Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, safely hiding from Israel in Syria, is talking tough with absolutely nothing to back it up.

DOHA, Qatar – Hamas’ political chief rejected Israeli conditions for a Gaza cease-fire Friday and demanded an immediate opening of the besieged territory’s borders, taking a tough line as he asked a summit of Arab countries to back him by cutting off any ties with Israel.

Despite the hard-line comments by the Syrian-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, Israel and Egyptian mediators were expressing optimism a cease-fire could be reached. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said he was hopeful that Israel is “entering the endgame” on its Gaza offensive and that a “sustained and durable” stop to Hamas rocket fire on southern Israel was near.

Hamas is threatening Israel with waves of suicide bombers, and at the same time demanding that Israel open the borders and let the murderers in. It’s a surreal kind of insanity, and the “international community” doesn’t even blink at it.