Just a reminder of the death toll, as reported by Reuters: "Some 115 Palestinians have died in a week of fighting, the majority of them civilians, including 27 children, hospital officials said. Three Israelis died last week when a rocket from Gaza struck their house."

The key words in the State Department statement: "de-escalation" and a "durable outcome". In other words bringing a stop the hostilities is one thing; the bigger challenge is whether any ceasefire will last.

Just worth mentioning that Patrick Martin, our Global Affairs Writer, is on the ground in Gaza. He just emailed me saying that just a few hundred metres from the site in Gaza City from where a rocket was launched in the direction of Jerusalem. He's spoken to Hamas officials and will share more late during this blog. So look out for that.

That is a very interesting tweet via Associated Press quoting the Egypt's president, Mohamed Morsi. Because Cairo is where diplomatic push has the greatest chance of achieving success. Hamas officials are present there - and so are Israelis. They have been meeting separately with Egyptian officials to broker a ceasefire.

More on the Egyptian push for a truce, here is an excerpt from a Reuters story:

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said on Tuesday that “Israeli aggression” against Gaza would end later in the day, the Egyptian state news agency MENA reported.

“President Mohamed Mursi announced that the farce of Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip will end on Tuesday,” MENA said, quoting public remarks made by the country’s head of state after the funeral of his sister.

“The efforts to conclude a truce between the Palestinian and Israeli sides will produce positive results in the next few hours,” he was quoted as saying.

Here is another email that the Globe's Patrick Martin just sent from Gaza:

"Before leaving Shifa hospital, I encountered Fawzi Barhum, spokesman for Hamas, who defended the use of such rockets fired on Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

"We need a new kind of resistance," he said, "to impose a new kind of deal."

The deal to which Mr. Barhum referred is one in which Isreal agrees to a complete end to any aggression or violence against anyone in Gaza. "It is the right of the people here to live free of such violent attacks."

If Israel agrees to this, "the firing of rockets will stop."

We're going to push on now with some analysis and insight from one of our experts.

Good morning!
Egypt has emerged as a pivotal player in trying to broker a ceasefire and prevent an Israeli ground invasion. The new Egypt no longer plays by American and Israeli rules but by its own rules!

Although initially the Obama administration has said that Israel has the right to defend itself which way it sees fit, the US foreign policy team has finally recognized the grave risks of an Israeli military invasion of Gaza. President Obama has sent his secretary of state, Hilary Clinton, to talk to the various players and assist in bringing about a ceasefire. The US Administration knows well that an Israeli ground invasion would have serious regional consequences, consequences that transcend the Palestine-Israel theatre!

Israel's bottom line is to force Hamas to stop firing rockets against its territories and break the backbone of its security apparaus.

It is almost an impossible mission! Even under the pro-US Hosni Mubarak, Egypt did not fully enforce the embargo against Gaza. The new Egyptian Pesident Mohammed Morsi will go to great length to avoid doing America's and Israel's bidding in Gaza. He has come under considerable pressure by the Muslim Brotherhood rank and file to stand fast and provide political and moral support to Hamas and the Palestinians. What Israeli leaders do not acknowledge is that as long as there is no political horizon for the Palestinians, Hamas will continue to thrive and get arms from diferent destinations.

Any meaningful ceasefire must address the structural causes and drivers behind the current hosilities - Israeli and Plaestinian insecurities and Palestinians' lack of hope.

Although conservative commentators in the US are critical of Morsi's stance about Hamas, the Obama administration and the Western powers now appreciate the active role that Egypt has played in trying to put out the fire in its backyard. The Egyptian role is an asset. Egypt talks to the two warring camps - Israel and Hamas - and is heard by Hamas leaders.

And while, Professor Gerges is answering that question, the Globe's Patrick Martin just sent me another email update:

"I also ran into Tahar Nunu, spokesman for the Hamas government. (Hamas distinguishes between the political/religious/military movement and the government.)

He responded to my questions on the prospects of a ceasefire.

"We are waiting for the decision of Netanyahu on the conditions set by the resistance factions," he said.

"They demand three things:
1. Stop all aggression
2. End the siege of Gaza, and
3. We want an international guarantee that Israel will not return to these acts of aggression."

"Netanyahu has two choices," Mr. Nunu said, "continue his war, or accept the conditions."

The geostrategic landscape has dramatically changed. Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, traditionally pro-Western, are the most vocal in their empathy with Hamas, not Iran!!

And Professor Gerges, I know you have to run - but just a quick answer to one last question.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said today: “I prefer a diplomatic solution. I hope that we can get one, but if not, we have every right to defend ourselves.”

Is it your view that Israeli has backed off the idea of a ground operation in Gaza?

The fact that Clinton is in the region tells me that an Israeli ground invasion is unlikely. Why? It would be a strategic miscalculation: 1) cause a blood bath; 2) deepen and widen grievances between Israel and its Arab neighbours; 3) spillover into Israel-Egyptian relations and endanger the Camp David Peace Accords between the two neighbours; 4) and further Israel's isolation in the region - Israel has never been as isolated as it is today; it is a fortress. Israel has lost Turkey and now Egypt, not to mention Iran. For all these reasons, I think that Netanyahu will have to think twice [before] he decides to send his troops to Gaza. A contrarian note: Domestic considerations might force Netanyahu's hands and force him to get entanged in Gaza's killing fields!

Professor Gerges - thanks so much for taking part in this Globe and Mail live blog. Take care and hope to talk to you again soon!

That Professor Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern Politics and International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is also director of the Middle East Centre at LSE.

Okay - just a quick programming note: news updates to come. But also, stay with us because at 10 a.m. EST we'll have another guest: Paul Koring, the Globe's Washington-based International Affairs and Security Correspondent.

Professor Gerges earlier mentioned Turkey - which is seeking to play a greater role in post-Arab Spring Middle East. Once on generally good terms with Israel, Turkey has become more strident - and some would argue excessive - in its comments. Here is an AFP report about the Turkish prime minister's latest comments - this time about "ethnic cleansing": www.google.com

Those comments will be seen by the U.S. and other allies of Israel as very unhelpful, offensive and inflammatory.