As an Israeli citizen living in Israel I'm proud of my country and angry about the unfair cover of Your Newspaper :
1) You're forgetting that the palestinians for 7 Years are bombarding Israeli towns .
2) Although when Israel ended the occupation of the gaza strip the palestinians continued to bombard Israeli towns .
3) Like the Iranian leadership , the hamas leadership refuses to aknowledge the existence of my country .
4) The palestinians are fighting through civilian populated neighbourhoods when they know the dangers of retaliation .

No independent country can suffer to be attacked and for this reason the Israeli government is right to react and to fight back .
The hypocrisy of the civilized world is incredible !!!

How would France , England , The USA , Japan react if some national identity would bombard their towns !!!!

MARMOR Ilan, JERUSALEM , ISRAEL

No winners - only losers.

Who started it? Who retaliated first? Does it matter?

Only the US can put a leash on Israel and are not inclined to do so.

Palestinians cannot just sit and be pushed into the desert.

What would you do if your home was bulldozed, your family killed/maimed, your future a black hole, no hope - just despair.

Really - What would you do?

R Bingham, Lauzun, France

Jon, Hamas control the Gaza strip with the acquiesence of the Palestinian people there. The continual firing of rockets into Israel from that area since Hamas militarily took control there, is a terrorist action supported by the Palestinians of Gaza.

The UN looks on benignly whilst this terrorist organisation attacks Israel and mutters when Israel finnaly, defends it's people. Would you be so accepting if rockets were being fired indiscriminantly into St Albans, destroying the beautiful town, threatening the lives of you and your children?. Or would you gesture from your armchair and say 'well if we die thats ok, it's better than the collective effect of trying to defend ourselves?' Generous man!

If Hamas didnt hide and fire rockets from apartment blocks and schools, then the civilian death toll would be lower. Israel wouldnt have gone into gaza again if the rockets hadnt been fired, and incidentally they've been falling for months now.

Peter, London,

No it is not against Jewish Law to defend yourself. You have to put it in perspective, what country wouldn't react? Do you just let criminals continue to terrorize civilians? Why not petition your own government not to arrest murderers any more? Jews show more patience than any other nation has ever shown. And I mean ever. Now it is time for her to protect her citizens in the only Jewish country on Earth. And we do not feel badly about it.

Jack, New York

Jack, New York, New York

If 22 children were killed in some other incident or terrorist attack than it would have got different level of attention but not in this case. I am judging who is right or wrong but I think there is no justification supports killing innocent children.

Abe, Jackson,

Israel doesn't want peace...the only peace they do want is a 'piece' of more land.

jayil, london, uk

How does killing 22 children stop terrorism? If anything it makes more people willing to shoot rockets at a country.

mike101, albany,

Rather than these massive retaliatory incursions, Israel should play tit for tat: every time Hamas fires a rocket into Israel, Israel should fire one back. They could even computerize and automate the response, aiming the rockets randomly. That way, Hamas actions could be seen as directly harming their own people.

Tom Rankin, East Greenwich, RI, USA

Well said Jon. Israel is continuously guilty of disproportionate use of force, most of which result in the deaths of many innocent civillians, especially children. There is no justification for Hamas' rocket attacks, but Israel as a state and military force seems to have no regard for the loss of human lives as long as it's not Israelis. Everytime they retaliate in this manner it adds more fuel to the fire. You can use rocket attacks as an excuse for only so long by putting an even greater number of innocent lives at risk. Dealing violence with a greater violence by sacrificing human lives makes them no better than these terrorists.

The UN and EU must do more than just condemnation. They must respond with action, not just words.

Dew, London,

How dare our American readers liken this to Mexico launching rockets into the US? That shows nothing but a fundamental lack of knowledge with regard to the issues at hand.

Like it or not, agree with it or not, the Palestinians are not terrorists but are freedom fighters in exactly the same vein at the (Original) IRA in the early 1900's and Nelson Mandella (who is now regarded as a saint and a hero).

This has nothing to do with being Anti-Semitic and I take great offense at the posters who suggest this is the cause. This is people who have nothing left to lose and nothing to live for unless they try to win their freedom by any method necessary.

Without the IRA Ireland would have remained under a tyrannical English rule which gave Irish people worse rights than animals. Their methods were despicable but when you are face down in the dirt then getting dirty is sometimes your only choice. Israel really need to step back and think about what they are doing here.

