Gideon Levy, a columnist with Israeli newspaper Haaretz, has said an Israeli ceasefire — like the one currently underway in Lebanon — is “impossible” for Gaza.

“Unlike in Lebanon, in Gaza Israel has no intention to evacuate the Gaza Strip,” Levy told Al Jazeera.

“The northern part of Gaza is now totally in ruins and I don’t see a situation in which Palestinians will be allowed to get back to the northern part of Gaza — so the future looks much more problematic in Gaza than in Lebanon,” he said.

“The Americans were very clear about the deal in Lebanon [but] I’m not sure they will be so devoted about Gaza, especially not in the coming weeks until the new president gets into office,” the journalist said, referring to Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.