War begets war. Extremism begets extremism. The United States should've learned that lesson from Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Israel should've learned that lesson when they helped create Hezbollah in Lebanon. Granted, there's also the problem of Netanyahu, the guy who openly gloated about stopping a two-state solution from happening. And yes, he is prolonging this conflict as an excuse to keep himself in power. I applaud the folks in Tel Aviv for wising up to that.

I've heard that most successful hostage rescues for Israel have been done through negotiations and prisoner exchanges with Hamas as opposed to the rampant killings that the IDF prefers. A ceasefire is literally the only way to end this madness.

Side-note, though: Zionism is just the idea that a Jewish should be allowed to exist, which is too broad to be put down. I agree with that (most people who live in Israel have lived there their whole lives), as much as I wish for a truly safe and free Palestine. There are still nuances, and we still need to be considerate.