This is what the cease-fire in Gaza looks like:

This startling video was filmed by Gaza militants who attacked an Israeli patrol on Tuesday, killing one Israeli officer and sparking an Israeli counter-strike early this morning on the smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.

President Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, is in the region trying to prevent the deadly violence from surging once again.

There are ongoing efforts to secure a long-term cease-fire before Israeli voters elect a new government on Feb. 10. But Israel and Hamas remain far apart on how long the truce should hold and what should be part of the deal.

Meanwhile, Gaza militants are openly challenging Israel's threat to strike Gaza with overpowering force in response to new attacks.

On Wednesday, Palestinian militants fired three volleys of mortars at southern Israel and, later in the evening, fired the first Qassam since Israel declared a unilateral cease fire 12 days ago.

"There is no cease fire," said Ahmed Yousef, a top Hamas political aide in Gaza now serving as deputy foreign minister of the Hamas-led Gaza Strip government.

Yousef said Hamas is looking to cement a truce before the Israeli election on Feb. 10. That vote could propel the hawkish Bibi Netanyahu back into the post of prime minister, a move that could make it harder for Hamas to secure concessions from Israel.

As of this writing, Israel had held its fire, perhaps in deference to Mitchell's meetings with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem.

But Gaza residents were bracing for another Israeli strike. Hamas police evacuated government buildings and cordoned off streets near police stations and compounds repeatedly bombed by Israeli air strikes during the 22-day campaign.