Egyptian mediation feelers brushed off

Israel and Hamas rejected Cairo’s offer to broker a ceasefire in their escalating rockets-versus-air strikes confrontation in the Gaza Strip. This role has been successfully performed by Egypt in past flareups. But the current duel is more fundamental than the regular outbreaks. Hamas is set to continue pounding Israel into subordination with an endless stream of rocket fire, while the IDF aims to change the rules of the game and deprive Hamas of the initiative for starting and ending violent episodes.