Israel appears to be preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza where it hopes to wipe out Hamas. The attacks prompted a swift and strong counter response from Israel which declared war on Hamas and vowed to lay siege to Gaza. But even the total eradication of Hamas would fail to solve the tensions between Israel and Palestinians, Telhami said. "If Israel wipes out Hamas and leaves Gaza, either Hamas resurges or a more violent option rises," he said. The near future almost certainly includes more civilian deaths and an escalation of violence in Gaza , according to experts.

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Persons: Israel, —, Alon Burstein, Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat, Burstein, Mohammed Salem, Kenneth Gray, Al, Telhami Organizations: Service, Israel, Department of Political Science, University of California, US, Peace, Development, University of Maryland, Brookings Institution, West Bank, Rockets, Palestinian, REUTERS, University of New, FBI, Brigades, Palestinian Authority, Israel Defence Forces, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Gaza, Palestinian, Israel, Irvine, Egypt, Hamas, University of New Haven, Palestine's, Lebanon