Cease fire "to breathe and rest"

Thomas Friedman argues that Condi Rice should get more involved in the Gaza Disengagement, both, before and after, to help resolve the outstanding issues and ensure a peaceful transition. That's a noble, if unlikely, thought considering that (as Ha'aretz points out on its homepage) it's only 40 days away.

One sentence is quite telling, IMHO. Friedman quotes Hamas member Ghazi Hamad, editor of its Al Risalat newspaper, as saying that Hamas agreed to the 'cease-fire' in order to "to give people a chance to breathe and rest."

Doesn't "to breathe and rest" sound sort of temporary?