Yet Another Palestinian Hudna In Works?

I see that Hamas and Fatah are "working on a cease fire" but Hamas keeps firing rockets into Israel.

The NYT notes that Hamas only fired one rocket into Israel today as if that's somehow an improvement. A real improvement would be no rockets fired and no threats of rockets fired, and yet Hamas continues to do both. The reason there has been a letup in the rockets fired is that Israel has been going after the terrorists who have been firing them. That must continue.

As for the claims that Hamas and Fatah are working on a ceasefire, that is inaccurate. Both sides are considering a hudna, a strategic pause to allow regrouping and rearming for the next phase of the conflict. This applies both to the Palestinian civil war and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Hamas needs to regroup and consolidate its gains from its fight with Fatah while rearm and prepare for the next round with Israel while Fatah needs to figure out what to do with Hamas making yet more gains in Gaza. Hamas is also continuing to threaten attacks in furtherance of its central mission of destroying Israel even as Israelis call Hamas out for what it is - a terrorist organization:

On Tuesday, Peretz' deputy, Ephraim Sneh, threatened to target Hamas political leaders, calling them ''terrorists in suits.''

''We don't care if he's a ringleader, a perpetrator of rocket launching or if he is one of the political leaders,'' Sneh said. ''No one has immunity.''

Wary of Israeli strikes, leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in Gaza have lowered their profiles, turning off cell phones and staying off the streets.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri threatened harsh retaliation if the group's leaders were attacked. ''Harming ... any of Hamas' leadership will cost the occupation dearly,'' he said. ''This will mean responses.'' He did not elaborate.

Indeed, Hamas has said that it would continue to carry out rocket attacks, which gives lie to the supposed diplomacy ongoing. Israel, for its part isn't trusting in the diplomatic actions either. Israeli airstrikes continue to hit targets in Gaza, including ammo dumps. Hamas is meanwhile threatening to carry out attacks from the West Bank into Israel. Hamas has been limited to firing rockets from Gaza into Israel because the security fence has largely prevented suicide bombers from entering Israel, but the West Bank does not have a continuous fence between Palestinian and Israeli areas such that the chances of a suicide bomber entering Israel from the West Bank is significantly higher.