Israel has just resumed ground operations against Hamas, President Trump is threatening to keep bombing the Houthis until they are "completely annihilated",  we are being told that "something's going to happen" with Iran very soon, and the very limited agreement between the Russians and the Ukrainians to avoid striking energy infrastructure did not even last 24 hours.  Compared to last week, do we have more war or less war?  Clearly, we have more war.  So you will have to excuse me if I am skeptical of those that are crying out that a time of "peace and safety" is now upon us.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was supposed to lead to a permanent resolution of the conflict.

But instead, the ceasefire is now dead and the war is back on…

The Israeli military said on Wednesday its forces have resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as a second day of airstrikes killed at least 20 Palestinians, according to local health workers.

The renewed ground operations come a day after more than 400 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in one of the deadliest episodes since the beginning of the conflict, shattering a ceasefire that has largely held since January.

The Israeli military said its operations have extended Israel's control over the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza, and were a "focused" manoeuvre aimed at creating a partial buffer zone between the north and the south of the enclave.

Israel wants the remainder of the hostages to be released.

After all this time, Hamas is still refusing to do that.

One Israeli official is warning that if Hamas continues to hold on to the hostages, military operations will escalate "to the point of total war"…

"We're in a new phase of the conflict," the official said. "From here we either move forward with developments towards the release of additional hostages – which is a major goal – or there'll be consistent escalations to the point of total war," the official said.