To Dave from Spain:
"They are as much terrorists as were the French resistance in WWII."
Do you assert that French resistance shooted 100 rockets a day on peaceful towns when there was no any German residing in France. You have rather poor history background, you yet you offend the Maki's memory.

Victor, Haifa, Israel

"and so it has gone on for more than a year"

No, so it has gone on for sixty years. Its long, long overdue for Palestinians to reconsider their hostilities. They will never destroy Israel and should stop threatening and attacking them.

Joe, Manchester,

Hamas is a legitimately elected body by the people of Gaza at an open election. The election result wasn't what was expected but there it is. Under international law the population of an occupied country has the legal right to fight those occupying their country. For those who question this would you lay down your arms if your country was occupied by the army of another country ?

Colin McIntyre, Margate, Australia

Tit for tat deaths, more debate as to who's fault it is. It's a shame everbody concerned is more interested in apportioning blame than finding a solution. Come back same time next year and you will read the same attrocities and the same comments. And Shaq - Yes I do blame the Zimbabweans.

Tony, Bristol, England

Hamas had a the option of choosing to continue the cease-fire. Instead, they chose to launch rockets, even in advance of the cease-fire's formal end. Israel asked Hamas to choose another path, Hamas refused, and now they are paying a price. They had more than enough chances to avoid the situation

Eli, Jerusalem, Israel

"Pay Israeli settlers to get off Palestinian land and... Hey Presto: PEACE!
San Ying, Montreal"

Really?
Israeli settlers were evicted by their own government from Gaza, which was returned in its entirety to the Palestinians. And hey presto: non-stop rocket attacks from Gaza at Israeli civilians

Jon, Jerusalem,

Israel has been drilling its citizens in what to do in the case
of chemical and biological attack. Islamist factions claimed they had such weapons. Syria and Iran might offer technical support. Israel cannot then just allow rockets to rain down unchallenged. The UK invaded Iraq for the same cause

Christopher F, London, UK

if the french were firing rockets daily from calais to dover,i hope we would hit back as hard as the israelis have done.

john hoy, gateshead, england

Why we can not ask these questions?
1)Why Jews in Palestinian land?
2)There was no Jewish land before as far as I remember.
3)Who allowed them to live there?
4)Where is all Palestinians been kicked out from Palestine?
5)If the Jews murdered Holocaust if non Jews murdered is it not holocaust?

Tabu, Kuala lumpur, Malaysia

Many people commenting here have no idea of the facts.

Hamas was declared a 'terrorist' organistaion for its resistance to Israeli occupation. They are as much terrorists as were the French resistance in WWII. They have a legitimate legal right to resist occupation and fight for freedom.

Dave, Seville, Spain

Israel has just attacked a Un compound in Gaza killing several of their people. So much for pinpoint targeting of Hamas.

Esqueleto, Cadiz, Spain

What would happen if any British city would be attacked by
Rockets for Example from th Ireland?? How would Britain
React??.In all probabilities the reaction would be more severe
than the Israeli reaction in Gaza.The hypocritical reaction of
the British Press to these incidents amazes one.

Bennie Bar-Yehuda, Kiryat Ono, Israel

Negotiated agreement? How do you acheve that with a seeemingly irrational ,extremist outfit such as Hamas, leaders of Gazans to darkness and death. All Hamas has to do is end their rocket attacks on southern Israel. If they can do that, embargoes will end and border crossings will reopen.

manuel escott, toronto, canada

Did the Israeli attack on Lebanon in 2006 weaken Hezbollah or make Hezbollah adopt a more conciliatory stance towards Israel?

Manny Goldstein, London, UK

Israels supporters like to pretend its one of us i.e. a civilised european country!! USA & UK need to boycott israel since it cant behalf like a civilised democracy!!

james, hove,

Hamas has destroyed Gaza. As Barak said, if Tijuana sent dozens of missiles into San Diego relentlessly, the U.S. would flatten Tijuana (and maybe Mexico) within a day. Vicious Islamist groups PREY on western restraint.

g. triver, ottawa, canada

The rockets may be silenced. However, heavy "shock and awe" tactics complete with fragmented and burned body parts rarely "awe" populations for long. They often produce a spirit of bitter resistance coupled with a thirst for revenge. In this case that can only strengthen Hamas and weaken Fatah.

Mark Tait , Bratislava,

The Root of the problem is 1967.
Pay Israeli settlers to get off Palestinian land and... Hey Presto: PEACE!

San Ying, Montreal, Canada

The Egyptian-brokered agreement called for an easing of Israel's restrictions on the borders allowing goods into the besieged territory. Israel never kept to this - Israel raided Gaza November 4. No fuel, medicine, food shortages finally Palestinians retaliated.

T.B., California, USA

To be trapped in a little strip of land with no possibility of a future, a job, or the ability to support oneself is maddening and I am sure that any of the people here put in that place would fight back any way you could against the government that keeps you trapped there.

Ahmad, Chicago, USA

About time! If only politicians had to face elections a lot more often than every five years, we'd sort out the Islamists a damn sight quicker. Democracy means the politicians are obliged to do what the majority want - unless, of course, we're talking about the European dictatorship (ED).

Terry, London, Great Britain

Israel has not observed any cease fire. They have increased the amount of settlers being fired into the Palestinian territories. If they cant obey international law then why should the Palestinians? Lets not forget that Israel used terrorist tactics to achieve their statehood.

Joel Goodman, New York, USA

Whatever Hamas' failings, there is NO justification for slaughtering Gazans already suffering exteme deprivation due to the Israeli seige. As a Jew who values all human life, I despise US/UK governments granting Israel impunity while it tramples Palestinian rights and makes a just peace impossible.

david's daughter, essex,

Why do Alistair Johnson and so many others believe that only Palestinians should reject "terrorism" but Israelis should not? In 2008, 11 Israelis have been killed as a result of the conflict, as opposed to more than 500 Palestinians who have been killed, including 73 Palestinian children.

Dave Rado, Colchester, UK

The suggestion that every rocket provoked an Israeli attack is quite untrue. Israel overlooked hundreds of rockets until the Israeli government acted to protect its citizens. Dismantling terrorist groups like Hamas was one of the first steps in the Road Map. Instead the Palestinians elected Hamas.

Joseph, London, England

How would you feel, if on the other bank of the thames, some taliban like shooting dozens of rockets each day? you do not seem to realize, that there are people that you will never have a common language with. Probably you didn't see the women abuse when you came to visit your "buddies" in Gaza.

Dietrich, Haifa, Israel

so alistair
i suppose you blame the people of zimbabwae for not being able to topple mugabe...

shaq, sydney,

You can't negotiate with Islamists.Their aim is the destruction and takeover of any non Muslim state/government. Why are Christians leaving the Middle East in droves? You need to read the Hamas charter, every line of it dripping with contempt and hatred for both Jews and Christians. That says it all

Alec Paterson, London, UK

Far from being an "Israeli failure" it is actually a failure of Palestinians to reject terrorism and to allow Hamas to continue to wage war during a ceasefire which Israel has observed. The fault lies with no-one but the Palestinians themselves, and to suggest otherwise is to ignore the facts.

Alastair Johnson, Alicante, Spain