The "truce"--which, as the good citizens of Ashkelon and Sderot can tell you, didn't carry much weight to begin with, thanks to daily Hamas rocket barrages--is officially off. And a day early, no less. From AKI:
The Islamist Hamas movement declared on Thursday evening an end to a ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip - one day before the truce was due to expire. The announcement was made soon after heavy clashes took place in Gaza between Palestinian militants and the Israeli Army.
"The calm, which was reached with Egyptian sponsorship on 19 June and expires on 19 December, is finished because the enemy did not abide by its obligations," said Hamas official Ayman Taha.
The Egyptian-mediated truce had been scheduled to end on Friday.
"The truce with Israel is finished. Today is the last day of it and there is no possibility of it being renewed," said Hamas MP Mushir al-Masri, quoted by a website affiliated with Hamas.
That statement comes as no surprise. But what follows does:
...Israeli daily Maariv claims that assassinating Hamas leaders is an option being explored as Israeli forces prepare for the end of the ceasefire.
According to the daily, unnamed Arab leaders have given Israel a go-ahead to assassinate Hamas leaders in case the group refuses to renew the truce.
The list includes deposed Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh, deposed Minister of the Interior Said Siyam, and deposed Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Az-Zahhar, as well as Ahmad al-Jabary the head of the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing.
The list also features Gaza MP and leader of the Popular Committee against the Siege in Gaza, Jamal Al-Khudari.
Arab leaders approving of Israeli assassinations of Palestinian terrorists? Huh? Sounds wild, right? Until you read this:
According to the officials, Egypt - which for years was the main address for dealings with Hamas - has lost its authority over the terror group and is being replaced in part by Iran. The Gaza issue has been a source of contention between Teheran and Cairo in recent weeks.
As an example of Egypt's decline, the official noted that in November, Hamas rejected an Egyptian request to come to Cairo for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"Egyptian influence over Hamas has dropped," a senior defense official said Monday. "Iran's influence, on the other hand, is on the rise."
On Monday, some 80 trucks carrying fuel and basic humanitarian supplies were allowed into the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom and Nahal Oz Crossings.
Defense officials said that the crossings were specially opened to allow the transfer of the supplies, which Israel is obligated to allow into Gaza even when the crossings are officially closed.
The friction between Egypt--the trendsetting Arab voice in the Middle East in many ways--and the Iran/Hamas alliance is palpable, as you can see from these bold statements made by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak recently regarding the Iranian regime. But is Mubarak frustrated--and frightened--enough to covertly work with Israel against Hamas and perhaps, eventually, even confront it militarily? Is he one of the unnamed "Arab leaders" in the Maariv piece? On it's face, it seems insane. But hey, this is the Middle East, where insanity is a way of life. Watch for Hamas's movements against Israel now that the truce is over (not to mention those of Palestinian Islamic Jhad, as reported on CBN News recently). And who's in charge in Hamas these days, anyway?