GM, Brisbane,

Unfortunately it appears it has come to war. The USA will go to war for much less a reason and less a threat. I think it is time to allow Israel to defend itself and the rest of the world butt out!

Jason Matthey, Brisbane, Australia

"Think about it. If you had a neighbor who stated that under no circumstances you had a right to exist..." -- Rob, Beilen, Netherlands

You can only call him a neighbour because you've forcibly taken his house away and demanded that he live in the garden! In that context, his stated position is perhaps somewhat understandable.

Mike Hart, London, UK

Several things I seldom see mentioned: 1. When surrounding Arab nations attempted to exterminate the Israelis in 1948, they also kicked out 800,000 Jews, residents there since biblical times. They fled for their lives and lost everything. Why no moral outrage on their behalf? Why only for Arab refugees? 2. When Hamas broke through the wall into Egypt, the Egyptians promptly crammed them back in and sealed the wall. Egypt could easily take Gaza's small population. Same culture, language, and religion. Why no moral outrage toward Egypt and other Arab countries that keep fellow Arabs penned up? 3. Why do those who rant about Israel's blockade of Gaza, hugely expensive, never explain what's in it for Israel? If they were to admit that Israel needs the blockade for security then they could not pretend that Israel does it just to be wicked. 4. Why do I never hear similar moral outrage concerning truly atrocious behavior in other regions? Why is all the moral outrage aimed only at Jews?

Lewin Wickes, Millerstown, USA

(I request the editors to give a chance to voices from the Middle East, we live here, the world has to hear from us):

Since 2005, when the soldiers and settlers left Gaza, only under resistance fire – no gesture!, the “professional” IDF have completely sealed off Gaza strip leaving the 1.5 million human beings living their in a big prison. Why should Palestinian father be not able to find powder milk for his children while Israelis live normal?! All what Palestinians want is freedom, not a new holocaust.
Mass murder by IDF will only confirm the fact that the state of Israel has no future in this region.

saleh, amman, jordan

Strange how Israel and its western allies expect impeccable behavior from a people who have endured occupation, starvation, brutality and imprisonment for decades. The Israelis didn't flinch from resorting to terrorism prior to the creation of their state. The hypocrisy is breathtaking and bordering on prejudice.

The onus is on the occupier, (not the occupied), to negotiate an end to this tit for tat killing. Israel has never ceased building on Palestinian land, never mind publicly announcing an end to the occupation. Palestinians are treated as unworthy and their lives as inferior.

Surely the Israelis of all people should understand that however powerful they may be they can not defeat a people.

P.S
The occupation of Gaza did not end in 2005, the people of Gaza were given the keys to their cells, not their prison.

joe reilly, Spalding, England

"Think about it. If you had a neighbor who stated that under no circumstances you had a right to exist..." -- Rob, Beilen, Netherlands

I hope you do realize that one of the neighbor (Israel) had ethnically cleansed majority of the other, in order to be their neighbor in the fist place. Lets think about the situation within that context.

jayil, london, uk

Think about it. If you had a neighbor who stated that under no circumstances you had a right to exist, and that it was his God sworn obligation to do anything within his power to make sure that this came true, how would you negotiate with him? Especially when this guy comes from a family who can't even get along with its own members and are killing eachother too. Would you sit down on the table and talk with him? And talk, and talk, and talk? Because remember, no matter how nice and great you are, in his eyes you have no right to exist so that's all you'll be doing is talking. Again, what would you do? One might say move, but this is a neighbor who besides fighting his own family can't stand the fact that you even exist, no matter where you are. This is exactly the position that Hamas has publically taken against Israel. Israel is certainly not totally innocent in this matter, but then again, how would you deal with a neighbor who has sworn to God to anniliate you no matter what?

Rob, Beilen, Netherlands

The " Body Bags " statistics. Who counted the " Body Bags" ?

Sara, Geneva,

110 deads are too many also for dayly rockets. It's not question of Jews, Arabs or Christians, this mass killing must stop. If Israel and Palestinians are unable to find an agrement,
it necessary to send the Nato army or the Eu army to Palestine.
We cannot have 110 deads in Palestine, near to Europe, it's dangerous for we Europeans and the Eu must send a military mission. It's the only solution.

marco, turin, italy

The Israeli government isn't approaching the situation with a solution in mind. To merely react--with violence predisposes them to hyper-militarize. Israel could do peaceful, perpetual trade with its neighbors if it simply gave back the West Bank and Gaza, then made Jerusalem an international city. The solution is so easy, and Israelis know it. Most of them favor it, but due to regime politics, their plans for peace are frustrated by a small economic elite. The only question now, is who among that elite and its NWO cohort, want to keep Israel a bloody mess as a strategy of tensions?

