Only a Mideast peace deal can end Gaza strife

The eyes of the world are on the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Days into 2009, the ground invasion by Israel on the Gaza Strip following more than a week of air raids on the coastal enclave inflamed the conflicts and dragged the region into a deeper quagmire.

The death toll of Palestinians is more than 600, with at least a quarter of them civilians - by far the bloodiest episode in the decades-old conflicts between Israel and Palestinians.