It is hard to believe that Wednesday's rocket fire at Beersheba and central Israel was executed without the approval of Hamas' leadership.
Still, the silence in Gaza over the devastation caused by the hit on the home in Beersheba and the joint statement by Hamas and Islamic Jihad's military wings saying they "welcome the Egyptian efforts to achieve our people's demands and oppose any attempt to sabotage these efforts," reflects the drama that took place in Gaza and Hamas leaders' surprise over the attack, which was an affront to the Egyptian officials who had arrived in Gaza the evening before.
Furious over the attack, the Egyptians demanded an emergency meeting with Hamas leaders and the heads of the other armed groups in Gaza, which resulted in the aforementioned statement.
It is obvious that the Hamas-Islamic Jihad censure of the incident was meant to appease the Egyptians more than anything else, as Cairo's wrath places Gaza officials in danger.
Along those lines, it will not be unreasonable to conclude that some of the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza Wednesday, which struck Hamas positions not far from where the Egyptian officials were staying, were designed to be both seen and heard by Cairo's delegates, so as to further drive the point home.
