The new round of Palestine-Israel conflict has claimed over 12,000 lives in Gaza and drawn increasingly strong calls worldwide for an immediate ceasefire and an early end to the bloodshed.
Israel has agreed to move forward with daily four-hour pauses of military operations in areas of Northern Gaza. The move appeared to formalize a pattern of halting the violence to allow humanitarian aid to flow into the enclave and to allow civilians to flee away from the fighting.
Violence cannot bring true security, and force cannot achieve lasting peace. Think of the homes destroyed by artillery, the helpless gazes, and the lives lost. Both sides should return to the negotiating table as soon as possible. May the conflict end soon, and may the dove of peace soar over this land at the earliest opportunity.