The moderate tone from Mashaal may be fear. But from Damaskus it looks to me as if Hamas wants to win time.

Why is hamas treated as a representitive of the gazans??They are a terrorist organisation and must e liquadated without any options of demands.Israel must explode the terrorist group without mercy /The peace will be with the arabs of Israel

Hamas's refusal to even pretend that it is willing to live at peace with Israel is what distinguishes it from Fatah. And the Palestinians' embrace of Hamas after Israel withdrew from Gaza demonstrated that the withdrawal increased the popularity of the prospect of continuous war against Israel among the Palestinians. There should be no truce with Hamas and the pressure should remain heavy. Israel should make no concessions : You do not talk to terrorists, you fight and defeat them. More about Gaza at : http://xrl.us/bebh94