It has been a tense week in the Middle East since a fragile ceasefire was put in place in Lebanon.

The United States president’s announcement soon after that he would be turning his attention to Gaza bolstered hopes of a truce in the strip.

Behind the scenes, efforts are reportedly under way to get back to the table to try to stop the Israeli violence and facilitate the release of captives. But on the ground, Israeli bombardments have been relentless.

The United Nations says the delivery of food and aid in Gaza is at an all-time low.

Will the violence derail US plans? And what is likely to happen once Donald Trump takes over in less than two months?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Jehad Abusalim – executive director, Institute for Palestine Studies

Gideon Levy – columnist, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper

Omar Rahman – fellow, Middle East Council on Global Affairs