The US State Department was encouraged to hear that Hamas agreed on Tuesday to the ceasefire proposal worked out by Egyptian mediators with Israel, but was skeptical that the move meant anything more than a quick breather.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey noted, "Saying you have a loaded gun to my head but are not going to fire it today is far different than taking the gun down, locking it up and saying you're not going to use it again. Even if this is in fact a true report, it hardly takes Hamas out of the terrorism business."
The ceasefire is scheduled to go into effect Thursday at 6:00 a.m.