When a ceasefire is announced in a conflict zone, the international community breathes a sigh of collective relief. Headlines declare a pause, diplomats exchange handshakes, and the world looks away, assuming that the silence of heavy artillery equates to the beginning of peace. But when the conflict is with Israel, this assumption is not just naïve, it is dangerous. ‘De-escalation’ Recent truces have revealed a grim paradigm shift in modern warfare: “de-escalation” is no longer the antithesis of conflict, but a tactical phase of it. Rather than halting aggression, recent ceasefires have functioned as a diplomatic screen. They offer the cover…