As Hamas’s leaders face both an unrelenting Israeli bombardment and Israeli troops swarming around them, they are facing one of the sternest tests the Islamist group has confronted since its 1987 founding.

Hamas, it seems, has badly miscalculated the consequences of its actions. Though Israel was the first to substantially breach the ceasefire agreed with Hamas back in June, the group missed repeated opportunities to calm the spiral of violence and prevent an Israeli offensive against its Gaza stronghold.