Israel may launch another major assault on Gaza, which is bad news for Palestinians and for US taxpayers footing the bill.

• Netanyahu is trailing in the polls ahead of Israel's October election and may gamble on an all-out Gaza offensive to boost his standing.
• His likely replacement, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, is tied to a doctrine of hitting cities with overwhelming force.
• Israel's stated reason for returning to war — that Hamas won't disarm — is called an impossible standard set on purpose to justify more fighting.
• Trump and Jared Kushner's flashy "Gaza Riviera" rebuild plan has shrunk to a refugee camp of portable cabins near Rafah.
• Congress just voted 314 to 104 to keep funding Israel, with 2.2 million people crammed into a shrinking slice of Gaza.

Outlook: A new offensive looks likely before the October vote, with Israeli settlers already burning Palestinian homes in the West Bank.