Israel and Hamas held hostage by Gaza 'rogue elements'

In the absence of an honest broker to mediate between the two sides, a stagnant Gaza economy and little prospects, the breakaway groups can lay the groundwork for the next war.

Rounds of escalation in the Gaza Strip, like derby matches in soccer, have their own rules. Rules that the main players dare not and do not break, as everyone knows that it would end in tears. One example of such an outcome would be another Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, which would leave in its wake a trail of destruction, casualties and psychological trauma on both sides, YNet reported on Thursday.

Hamas' political leadership does not want such an escalation now, as a deterioration of this kind would threaten the survival of its rule in Gaza, and cause untold suffering to the more than 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Strip, added the paper.

Even Hamas' military wing is presently seeking calm, so it can complete its buildup and preparations for the next confrontation. The other major Palestinian organizations operating in Gaza are also interested in calm - for the same reasons; the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Arab world and the international community – all want Gaza to remain calm and be rebuilt, it added.

There's no need to explain why Israel wants calm, and to what extent. In fact only the rogue elements in Gaza are seeking to rekindle the fire. The Salafists, a jihadist group working on the so-called Islamic State instructions, militants among the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and others interested in the dynamics of an escalation - whose brutal climax is well-known to all the players.

Sometimes this small group will take the law into their own hands so that the Israeli army will punish their opponents. A week ago, it was members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who fired a rocket because they were appointed a regional commander not to their liking; on Wednesday, it was Salafists loyal to the so-called Islamic State after Hamas killed one of their activists and tried to bring them in line. This kind of behavior will last for as long as Gaza, with its unemployment rate of more than 44%, has a paralyzed economy and young and old alike sit idle between the waves of destruction.

So now, because of another stupid dispute between the hotheads in Gaza, there is another volley of Grads hitting the Negev. Hamas informs Israel that it wasn’t them, and bans such rocket launches, while the Israel army retaliates with a restrained attack on "three terrorist targets" that have no military value and lead to no deterrence.