Tuesday introduced a brand new political riddle, something of a diplomatic crossword puzzle. The focus was Cairo, which marked the 62nd anniversary of the officers' revolution that brought Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser to power in 1952. Under the auspices of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas discussed how to end the fighting in Gaza. Declaring a temporary cease-fire for humanitarian purposes is out of the question, because it will allow Hamas fighters to improve their positions. But a long-term cease-fire is possible, as long as the IDF remains in Gaza to finish destroying all the tunnels. The elimination of the tunnels, or even 90 percent of them, is a huge achievement. But it is not entirely certain that the public will see it that way. It is not even clear whether the government will unanimously agree that it is enough. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon look at the glass half full, and they are satisfied with what they have. But Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett is pushing for further action. He does not want to stop until Israel can declare absolute victory, which could drag Israeli forces down into the dangerous Gaza quicksand. But the controversy may be moot. Hamas has already learned that even Israel's biggest detractors now want to demilitarize Gaza (e.g. Europe's foreign ministers); the U.N. chief recognizes Israel's right to defend itself in the face of terror; Sissi despises Hamas and even Abbas views Hamas as a bloody manipulator. You have to physically be at the scene to understand. Armored forces have deployed west of the fence in Kfar Aza. There is no crossing the fence, but no one will stop a group of friends, or just concerned citizens who come from all over Israel bearing treats. The IDF is a friendly army, even when rockets rain down. On Tuesday, five Palestinian terrorists were killed by IDF tank fire near Nahal Oz, and a military policewoman stopped me from getting close. But two senior defense officials took their posts, protected by concrete blocks reaching up to their torsos, and they are well versed in what is happening. We watched from Kfar Aza as another bomb struck Shujaiyya, and another and another; we saw artillery fire and terrorists firing back; the Air Force trying to clear a path for the ground forces advancing toward the tunnels, hidden under the homes of terrorists. This is what war looks like up close and personal. Every once in a while the area is abuzz with intelligence suggesting a terrorist infiltration, but on Tuesday, the reports were refuted. The defense officials are well in control. If not for the colossal failure of the Second Lebanon War, Israel would not have Iron Dome today. Now, within a few months, or maybe in a year, after investing a half a billion dollars, with more being invested all the time, a solution will be found. These days of war are one big experiment. If it succeeds, we will soon have the "Iron Underground" to compliment the Iron Dome. Amen. The fire has intensified. On the same hilltop near Sderot where we irresponsibly stood after being told to evacuate, four combat soldiers were killed when terrorists emerged from a tunnel and fired at them. Now a pillar of black smoke can be seen above Beit Hanoun, followed by another in Shujaiyya. Someone asked why they bothered to dig some 20 tunnels if they hardly used them, and here is the answer: They were planning a mega-attack. They wanted to simultaneously send out all the terrorists in all directions and bring kidnapped Israeli children, alive or dead, from every Israeli town in the area. For the last 20 years, Israel has been asleep at the wheel. The threat of the tunnels has not been taken seriously. It is nothing short of a miracle that we woke up at the last minute. Now, the pillars of smoke seem far less menacing. In a few hours, I will return to the television studios and to the personalities with the self-important expressions. They don't want to accept the fact that Hamas is not listening. Most importantly, they don't understand what is really happening in the war zone, what takes place before the footage they see of tired soldiers dancing in a moment of reprieve, asking to return to the front lines. "War, which never gets enough," renowned poet Yehuda Amichai wrote. Only he got the end wrong. It is not true that "it is now in a different place." In fact, it is here.
