On Aug. 9, Israel’s Security Cabinet was scheduled to convene for a crucial session on a long-term cease-fire deal with Hamas. Instead of debating what the Israelis dub “regulation” with Hamas, however, Cabinet members talked about responding to the firing of more than 150 rockets by Hamas from Gaza that began the evening of Aug. 8. That barrage into southern Israeli communities resulted in civilian injuries. On the morning of Aug. 9, rockets were also fired at the coastal town of Ashkelon.

Since Hamas took control of Gaza 11 years ago, Israel has not faced such an extreme paradox, with the heads of all its defense forces and the political echelon wavering between approval of a peace deal or war.

The latest escalation on Israel’s southern border came after an Israeli tank shelled a Hamas position in Gaza on Aug. 7, killing two members of its military wing. A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) explained that the shooting had stemmed from a mistake: Israel had thought that the militia was poised for attack when it fact it was showing off its firepower at a ceremony for movement leaders.

One of the guests at the ceremony appears to have been Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas' political wing, who had arrived in Gaza to discuss the possible Israeli deal with local leaders. He traveled to Gaza after receiving a promise via Egypt that the Israelis would not try to assassinate him.