A face-saving way out of the deadly Gaza conflict

The conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is escalating, ceasefire efforts take on elements of farce and bravado rules the public discourse. But even through the fog of war, a few endgame scenarios can nonetheless be glimpsed.

For the moment, the deadlock is well entrenched. As long as the crippling blockade of Gaza remains in place, Hamas says it will continue firing rockets at Israel - terrifying but mostly ineffectual, thanks to the Iron Dome defence system. Israel says the blockade must stay to stop a terrorist government from importing yet more weapons.

There is not much pressure yet on either side to stop - even in Gaza, where more than 1,300 people, mainly civilians, have been killed, amid widespread devastation. An Egyptian-led ceasefire plan more than two weeks ago, which Israel accepted and was a straight return to the status quo before this current round, was rejected by Hamas.

If Palestinian casualties keep rising, the world could pressure Israel to stop, even though that would leave Hamas with a victory of sorts. In 1996, Israel halted a bombing campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah militants after hitting a UN compound housing refugees - an air strike that Israel said was an error.

While it is too early to say how all this will end, quiet diplomacy continues.

Once Israel's military has destroyed Hamas-built tunnels leading into the country, Israel could well declare victory or announce a unilateral ceasefire.