The latest confrontation between Israel and Hamas went into cesstion merely days ago, but it is not too early to determine who had the upper hand, at least from a purely military point of view.
Thanks to a leap forward in combat skill, tactics, the willingness to pay a heavy price in innocent human lives, and with declared intentions to kill Israeli civilians, given the chance, Hamas was able to dictate the pace and the duration of the conflict. It deprived Israel of a chance to achieve most of its goals, and is now running hardline negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.
As an Israeli, and a humanist, I declare Hamas the victor with a heavy heart. When the dust has settled, both sides will go back to their prospective drawing boards to plan the next round, that will undoubtedly come sooner or later as peace accords now seem further away than ever. This is a grim outlook for civilians on both sides, who will surely pay in blood for those lethal technological and tactical advancements.
The New York Times published my analysis of the operation. You can find it in this hyperlink.