Israel and Hamas are individually considering a cease-fire proposal from Egypt, which defied the expectations of international diplomats who believed that Cairo would be too preoccupied with its own internal security problems.  It could bring to an end a week that has seen almost 200 Palestinians killed in Gaza.

Which isn’t to say that there still isn’t anger and outrage on each side.  Palestinians in the West Bank clashed with cops over Gaza, and after Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shot and killed a 22-year old man near Hebron.  His funeral procession filled West Bank streets on Monday.  Gaza saw other funerals for people killed by missile strikes. 

The UN says that up to 80 percent of those killed by Israeli airstrikes are civilians.  Gaza is too densely packed for missiles to kill only those Hamas militants targeted, there will always be civilians within the impact zone.  Hamas’ crappy rockets raining down on the Israeli side have killed no one, and fewer than a dozen people have been injured.  But Hamas apparently has a new weapon in its quiver.  The IDF also says it downed a drone aircraft from out of Gaza.

But this episode in the years-long drama could be coming to a close.  Egypt is proposing a cease-fire that would begin at 9:00 o’clock in the morning, local time on Tuesday.  The deal calls for border crossings to Gaza to “be opened” to the movement of people and goods to be “facilitated once the security situation becomes stable on the ground.”  And within 48 hours of the initial cease-fire taking hold, Cairo would host talks with the Israelis and Hamas on conditions for a longer-term truce.