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Both Yaalon and Ahmed Yousef, a Gaza intellectual close to Hamas, suggested that the two sides will keep fighting to improve their positions in eventual truce talks.
Israel is trying to improve its leverage by striking Hamas hard, said Yaalon. "We have to deter them," he said. "How? By charging them the heavy price right now where they'll have to consider whether they'll go on with their terrorist attacks ..."
Yousef said Hamas is capable of firing rockets as long as Israel bombards Gaza, adding that militants "have enough missiles to fire." Overall, Hamas is in a strong position to negotiate a truce deal, he said, citing the new diplomatic support and the group's current popularity at home, in addition to the large arsenal.
The current round of fighting will eventually grind to a halt, but it's unlikely the two sides will emerge with a durable cease-fire, said Israeli analyst Yossi Alpher.
"Both sides will have to come down from their lofty demands, and it will require some heavy pressure," he said. "Certainly, it will end with some sort of cease-fire, but it won't be kept because Hamas will be rearming and Israel will respond and things will get out of hand within a few months."
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