This week we consider how Hamas’s bloody assault has blown up the status quo between Israel and the Palestinians, making change inevitable. The coming weeks will determine whether war in Gaza sinks the Middle East deeper into chaos or whether, despite Hamas’s atrocities, Israel can begin to create the foundations for regional stability—and, one day, peace. Israel’s leaders carry a heavy responsibility to temper their understandable desire for fire and retribution with a hard-headed calculation about their country’s long-term interests and an unwavering respect for the rules of war.

Leader: Will Israel’s agony and retribution end in chaos or stability?
Briefing: Hamas’s atrocities and Israel’s retaliation will change both sides for ever
Briefing: Hamas has failed to rally the Middle East to its cause
Middle East and Africa: Netanyahu wages war and fights for his own survival