The Islamic Jihad may be challenging Hamas leadership by insisting a ceasefire is imminent while Hamas’ chief honcho Khaled Mashaal has rejected the latest proposal from Egypt for a halt in the war.
The Egyptian proposal would have declared a ceasefire without a time frame.
An undeclared ceasefire, or at best a four-hour siesta by terrorists, was in effect after midnight Sunday, but terrorists woke up at dawn Monday to resume another round of attacks on rocket-battered southern Israel.
The attacks struck as far north as Kiryat Malachi, halfway between Be’er Sheva and Tel Aviv.
No injuries were reported, and property damage was minimal.
The IDF estimates that Hamas still has another 2,000 rockets or so in its arsenal. If it keeps shooting at the rate of 100 a day, the war could go on for another 20 days, and there always is the chance that Hamas is saving a “doomsday” weapon, such as an anti-aircraft missiles that can down a commercial airliner, for its last stand.
Hamas’ ceasefire rejection, unless he is playing head games again, puts a giant hole in Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ attempt to come out smelling like rose and looking like a “peace partner..”
The PA’s official WAFA news agency spent three says in Egypt, from Friday until Sunday, to meet with Arab League and Egyptian officials as well as leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Islamic Jihad terrorist groups.
WAFA did not mention Hamas by name but said Abbas spoke with “others.”
Dispute the unity government of Hamas and its rival Fatah terrorist and political movement and headed by Abbas, their only common bond is hatred for Israel, which so far is not enough to make a marriage.
Hamas’ major objective, even before destroying Israel is to stay in power, and it does not want to hand back to Abbas control of security around Gaza.
Abbas has not lost his single-minded objective to shrink Israel back to its 1949 Armistice Lines borders, for starters, and is not counting on the war to help him.
The Palestinian Authority leader is no dummy. He knows that Hamas is no longer politically correct except in Qataar, iran and Turkey.
That explains the timing of Abbas’ returning to the United Nations and has asked it to declare a timetable for Israel to surrender all of Judea and Samaria and half of Jerusalem.