Rockets hit near Tel Aviv as Gaza death toll rises

Athletes - Unlike Hamas, Jihad and friends randomly firing missiles into Israeli towns hoping to hit children, I don't accept that in any of the strikes so far, the Israelis aimed at civilians deliberately.

What set this off was ongoing missiles being fired by Gaza at its neighbor - why do they need to fire a dozen missiles each day at Israel? What good will come of that? Are they justified by history? The embargo? Does only Hamas have the right to attack Israel, not the other way around? Does Hamas get a free pass to endanger Palestinian and Israeli civilians?

Yes, Israel is the more powerful, and has the greater onus to avoid civilian casualties, I can agree with that. I also fully agree that any deliberate targeting of non-combatants is a war crime.

Yet, the entire Hamas strategy is to (albeit ineffectively) target and terrorize non-combatants.

Let the UN go in - all for that. Let Gaza be a state. All for that. And as a state, it should behave like a state - both Gaza and Israel should recognize the existence and borders of the other, and allow the other to exist beside it in peace.

I hope this whole thing ends soon with both sides backing down.

Peace

I should add that I believe Israel has a right to defend itself. But I firmly believe that they are the architects of their own misery and continuing problems due to their shameful treatment of the Palestinian people for 60 odd years.

Treat people fairly, and they are reasonable. Treat people poorly, they become unreasonable and desperate.

And all this from people who are almost genetically indistinguishable.

How does this line of thinking work exactly? "Well, firing rockets at outlying communities isn't working out so well so maybe if we fire rockets at their commercial city they'll be more inclined to listen to our demands."

Think what you want about the plight of the Palestinians but attacking Israel, for any reason, is just plain stupid. Attacking a foe that is not only numerically and technologically superior but one that has perfected the art of fighting on your home turf is the very definition of suicide. That is why I have absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for armed groups in Gaza.

Under these circumstances, people will break, they will resist, they will fight back. It's just no surprise that this continues because when you treat people like dogs they will retaliate.

I'm cool with the concept of resistance but the way they go about it lacks any semblance of logic or reason. The Palestinians elected Hamas who have explicitly dedicated themselves to destroying Israel, that's not the dialog of a sane or rational being looking to live in peace. Instead of improving their position or investing in the land or seeking foreign developmental aid they buy weapons and willingly fight a proxy war at the expense of their families and children.

This is not how a country behaves. If they think they should be respected and have the right to bargain with Israel on as equals they need to act like a country, right now they act like the dogs that Israel treats them like.

Why not they sent snipper instead of launching missile?

Because it's logistically unfeasible.

The conflict, launched by Israel with the killing of Hamas’s military chief, pours oil on the fire of a Middle East already ablaze with two years of revolution and an out-of-control civil war in Syria.

Sound likes Isreal started the strike first. Therefore it is responsible and accountable for that new conflict. There has been cease fire between Isreal and Hamas for sometimes. In the reality, middle east spring has caused more instabilties and chaos.

Whenever I read the middle east conflict, countless innocent civilians suffered and dead. When ever one Isreali life was lost, there will be hundreds of Palastetians lives will be lost. There will be always unbalanced, biased and injustice for helpless people.

West blamed and critiized civilians bloodshed of Egypt, Libra and Syria. They also intervened militaliry for that nations. they turned blind eyes about Israeli oppression and aggression. It is a pampered and nutured by Uncle Sam. It has free hands to bully and exploit the west bank. It is a double standard and hypocrite of Uncle Sam. Youtube has withdrawn the operation clip of Isreal assistnation of Hamas leader. Social Media has become propaganda tool for both Isreali military and Hamas Jihad movement.

Israel has right to defend for their people. However they used excessive force for extreme measure for most of the cases. Middle East peace is just an illusion. It will never be peaceful. That conflict is unstoppeable.

At least Israel has the ability to select targets when it retaliates.

Is this a joke or insenstivity about Children corpses? Pls refer to

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/15/world/meast/gaza-israel-strike/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Now that reservists are being mobilized, it looks like Gaza is going to face the same misery it did during the last Israeli invasion of Gaza.

In theory Israel withdrew military force. Reality is Civilians construction projects keep expanding their settlement into Gaza. As Taramara posted before

Israelis kept taking more and more land in the occupied territories and completely prevented any development that competed with Isreali business - there was a military ordinance to enforce it. Palestinian development was actively controlled and quashed and money was leached out of Palestinian communities.

Actually Israel was stateless like Palestine before. Even now they has established the nation, they still can not get enough for expansion. It is only a special nation for US to protect under concon of strategic and experimental asset

I agree the Taramara post entirely. Especially that particular paragraph.