George LoBuono, Davis, CA

The founders of the state of Israel had their terrorist wing as well as their political wing, but negotiations carried on in spite of that. Now Israel and its western allies expect impeccable behavior from people who have been occupied, brutalized, starved and imprisoned for decades. This one sided stance borders on prejudice.

Israel has never stopped building on Palestinian land, never mind publicly declaring an end to the occupation. The onus is on the occupier, (not the occupied) they must bring about an end to their occupation and strangulation of the Palestinian people. I believe this would transform the situation.

P.S.
The occupation of Gaza did not end in 2005, the people of Gaza were given the keys to their cells, not their prison.

joe reilly, Spalding, England

Does Hamas, the governing body in control of Gaza,have the right to fire (or "allow to be fired") unguided missiles at random into israeli cities? What should be the consequences of this behavior?

If McAllen Texas was being shelled from Renosa, Mexico, with the tolerance and/or support of the Mexican government, you can bet the terrorized American civilians would not tolerate a government that failed to respond with whatever it took to stop the shelling. Somehow if the victims are Jews, the world seems to believe that they should just lie down and be killed.

Hamas has declared war on Israel by it's indiscriminate rocket attacks. The consequence of declaring war on a militarily superior foe is to suffer greater casualties than your opponent.. Stop shooting, or stop whining!!!

Esteban Gonzales, Chesterfield, MO

You should know by now Avi of Tel Aviv, that to us living in the UK, it matters not what the Arabs do to the Jews but only the what the Jews do in defence of their citizens against the Arabs, that matters. You must also be aware that during the war, it was well known that the Germans were murdering millions of Jews in the concentration camps but stood idly by and let them get on with it.

Common sense says that of course you must not wait until your people have died in numbers to defend your selves but the predominantly anti semitic pro Arab British will always come to the defence of the Palestinians first & foremost. After all dear boy, we consider them rightly or wrongly the underdogs in this conflict.

Robert Fraser, London, England

The reality is that Abbas is a Neville Chamberlain character. Whilst there's a so called peace process the lives of every day Palestinians continue to deteriorate. Their lands continue to be stolen, settlements continue to be built, Israel continues to illegally occupy their lands - the list goes on and on. If anything Palestinians have shown extreme restraint over the past 60 years when you analyse the injustices that have been heaped upon them by Zionism.

Yes it's an uncomfortable comparison for Jewish people but when you look at it in the cold light of day Zionism is really NO different from 1930s fascism. How does the Illegal settlement program differ from Hitler's lebensraum? it doesn't.

Before you start blaming the Palestinians for the region's woes take a look at their every day lives. No freedom of movement, appalling living conditions, 50% plus unemployment. People in the west moan when their petrol goes up a couple of cents!

Watch Occupation 101and then re-evaluate

Jonathan, Auckland, New Zealand

What else can one expect of the Israelis? When they evacuated Gaza in the expectation of lowered tensions and progress in the peace proces, the result was an unending barrage of rockets from Gaza deliberately aimed at civilian targets. The response which results in the accidental deaths of civilians (among whom Hamas dleiberatley hides missiles) is not morally the same. Would the UK (ever) tolerate an unending barrage of munitions from a neighboring country. The lsat time someone tried that was in 1940 and the UK responded by unleashing "Bomber Harris" and proceeding to win WW2- as it should have done! Lets not cast stones.

