I do not think that Israel want peace, they have taken more and more Palestinian land since 1967.
The Palestinians are stateless people, with no rights and no power who live in tiny fragmented areas having lost their ancestral homes and olive groves tended for hundreds of years which they are not allowed to return to.
Yassa Arafat was the previous Fatah leader in Palestine. He was fairly moderate and wanted to reach agreement with Israel but they refused to negotiate with him and was treated very badly as he was dying.
After his death an election was held between Fatah and Hamas which won the election because they learned that being moderate had got them nowhere. If Israel had wanted peace they could have worked with Fatah but chose not to, and then they complained about Hamas.
There have been regular incidents of violence every couple of years , Palestinians always suffering many if not all deaths. They had no weapons other than stones and burning tyres (the smoke hides them from Israeli guns) vs. Israel with all their heavy weapons ( courtesy of USA and others) to wipe out these small enclaves which is all that’s left of Palestine. It’s a sort of David and Goliath situation.
Gaza is 25 miles by 5 wide and is completely surrounded by sea and Israel. The sea is patrolled as are the borders. Crammed with 2 million people with no freedom of movement in or out. It’s just a massive prison.
I do have sympathy fir what the Jews and others suffered in the last war but for people who have been so oppressed themselves I find it hard to understand that they would act as they do. The Palestinians have asked for a halt but Israel has refused. Netanyahu has a lot resting on this, he is charged with many crimes and his political position is fragile, but this latest battle could save him from the court process and keep him in power which is so clearly his goal.
A few years ago I read that a Palestinian town called Silwan is going to have a King David theme park built and all the inhabitants will be forced to leave their homes and land. Just another day for people with no power or autonomy.
Would we not all of us be angry if we lived in this situation? Stateless? powerless, homes and land taken.... I didn’t think so.