You do not have to be an expert military strategist to realize that the past few days, which seem like post-military campaign procrastination, are extremely dangerous. While the number of clear military targets is shrinking, the number of threats has not -- perhaps even the opposite -- and they may force Israel to act against its will and expand Operation Protective Edge, rather than bring it to its end. Tuesday was a relatively good day for the Israel Defense Forces, with no fatalities, while over 20 terrorists were killed in battles across the Gaza Strip. Airstrikes pummeled terror targets and significant headway was made in the counter-tunnel operation. This accomplishment somehow allowed us to hold our heads up high after 10 soldiers were killed on Monday. But Hamas made headlines once again on Tuesday evening, releasing a recording of Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades leader Mohammed Deif. The recording was not much more than a succession of statements, but its power lay with the image it sought to create. Speaking to the Israeli public more than to his own people, and sounding like a poor man's Hassan Nasrallah, Deif said that contrary to Israeli experts' opinions, Hamas is alive and kicking -- much like Deif himself, who has survived four assassination attempts by Israel and has retained a firm grip on the situation on the ground. Deif's elusiveness is something of a poke in Israel's eye, and the video was a poke in the other eye. Here too, his defiance is clear: You Israelis claim that you have destroyed the tunnels, but here we are, right under your nose, executing the fifth tunnel attack in two weeks. Hamas, most likely unbeknownst to its leaders, has touched a raw nerve, as over the past few days Israel's top political and military echelons have been busying themselves with digging up documentation, just in case a commission of inquiry is formed to explore the issue of the tunnels. Hamas' image ploys signal its desire to mark notable achievements and gain the coveted "victory image." Various experts might hedge that this means Hamas is seeking a way to end the current round of violence, but this begs caution: Hamas has consistently defied Israel's assessments throughout the Gaza campaign and it may do so again. Moreover, a localized tactical incident -- especially the disconcerting potential of a soldier's abduction -- may shuffle the proverbial deck and lead Israel west, deep into Gaza, despite its desire to move east and away from it. New Egyptian-led cease-fire efforts are evident in the background, but it is too early to celebrate a truce. The road ahead, as a military official put it Tuesday, is a bumpy one, and sooner or later we are bound to get stuck.