James Epstein, Sharon , USA

Just imagine if the UK had brought tanks into west belfast every time Republican groups had bombed the UK. Would it have been justified? After all many civilians supported sinn fein which is aligned to the IRA. Is supporting the terrorist group make you worthy of a target? Would it have solved things? The path we took left terrorists walk free and bruised nationalistic egos on both sides but we now have something resembling peace

raymond, Liverpool, UK

Arab casualties in Gaza may or may not be true, since the Arabs have been caught lying time and again, including the famous al-Dura hoax, Jenin massacre, and the Lebanon faux-photography and other hoaxes too numerous to list; still, even if true, I cannot feel sorry for any loss of life by the people who send dozens of missiles into Israeli towns and villages every single day, thus specifically targeting Israeli civilian population, including Israeli children. I feel sorry for the Israeli victims of the daily terror perpetrated against them by the Arabs. I feel sorry that in addition of having to defend themselves against the 1 billion strong Muslim world, with all those petro-dollars to buy friends and favors, they have to deal with the hostility and the hypocrisy of the West

Any claim that Gazan’s are being locked in a ‘ghetto’ thus justified in their aggression is quite ridiculous – they want a separate country, they have got borders. Their Egyptian brethren can open their border to them, if they so wish; Israelis have no obligation to do so.

Antonia, NY,

some of you people are completley crazy! what do you mean by dis-proportionate actions? do you think we are going in there to take revenge on the palestinians?
for the past few years rockets have been shot from gaza into israeli towns.
some people will call it luck, others a miracle, but that is the only thing stopping allot of people from getting hurt.
countless times rockets have hit schools and kindergartens, each time they happened to be empty.
your telling me we should wait for 30 kids to be dead before we have a "moral" right to try and stop the rockets?
wouldnt it be smarter to stop them befoe 30 kids are dead?

AVi, Tel Aviv, Israel

What would ABRAHAM say about his children fighting each other like this? SHAME, SHAME, on both of you!!

Also, no land is worth killing your own people over because land will still be here when we are gone so we should share it and not divide it.

Naleen, Northern California,

Isreal you are becoming one of the most hated races on earth.
For gods sake - if you can ever believe in God - stop this madness, for as day follows night you are creating a whirlwind to come on youselves !!!

roy newman , sheffield, england

Hamas, Palestinians, Israel's does it matter? They are all human beings. This situation is just downright awful. How long is it going to take to realise we are all on an island in space and we are all the same. I find impossible to understand what reasons do both sides feel they are privileged by their religion to kill each other. Both sides are to blame. No one shall be concerned over the death of children but only for their selfish causes. Perhaps then shall the survivors realise the rivers of blood were only spilled in vain. I place upon you as you lay down to sleep your nightmares are filled with the cries of children who you cannot save. All brought on by the tyranny of fearful souls. Afterwards, as you look into the eyes of God, perhaps you can explain why it was necessary to spill your children's blood in the name of God. I hope I am there to hear your merciful cries for forgiveness. As you will be sobbing as hard as your children who are dying in your arms today.

greg, malibu, usa

Aren't Hamas claiming a victory? If Hamas think they're winning I see no reason why Israel should stop.

Alan, Edinburgh,

I get tired of hearing people come down on one 'side' or the other. Both sides are murderers, of soldiers and innocent civilians, and both sides display cowardice and commit atrocity. Both the Israeli army and Hamas disgust me. This never ending war disgusts me.

The Israelis are arrogant and think they are superior, occupying a strip of land just because an ancient and equally violent book says it was promised for no real reason to a guy who may never have existed. Their enemy are also arrogant and think they are superior, as is anyone else who thinks that the whole world should bow down to Islam and the violent version of Jihad that these militants extract (quite easily) from the Qu'ran. Both sides are tribal and barbaric, and one can only hope that this senseless conflict fades away one day, since with thinking like that, there is no real 'solution'.

Dr. Lazarus, British Earth State, Earth

Israel should have not stopped they should have finished off hamas.

until those cowards stop using their own people for shields they will continue to die ,come on out cowards and stop hiding behind you're women and children.

how is it ok for the cowards to attack civilians but the when the israelis kill civilians that the cowards are hiding behind evryone wants to start crying about it.

israel should cut their power for good and let them sit in the dark

rod, daytona,

<sigh>
Amazing that simple truths are difficult to grasp. And very sad.

John, this Times story is remarkably balanced & objective. It presents the facts of the death tolls and includes comment from both Israeli & Palestinian officials. There is no opinion expressed to support either side.

Both Israeli & Palestinian armed forces propagate violence. The difference is that Israel is much more powerful economically & militarily. Therefore, Israelis kills many more Palestinians than Palestinians kill Israelis.

It is unfortunately not against Jewish religious beliefs. In the Pentateuch/Old Testament, there are ample precedents for ethnic cleansing sanctioned by God.

Since Israelis are God's Chosen People, their government considers divinely ordained any action, however extreme, that kills their ancient enemies, the Philistines.

