“At least 200 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed in an Israeli aerial bombardment on Hamas security installations. Some of the Israeli missiles struck in densely populated areas as children were leaving school, and women rushed into the streets frantically looking for their children. Israeli military officials said more than 100 tons of bombs were dropped on Gaza by mid-afternoon.
Ehud Barak, the Israeli defense minister, said that the operation would not be short. “The operation will go on and be intensified as long as necessary," he said on Saturday. An Israeli military spokesman added that any "Hamas target is a target”. Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, condemned the attack and demanded an immediate cessation.
Hours after the Israeli assault, Gaza fighters fired home-made rockets into southern Israel, heeding calls by Hamas and other affiliated Palestinian groups to avenge the attacks, unprecedented in their scale. One Israeli was killed in the rocket fire, medics said.
Taher al-Noono, a Hamas spokesman, described Israel's operation as a "massacre", adding: "However, our resolve cannot be dented and cannot be shaken. We will continue our struggle with absolute strength and steadfastness."
Gaza is densely populated. Palestine’s 1.5 million resident’s area already experiencing shortages in medicine, power and basic supplies due to 18 months of an Israeli blockade. The ceasefire expired on December 19, with Hamas arguing that Israel had violated the truce by preventing vital food and medical supplies into the Strip.
Hamas won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council in elections in January 2005. The international community refused to accept a Hamas-led government, demanding that the faction recognize Israel and renounce violence. Economic sanctions by the EU and US followed.
The international community has condemned the Israeli attacks, urging an immediate stop to violence in the region. Britain said Saturday that it was deeply concerned and called for "maximum restraint" from Israel.”
Now we have varying reports like always on casualties. Some media says mostly Hamas targets were hit and some say mostly civilians were hit. Wounded is anywhere in between 600-1500*, but over 300* dead is agreed on. This is maddening. I view Palestine as a prison country which is constantly denied basic human rights. It is no wonder they have lawlessness which attacks Israel with basic rockets which barely harm anything. Then Israel returns with bombers and advanced military? This is insanity. I do not know the answer to this problem in Israel-Palestine, but something needs to change before Palestine is wiped out in the future.
Israel already has admitted they are going to keep up this assault. I have yet to understand how rocket fire is terrorism while using advanced military rockets is always viewed as strategic. Terrorism is terrorism; any attack on unarmed civilians is a terrorist act. I doubt the Israeli government gives much of a dam which Palestinians are killed.
Updated 12/31/08:
"Israel resisted mounting international pressure Wednesday to suspend its devastating air offensive against militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza, sending more troops and tanks to the border as signs of an impending ground invasion multiplied. A long column of tanks and other army vehicles, two and three abreast, was strung out along an access road to Gaza. Dozens of tanks were parked in a rain-sodden field on the frontier.
Commanders were moving forward with preparations for a possible ground assault, said an Israeli defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.
Earlier this week the government approved the callup of more than 9,000 reserves soldiers.'
Israel has kept up the war and recently turned down a truce. Civilian casualties are unknown as the classification for what is considered an "evil" Hamas militant is unclear. I am not religious so Israel to me is lucky to exist because I do not view them as special people or any special rights to land. How the Palestinians have been treated sense the end of WW2 is disturbing. I am surprised the Palestinians survive as much as they do under such circumstances.
Hamas should probably stop randomly shooting rockets and save them for military targets this would give them more support world wide and put more of the spotlight on the Israeli's. A ground war into Palestine would definitely result in civilian oppression and death.
This struggle is getting old and cannot continue forever. Even if the Palestinians were free suddenly Israel has stolen so much land from them I do not know if they could be much of a country. I am sure they would take the chance then be under the rule of a foreign military who hates them.
http://www.presstv.ir
http://news.yahoo.com
http://www.jpost.com
http://english.aljazeera.net
12/31/08 http://news.yahoo.com
(*=Updated whenever)
Posted by Azraelsjudgement
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