Why don't they stop firing missiles from Gaza? For the same reason Israel continues to pour armed force into Gaza. Both sides currently are justifying their use of violence by the fact that the other side is using violence against them. That has been true for generations now. It can go on for ever.

Over any extended period there is no reason to believe that Israel's use of force has reduced the firing of missiles. Insofar as the number of missiles has decreased at various times (except in the very short term), other factors have been involved - including, it has claimed, the influence of Jaabari, the latest Hamas leader assassinated by Israel.

When, as a direct result of Israel escalation of violence, Israelis in Tel Aviv for the first time in a generation find themselves under missile attack, it is bizarre to see that escalation of violence as the way to reduce the danger of such attack, or as a rational act - except in cynical political terms relating to the pending election, when it does indeed make a kind of sense.