Shege, Manchester,

Hamas keep firing rockets into Israel.
What are the Israelis supposed to do?
When bombs went off in central London, British people were rightly outraged. Yet this is happening every single day of the year in Isreal, and several times a day at that.
Yet the news reports and the photographers focus on the residents of the Gaza strip.
When will the world wake up to the fact that Hamas are just animals and the civilains in Gaza are suffering because the terrorists use them as cover for their acts of terror, not because the Israelis try to take out the terrorists.

david cooper, aylesbury, england

>Their excuse for terrorism is "the occupation". Israel no longer "occupies" the Gaza Strip. <

And Gaza still occupied. How can you explain close the borders around Gaza? Forbid it's people from medical treatment, or education. Gaza is just a big prison with 1.5 million in it. You put the people in the corner, attack them and expect them to do nothing.

Read the article one more time:
A senior Israeli security source has told The Times that the incursion was triggered last Wednesday when an airstrike killed five top Hamas militants who had been training in Iran and Syria. They had been planning to carry out a terrorist attack inside Israel, the source said.

Hamas launched a barrage of homemade al-Qassam rockets in retaliation for their deaths, prompting the Israeli army to move beyond the borders of Gaza where the rockets were being launched.

It was always the case Israel attack Palestinians retaliate. Even when they offered a truce (The Palestinians) they were attacked.

Gazan, Gaza,

Someone asked "how to stop further rockets", the answer is for Israel to clear out of the occupied lands and clear out the illegal settlements built there and give the Palestinians a country worthy of the name and not a hotch potch group of isol;ated areas dominated by Zionist settlements. It saddens me how the west has done nothing to counter this illegality, but when the Palestinians use what they have to defend themselves everyone throws their arms in the air and points to "the terrorists"...

Ian Hendry, Boston, USA

22 children murdered. there is no more humanity within the israeli government. in a world where blatant mass murders such as this are ignored and even applauded by the very superpowers that espouses " human rights" and "democracy" .

again the palestinian people are butchered and again the world does nothing.

22 children slaughtered. we've wasted too much faith in the United States. no more

lee soon han, singapore, singapore

It's Israel's fault that they continue to illegally occupy the Palestinians' land, in the most despicable manner. Occupation is one thing, but the continually unjust actions of this zionist state is something else.
Killing of civilians is wrong whoever, wherever. However, 'terrorists' are not those who fight for their rights and stolen soil in retaliation to soldiers.
May God relieve the Palestinians from this devastation, and restore the State of Palestine.

Yasmin, Devon,

GAZA WAS THE 67 BORDER, and it was over an international border that the hamas shot rockets shooting rockets over a border is a act of war.

TERROR = WAR

Yochanan, chicago, ill. usa

Do the math on a related subject: the ratio of Israel's sworn enemies, ready to slaughter the Israelis at their first opportunity to the number of Israelis trying to defend their country from rockets, constant threats of extermintion and being thrown to the sea

Ernie Kark, Toronto,

To Jon, St Albans

… no good reason for Israel moving into Gaza …
.. murder of 22 children. ..
.. collective punishment …

The answers are :
- Daily rocket fire for 2 years in to Israel which kill and destroy is good reason
- Israel does not target children unlike Hamas who target all Israelis. Hamas fire rockets and hide with in civilian population which is against international law.
- Israel target only those areas where rocket fire comes from. Hmas target ALL of Israel

Why didn’t you mention disproportionate as well?

Hamas are responsible for the deaths on both sides. Hamas’s total disregard to their own women and children maps directly to their total disregard for all Israeli life.

Simon, London, UK

Both sides are surely as bad as each other.

Hamas for their lack of effort to stop / support for the daily fire cracker attacks on Israel.

Israel becaue they repeatedly go way over the top and murder as many as possible at each turn be it in Gaza, Beirut, Camp Jenin wherever.

Who did start it? Will Hamas need to respond to this incursion to level the score? Are Israel still a strike down and have a second 'self defensive' terrorist act before they are back on level terms.

Israel is strong, Palestine is weak. Israel has tanks and missiles Palestine uses whatever they can get their hands on be it home made or otherwise. Neither side has a moral high ground BOTH are wrong.

Should the rest of the world stop these two terrorist states from playing out their war on their own little axis of evil or should we leave them to it? We should do one or the other because it is a waste of time and resources having these continual 'for the cameras' peace talks.

