Now that a preliminary ceasefire is in place, let us not forget two things amidst the unecessary losses of life, the disabling injuries of so many and the loss of homes of almost an entire population, and the uncertainties of the future for the region.

• Why did this savage chain of events explode across Gaza after the Hamas attack on Israel? To fully understand requires a detailed and impartial study of the long term history of the region - looking decades before the creation of the modern-day state of Israel.
• There are those who must now be held fully accountable for acknowledged and independently verified breaches of international law and this must be pursued.