Israeli soldiers' discovery of six of their country's hostages shot dead in a tunnel underneath Rafah, Gaza has placed the question of a cease-fire's prospects in stark relief. Coming as the U.S. had already
stepped up efforts to push for an Israel-Hamas agreement, the grim fate of the hostages can simultaneously be viewed as providing a catalyst for the urgent conclusion of a deal, or as a harbinger of diplomatic derailment for a process the U.S., Egypt and Qatar had been in the
throes of pushing to resolution.