Adam, Edinburgh, UK

John st Albans. Even palestinians admite many of their rockets fell short on their own people. Including the six month old gril who was reportedly killed bi Israelis on Thursday was actully killed by Palestinians. There have been several reports of this happening.

Is it also not the responsibility of Hamas whether they launch rockets from schools and hospitals or open fields? Why is no one complaining about that? Racism old European style is why.

Zen, London,

People need to realize that Israel is fighting for it's very existence. All Hamas has to do is stop firing rockets into Israel & The Israelis will stop their military operations in Gaza. And , please remember that Hamas removed Fatah as the legitimate government in Gaza. Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel not the other way around. Why are people feeling sorry for the Palistinians? Stop the attacks againt Israel & the attacks stop in Gaza.

Dennis Willows, Estevan, Saskatchewan , Canada

You know, I've been all for criticizing Israel from time to time but, I've come to the realization that the Palestinians don't help themselves either. I mean, seriously, they're lucky Israel doesn't pull an all out invasion with the constant rocket attacks even when Israel doesn't do anything to provoke it. As far as "disproportionate use" of force is concerned, who's anybody to decide what's "disproportionate"?THAT'S WHAT WINS WARS.

Joe, Elmhurst, il

No comment on why Hamas will not simply stop firing rockets into Israel. No comment on why Hamas allows Palestine blood to be spilled for Iran and Syria.

LB Davis, Carle Place , NY

You can't treat people like animals and then expect them to be your friend!!
For years the Palestinians been living in "concentration camp" so to say. being surounded by wall its like prison.
They should be givin their land beck and make the coutry split in half not 20%/80%.
When you grow up in the wors place on earth there is nothing left for you to do but fight for better tomorow!

Nermin, Boston, USA

It is sad the Hamas Shoots Terror Rockets at homes and hospitals and schools from the safety of human sheilds composed of women and babies. What do the they expect, for the Israelis to take it forever?

Gershon Sobel, Santa Monica, USA, CA

To Chris in Memphis TN who asks, "How would you stop the "homemade" rockets being shot in to Israel?" one can only shake your head in wonder.

It is so entirely simple Chris, Israel must cease its devastation and mass killings of Palestinians and accept the obvious fact that the Palestinians, far from being a threat to their security, are the ONLY ticket ever to be available for them to be able to obtain it.

Those who continually rationalize mass murder, economic collapse and 60 years of land theft based solely upon military power and the unlimited political cover the all powerful "Israel Lobby" as defined in detail by Professors Mearsheimer and Walt, are in fact doing Israel no favor but actually helping that state create the conditions for its ultimate doom.

The real question, Chris, is why is this not apparent to you?

tarquinis, Seattle, USA

I think we all agree that whichever side you are on, this is a terrible loss of life which is truly heart breaking.

However, I fail to understand why there is such intense focus on the Israeli 'killing' of children, but a failure to consider the fact that they are killed in the process of retaliation against terrorist forces which are blatantly trying to kill innocent civilians in the towns of Sderot and Ashkelon. These attacks are not against soldiers, but against men women and children trying to live their ordinary lives.

I am neither Israeli nor Jewish but not for one moment do I believe that the Israeli army is targeting the innocent civilians, but it is quite clear to me that the Arabs are focusing precisely on that.

Benedict, London, London

hamas is known throughout the world for hiding in houses, schools, hospitals, and even using 'red crescent' ambulances to transport weapons and murderers. they "hate Israel more than they love their children", using innocent civilians as human shields. and, being the cowards they are, hide behind masks "made from their mothers' skirts" the killing of children is always a tragedy but hamas has a history "of indoctrination from childhood; of weapons and bomb-making taught to children; and ignorance of the outside world, and the cause of the misery that plagues the region". and, recuited as early as 6 or 7 years of age, they are trained "to fight and kill Jews, and to hate Christians and Americans". the true cause of the violence lies with hamas and its' welfare mentality. they "live in slums and misery of their own making" with no one else to blame.

thechef, anywhere, USA

Israel,s perpetual killings of palestinians are very akin to 'moorlocks' in HG Wells, 'time machine'.These are hideous underground living mutants who regularly raid a party of human beings who live on the earth surface to be dragged down,killed and eaten.You can read the book to find out the ultimate fate of 'moorlocks'.
isreal is very much like these hideous creatures and running the biggest cocentration camp for the last 60 years with the help from the west notably America.There surely is a payback as God is up in heeavens.It may take a long time coming but isreali 'moorocks'will receive what they are dishing out day in day out.