The United Nations needs to step in - the United States needs to step out. In fact, so shameful is the US endorsement of Israeli activity that is often the only voice of support whilst the rest of the world condemns Israel at the UN. Israel seem to have this public image in the US that it is somehow a beacon for morality and a 'special state'. It's not - the same moral principles and international laws apply to Isreal that apply to every other nation

No peace as far as Greedy Real Estate of Israeli land grabbing from Palestinians. There will never be Peace with that bullying tatic. It is an theory of "Mine is mine and Yours is mine too."

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, where they don't fire missiles, they are enjoying a new KFC that opened up there.

I think Israel did the right thing. For about 12 years Innocent people suffered from constant attacks from Gaza and the world said nothing, did'nt care and you know why? because Israel did'nt published anything so no one will know. And why? because the situation became a reality to the people in Israel they deal their own problems and don't go complain to the world how poor they are to gain world's support like Gaza do. You know why the military operation started because the attacks started do get worse and worse and they didnt had a choice so they got rid from the man who was responsible to the attacks. Why Israel needs to live in fear?! I watched the news from several countries in the world and in some of the news they only mentioned the damage in Gaza but not what happens in Israel!! Did you know that 3 residents were killed yesterday because of the shooting?! that one baby got hurt and about 70 people suffer from mental damage? I also like to say that Israel treats them very good compared to how they treat them.They give them places to live ,money and food and they dont have to, but they do! And did you know that Israel warned the people in Gaza to stay away from the missile shooting targets so no one will get hurt? Do you know how it is to live in fear every day because of Hamas they have 15 sec. to 1 minute to run to safty and when Isreal did something to stop them the parts of the world blame them? So please dont say things you dont know about.

Why Israel needs more territory? If you dont know Isreal gave Gaza away 6 years ago why they need it back? And they gave away Sini to Egypt in order to make peace! I think that Isreal will do almost anything to make peace but Israel will not stand back when her civilians are suffering! And if Isreal wanted to portray as victim they could to that 12 years ago when the attacks started. All Isreal wants is peace and quiet to her people and nothing more! But unfortunately Gaza not letting it happen and Isreal did the right thing by attacking the missiles shooting targets and not the people in Gaza! Isreal did warn the people to stay away and not come close to the targets. Israel's goal is to destroy missiles shooting targets and not the people, unlike Gaza who shoots at Innocent people on purpose. So I think Isreal is the victim, but Isreal dont want that people around the world will think like that. They want them to think of Israel as a strong country that will do anything to save their own people. On the other hand Gaza do wants to play the victim so every one will hate Isreal and they even willing to sacrifice their own people! Isreal dont really cares what other people think as long as Israelis civilians will be safe and carefree!

When is there ever a first strike?

Gaza has been constantly firing rockets into Israel, Israel assassinates a Hamas leader, Gazan groups go crazy firing more rockets, Israel now appears to be preparing a ground assault.

Israel is supposed to do nothing and accept the reality of militants firing rockets randomly into Israel every day?

At least Israel has the ability to select targets when it retaliates.

I hope there is a ceasefire ASAP - but surely that must mean zero rockets being fired out of Gaza in exchange for zero incursions into Gaza by Israel. Now that reservists are being mobilized, it looks like Gaza is going to face the same misery it did during the last Israeli invasion of Gaza. Seems like a better idea to me to agree to stop firing rockets at them.

Peace

Athletes - reading your post again.

In theory Israel withdrew military force. Reality is Civilians construction projects keep expanding their settlement into Gaza. As Taramara posted before

You can't be serious...

If they stop firing missiles into Israel then they will stop killing Hamas leaders. They will stop taking out missile stockpiles, Hamas only has itself to blame.

While it is especially upsetting when children die as a part of any conflict, it has also been widely reported - and substantiated - that part of Hamas' strategy is to set up rocket launching sites next to schools and hospitals in the expectation that Israeli retaliation will cause casualties among civilians, some of whom are children. This is done in order to escalate the number of civilian casualties in the hope of turning world opinion against Israel in order to further the Palestinian political agenda. It may sound diabolical, but when Hamas' raison d'etre is the destruction of Israel (as is directly stated in their covenant/charter), which it will 'continue until victory or martyrdom', it becomes all the more believable.

No body really wants peace, both sides are out for blood!!!

Peace can only start from our hearts but now only hate!!

Both Jews and Muslims need to listen to John Lennon!! Give peace a chance???

Nathaw:

" Sound likes Isreal started the strike first. "

It "sounds" like that because the biased article ignores the scores of Hamas missiles launched from Gaza at Israel during the last months.

Typically, the Western press starts reporting only when the Israeli government is forced to respond, thus creating the misleading impression that Israel started the conflict. Shame on the biased reporters, shame on the naive audience which falls for this.

