America, Israel and Hamas are trapped in a dangerous impasse

EID AL-FITR, which marks the end of Ramadan, is normally a joyous time in Gaza, as families exchange gifts and buy new clothes for children. But the holiday, which began on April 9th, is no cause for celebration this year. Fighting has ebbed enough for a few thousand Palestinians to return to Khan Younis, the southern city that has been the focal point of combat since January, and scavenge through the remains of their ruined homes. The war is not over, though, and efforts to negotiate a temporary ceasefire are still at an impasse.On April 7th Israel withdrew its ground troops from Khan Younis, leaving just one brigade deployed in Gaza. Those who remain are stationed along a corridor that cuts across the middle of the 41km (25-mile) enclave. They are meant to prevent Palestinians from leaving the south, now home to almost 90% of Gaza’s 2.2m people, and returning to the north, which was depopulated in the early weeks of the war.