Yunis Khan, Newport, UK

Eye for an Eye.
Fire rockets at me and I'll kick your ass!
Keep it up and I'll do it again, and again, and again.
If you don't stop then you're stupid.

olddog, Virginia, USA

No-one appears to take notice of the imprisonment of the people of Gaza for the last 50 years. No access to the outside world via air, sea or land. Dependent upon Israel - let us not forget that Gaza and the West Bank are still the responsibility of Israel - for everything, a dependence that Israel callously exploits by cutting off power and fuel,as well as witholding revenues earned by the Palestinians.
Terrorism of any sort, by anyone, is wrong, absolutely wrong, but Israel clearly has the greater responsibility to talk, not to murder. The IRA killed more civilians in the UK than the Palestinians have killed Israelis (but nowhere near as many as Palestinians killed by Israelis) but the answer, as always, lay in talking, not with aircraft and tanks. Israel does not talk and with using the word 'shoah' recently together with the continued expansion of settlements, one conclusion to reach is the aim of Israel to impose a final solution by force. May this conclusion be proved wrong.

Stuart, Bournemouth,

"The Israeli death toll is believed to number three"

"More than 110 Palestinians dead, including 22 children"

Please do the math and tell me why the world is not enraged by this massacre.

juan, minnentonka, USA

Hamas is to blame. They first have to recognise Isreal as a state and lay down their arms for a settlement. Till they do that this will continue. And where are getting these arms from. The EU should stop funding them unless they clear all arms from civilians. But when will the EU understand that feeding the devil dosent mean that he wont bite you.

sg, india,

it seems pretty obvious to me - if you fire rockets into someone else's home they have the right to send in the army to prevent the firing. it's a no-brainer. i mean what do the militants expect...do they want the right to fire rockets into civilian territories?

Mustafa, new york,

Israel has a right and a duty to protect its country from daily rocket attacks. Hamas, with its Iranian support, is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. It chooses whether to fire rockets, where to store them and from where it fires them. it favors densely packed civilian areas for these purposes precisely so children will be targeted, sacrificing civilians without their consent for ink. The day the Palestinians stop sacrificing their young in the name of martyrdom and turn their attention from the destruction of Israel to building their own, unoccupied state is the day the violence stops. Until then, all the blood is on their heads. What more do you need to hear than a Palestinian legislator say of his terrorist son's death that he is proud of his son's having been the 10th martyred member of his family, and he hopes there are more? How do you negotiate with people like that? All the violence is the fault of the Palestinians and their sponsors and apologists.

GP - Miami, Fl

Grandmaster P, Miami, Fl/USA

I recently saw an idea of how the Israelis could address the problem of constant rocket attacks from Gaza: They could set up a system that returns fire automatically, with no human input. Every time Israeli radar detects a rocket flying in from Gaza toward an Israeli civilian area, a rocket of similar size would be launched automatically toward a civilian area in Gaza. Responsibility for any subsequent mayhem would rest squarely and inescapably upon the shoulders of the Gaza "militants". If they don't fire rockets at Israelis, none will be fired at them. That's fair, right?

Lewin Wickes, Millerstown, USA

An attack FROM a state is an attack BY a state. An attack FROM Gaza is an attack BY Gaza. This is war, a continuation of the defensive war that Israel has waged for its existence, since 1948. Israel has never been given one day on which at least some of its neighbors and other states have not been at war with it.

Why is Israel the ONLY country expected and demanded to not defend itself in a way that it sees fit? No other country would be expected to simply absorb hundreds and thousands of rockets without attempting to use a military option to halt the rocket attacks. What other country is victorious in war and gives back land for peace and gets terror and rocket attacks as a reward? The anti-Semitic double standard is the elephant in the room that non-Jews will not discuss.

I mourn the civilian casualties on both sides, and I despise the conditions under which Gazans are living, but Israel's statehood, sovereignty, citizens, and property are as worth defending as those of Gaza.