In the event, since Hamas now has rockets that reach Tel Aviv, Israel will be forced to invade on the ground. And when that happens, just wait for the tsunami of biased anti-Jewish reporting. As usual, Hamas will be brilliant at bringing out gory photos of dead children, claiming that the Israelis killed them. As usual, the gullible Western media and consumers will gobble it up. And as usual, Israel will win the ground war (for a time), but lose the propaganda war.

Eldudo Mexicano:

" No body really wants peace, both sides are out for blood!!! "

No,. There is no equivalence there. Israel simply wants to exist. Hamas, Hizb-allah, the Muslim Brotherhood, and all the other islamist movements do not want that Israel exists.

If the islamist movements ever stopped the war against the Jewish state, there could and would be peace. But that is not going to happen.

There are always two side of story. Israel want to portray as peace loving neighbor who was dragged into conflict because of provocation. It is doubtful because there was a truce between Israel and Hamas for sometimes. If there was a truce, will Hamas still launch the rockets for such a high price? Whenever Israel strikes to any militant, there are always civilians and Children lives were lost. When they killed Al Jabbari, they proudly announced that it was very precise operation. 11 months old girl near by was also killed according the media. Why not they sent snipper instead of launching missile? Does missile require to launch for wiping out a single person? Missile is a WMD for sinking the ship or plane.

Authority allowed civilians settlement into Palestinian territory too. It is making more inflammable. Current conflict will drag other Arab nations into more instability. There is no doubt, they can not mess with Israel however living with hostile neighbors forever is total nightmare too.

"moving towards all-out war"

If there is all-out war there, that's going to be the end of the Hamas "government."

Rockets fired at Jerusalem , West Bank Settlements. War is virtually assured now.

Here is the problem. If the war escalates between Hamas and Israel, the Hamas group has direct access to chemical weapons in Syria. Militants could attempt to launch a chemical warheads into Israel using rockets. This would certainly cause a mass panic in Israel. The use of chemical weapons would also undoubtedly spur Israel to retaliate heavily in order to deter additional attacks.

Well said Tama!

Yes the article is biased does not mention Israel has been under attack from Gaza for many months, years. Hundreds no thousands of missiles have been fired at them and now Israel is defending herself.

Israel wants to portray as Victim instead of aggressor. Now they are preparing for Gaza occupation again. Reality is they still want to grab more land. Current PM wants to persuade his voters as he is touch and dependable. It is also one of election strategy. According the bible, that nation was responsible for slaughtering Jesus Christ. It is a blood thirsty champion of babies killer, greedy real estate intruder, merciless weapon tester and pampered executioner of Uncle Sam. According merchant of Venice story, that people will settle the financial debt with human fresh.

They will be always winner for every conflicts. Morally they are losing ground for respectable and decent nation. Blood strained babies corpses will haunt them during their sleepless nights.

Since being made in 1947 (against Palestines will), Israel has never ceased its illegal and brutal territorial expansion into Palestine. Palestinians are prisoners in their own country, not being able to travel freely from one side to the other just because Israel says so. Its very sad that a country which was founded by holocaust survivors continues its Western backed oppression of defenseless people, treating them the same way they got treated by the Nazis. It`s no surprise that Palestinians react they way they do.

Triumvere Hamas war has never stopped. It just speeds up and slows down. Now Egypt is looking like it will void the peace agreement. They have been testing it lately and their pledge of support to Hamas. The reality is the war has been going on since 1947. Their goal is the destruction of the State of Israel and the killing or removal of the Jewish people.

The Israelis, through the past 60 odd years have proven themselves not only incapable of being fair, but that they are, in fact, greedy overlords who continue illegal settlements in Palestinian territory whilst oppressing the Palestinians with ruthless control. The United Nations needs to step in - the United States needs to step out. In fact, so shameful is the US endorsement of Israeli activity that is often the only voice of support whilst the rest of the world condemns Israel at the UN. Israel seem to have this public image in the US that it is somehow a beacon for morality and a 'special state'. It's not - the same moral principles and international laws apply to Isreal that apply to every other nation.

Israel was originally designed to be an economic confederation between the two groups, but it never worked because the Israelis kept taking more and more land in the occupied territories and completely prevented any development that competed with Isreali business - there was a military ordinance to enforce it. Palestinian development was actively controlled and quashed and money was leached out of Palestinian communities.

The Palestinians were right to reject the map offered for the creation of a State in 2001 - becuase the map proposed contained disparate settlements isolated from each other and controlled by Israeli territory. So, it is a map that allows Israel full control of the Palestinian people. What other state in the world looks like this?

The Gaza strip is a human tragedy that sits only 50 km from the Yad Vashem museum to the suffering of people in the Holocaust - a stark irony if ever there was one.

Under these circumstances, people will break, they will resist, they will fight back. It's just no surprise that this continues because when you treat people like dogs they will retaliate. I don't like it, but I understand it.

I absolutely reject terrorism, but there are many forms of it, and if Hamas are terrorists, so are the Israelis.