Two-state solution is path to lasting Middle East peace

The guns of Gaza have not fallen silent, yet a flicker of hope has emerged. On Saturday, Israel and Hamas resumed ceasefire talks through Qatari and United States mediators in Doha. Under a proposed new deal, Hamas has agreed to release more hostages in exchange for a 60-day truce and Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners, according to a senior Hamas official.

But the timing is a bitter irony. Just before the talks began, the Israeli military announced that it had escalated operations in Gaza, carrying out a wave of airstrikes and deploying additional ground forces. The intensified assault marks the start of Israel's "Gideon's Chariots" operation, amid the deadliest wave of strikes in Gaza in months. And the military operation is the reason, according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, that Hamas has changed its position and agreed to return to the negotiation table.

It is a tragedy that talks inch forward while bombs keep falling, leaving civilians trapped between officials' promises and war's relentless cruelty. At least 64 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the Civil Defense in Gaza said.