Hamas and Netanyahu are a curse on their peoples. Yet amid the horror, there is a sliver of hope | Jonathan Freedland

The desire to avert catastrophe in Rafah has given fresh impetus to talks in Paris - and a plan that could lead to peace

Both sides in the war between Israel and Hamas now face a fresh set of fateful choices. The decisions they take in the next two weeks are not only a matter of life and death for many thousands of Palestinians, and for the remaining 134 hostages held by Hamas. They also have the power to shape events for years, if not decades to come. The start of Ramadan, on 10 March, is the crucial deadline, and the clock is ticking.

I say both sides", though that can easily get forgotten. The Israeli bombardment of Gaza has been so relentless, the destruction so intense and the death toll so high, that many stopped seeing it as a war long ago. It was striking how often in Wednesday's Commons debate on Gaza, before it descended into chaos, the shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, had to remind colleagues that they could not simply issue a demand that Israel stop, because a ceasefire, by necessity, means both sides."

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist

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