive large funds and weapons from Iran but PIJ is much more reliant on Iran and its leaders are based in Damascus.
One theory is that Iran encouraged the latest flare up in order to punish Israel for Israeli air strikes on Iranian forces in Syria.
The stance of Hamas is also a function of two other struggles - the fight to remain in charge in Gaza vis a vis other radical groups and the fight to be the leader of the Palestinians against the PLO in the West Bank. Both influence how Hamas acts.
Hamas faces competition in Gaza from PIJ and a number of Salafi Jihadi groups who want to step up attacks against Israel. As Hamas gets closer to deals with Israel these groups attempt to escalate hostilities to scupper the deal.
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank are fierce opponents of Hamas and want to run Gaza but only if Hamas disarms, which they refuse to do. So the PA opposes Israeli deals to improve the situation in Gaza and Israeli dealings direct with Hamas.
