Israel, Hamas race to claim victory before truce

JERUSALEM: Israel and Hamas know a fourth Gaza war, like the three before, would be as inconclusive as it is devastating for the impoverished territory’s two million Palestinians. But in the days or weeks before an inevitable truce, each will aim for something it can call a victory.

For Israel, that might mean assassinating a top Hamas commander or destroying enough tunnels, rocket launchers and other infrastructure to say it “mowed the lawn” — a phrase widely used by Israelis to describe the temporary suppression of militants before the next confrontation.