Hamas: Gaza militant groups agree to cease-fire with Israel

[oberliner]

A Hamas official in Gaza says that all of Gaza's militant groups have agreed to a cease-fire aimed at ending a three-day round of violence with Israel.

The official says Egypt helped broker the cease-fire, which will go into effect this evening. He says Egypt told the groups that Israel would halt its airstrikes only if the Palestinian groups stopped shooting first, and that Hamas security personnel would enforce the agreement.

He spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the agreement had not officially been made public.

Earlier on Sunday, AP reported that Israeli officials arrived in Cairo. Moreover, Israeli sources confirmed that the reduced IDF strikes on Gaza in the last 24 hours was an intentional move aimed at allowing Egypt to mediate a cease-fire, as well as out of fear for the defense and diplomatic relationship with Egypt.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hamas-gaza-militant-groups-agree-to-cease-fire-with-israel-1.379852

[aranthus]

1. Interesting.

Of course I'm glad for the cease fire. It's interesting that it came so quickly. It's as if both sides inflicted the minimum necessary damage after the initial terror attack (to maintain street cred), and then cooled it. It suggests that neither Israel nor Hamas saw this coming, and that neither wants an escalation. So why would the PRC launch the attack? Target of opportunity because of Egypt's perceived weakness? Perhaps. Mustapha Bargouti claimed (falsely) that the escalation was caused by Israel's government to take peoples' eye off of the recent street protests. I wonder if the reverse is closer to the truth. Was the terror attack a way to occupy Israel and the world press, so no one would be looking at Syria or some other place? Or was it a way for the PRC to make a name? I suppose we will never know the true answer.

[bemildred]

2. It seems clear that whatever the goal was, it was political, not military.

I tend to think it was a provocation, intended to provoke a reaction. This would then be the thwarting of that goal, by minimizing that reaction.

But yeah, nobody really knows, and we are unlikely to be told.

[henank]

3. Some ceasefire

Ceasefire? 4 Qassams, 3 mortars, fired at Israel 20 minutes after ceasefire went into effect.

I'll hold my congratulations until I see the ceasefire being adhered to.

[King_David]

4. What they really mean is that 'Israel cease fire'. nt