Rob, New York, NY

I am very disappionted how everyone can carry on with their daily lives when right under our nose such dis-proportinate aggression is shown by the Israelis. They are the real terrorists!
We hear that one Israeli soldier was killed over a nine month period-i feel that is very peaceful.
In retalliation the Israeli's murder over a hundred palestians including civilians and children and also injure many hundreds.
Where is the justice in this??
Is this going to teach the Palestinians a lesson??
I do not think so because it certainly has not stopped them in the past.
"AGGRESSION BREEDS MORE AGGRESSION"

Muhammad, Birmingham, uk

It is cruel of the palastinians to hide their weapons and terrorists behind their women and children. Then, when the civilians get killed, that's what the press publicizes in order to make Israel look like the bad guys. Meanwhile , Isael is only trying to defend it's citizens from terrorist attacks!!!

Gita Guttman, boca Raton,

I say "good luck and God Bless" to Israel. All it takes to stop the deaths of the people in Gaza is for them to stop sending rockets into Israel. It is the Hamas people that set up thier fighters among the civillians. They hide behind the children for 2 reasons-1. they don't care about their deaths and 2-they are depending on people like you blasting Israel for hitting back and not them for the rockets.

B.N.K.

Nell Kidd, Spicewood, Texas

terrorist bombs in Israel aim to kill hundreds - all civilians. How would you cope in a country the size of Wales surrounded by oil-rich enemies arming their "brothers" to the hilt and hoping to wipe you out?

Joanna, Leeds,

Any civilian death is a tragedy but before you criticise Israel please look closer to home and remember the 1000's of civilian deaths during the allied bombing of Iraq and Afghanistan, what was Tony Blairs excuse? Did he ever really have one?
If a neighbouring country started firing rockets into the home counties, then I think people would demand that the government take action.

Jonathan, Bushey,

YET AGAIN Israel kills innocent people and wants the world to feel sorry for them.
The Israeli's need to go back to the 1967 borders and stop the killing of children.

Andrew, Kent, England

To all of you who think that Israel are murderers... How would you stop the "homemade" rockets being shot in to Israel?

The Arabs have had 15 years since the Oslo Accords to build a normal society, but unfortunately, they have violated every iota of the agreement from the first day.

Rather than build a functioning society they have simply used their autonomy to build their terrorist capabilities & at every opportunity they attempt to attack Israel.

Their excuse for terrorism is "the occupation". Israel no longer "occupies" the Gaza Strip. Now what is their excuse? It is because they can. They can smuggle in weapons & rockets & they can shoot them into Israel & so they do.

The problem is Israel wants peace & the Arabs want victory. There will be neither until the Arabs stop initiating violence at every opportunity.

Chris, Memphis, TN

No comment from the UK Govt, no comment from "The Times", no comment from the USA, whose President so recently excoriated Israel. No peace in prospect, no respect for the Geneva convention or any other international rulings related to civilised behaviour. No apologies for the use of cluster munitions. No explanation as to why so many children have died other than the old saw "they shouldn't have been there" No attempt to use low intentsity counter-insurgency type techniques to minimise loss of life. No exposure to the casualty statistics from either side which show beyond peradventure that this is a terror campaign. No attempt to bring Israel into line in terms of its nuclear arsenal. No meaningful aid to Palestine, whose democratically elected Govt provides a sharp contrast to the latest results in Russia. No understanding that an artifical country plonked down by Superpower edict in a World of sixty years ago that simply does not exist nowadays, must seek compromise to survive.

John Wood, Poinciana, USA

This is continually upsetting, why does this continue, both sides seem evil:

-Hamas - sending rockets causing fear and killing one civilian (at least recently)
-Israel - sending in gunships etc, killing 110, half of which were civillians and included 22 children! (also resulting in two Israeli soldiers deaths)

Clearly terrorism is wrong, but so is the murder of 22 children. There is no good reason for Israel moving into Gaza, past incursions must have made them realise:

-at least half of who they kill will be civillians (knowing this this in my book makes their killing murder)
-they cannot use Hamas rockets as an excuse for collective punishment, its immoral (and surely against their religious believes!) and if nothing else against international law

Jon, St Albans,

Truth becomes a weapon.

The drums of War echo.

lmr, lonon,

Tell me one thing - who is firing rockets - civilians?
Civilians killed 2 israeli solders in fighting?
Don't you see that all the stories are always about one side of conflict?
It’s not Israel’s fault that they store the rockets in houses and fire them from inside the cities.
How about the people who get 4500 rockets each ear? What would your goverment do in such case?

PS - And no one occupying Gaza since 2005.

John, Haifa,