He OBVIOUSLY doesn't live in the South of Israel. His heart bleeds for the Arabs who voted the terrorists into power but not for the targeted Jewish civilians. Sure, he says he cares for them, too but he didn't write these kinds of articles in Arab newspapers(nor would they be printed) when just the Jews got rockets and our government didn't respond for 8 long years. Has he slept a night in Sderot? Have his children? Another Jew lacking even the commom sense mere animals have for caring for their own FIRST. He doesn't know that our sources say "If you are kind to the cruel you will end up being cruel to the kind".

The author of this article appears strangely ignorant of the well-documented fact that Hamas stages terrorist attacks against Israel from behind civilians who volunteer to act as human shields. If a Hamas terrorist hides behind a bunch of children while shooting missiles at Israeli civilians (BTW, where are their parents, and why do you think the parents in Gaza proudly allow their children to be used as human shields by Hamas?), unfortunately the IDF still has a responsibility to prevent the terrorist from succeeding. Israel takes careful measures to be as accurate as possible to only target Hamas while preventing civilian casualties as much as possible. The author of this article is trying to give Hamas a free pass to attack Israelis, while Israel isn't allowed to defend itself because of the fact that Hamas commits war crimes by attacking Israel from within crowds of human shields. In this tragic situation, the first and foremost responsibility of any government is to protect their own civilians, not the enemy civilians who are assisting the enemy to attack our civilians.

http://adeeperlookweblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/hamas-wired-unwra-school-building-for.html

Where was the condemnation for the last 8 years when 250,000 Israelis were being fired upon in Sderot, Ashkelon and the surrounding communities? What about their civil right??

You say :”.. , leaving civilians in Sderot and other places in Israel dead or injured. “ Hagai, do you think the firing 3,000+ Kassam rockets and mortars by Hamas et al from Gaza Strip onto UNARMED civilians of Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod, was meant for something else than killing and injuring the UNARMED civilians of Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod ? Hagai, IF the firing was not meant for killing and injuring the UNARMED civilians of Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod -- what was it meant for ??? Was it (i.e. the firing) meant to invite the civilians of Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod for a dancing-party, for a feast-party in the Gaza Strip ? I (and together with me ALL the SANE persons of the world) don’t think so !!!

But, nobody forced Hamas to fire qassams day-after-day for 8 years on Sderot. No one forced them to make suicide bombings before those years. The elections showed they did it with the support of "innocent" civilians". That was their opportunity to choose, to show who they were, and they did. There are consequences to actions. Although we can't say it, there is not one Israeli who is not disturbed about those civilian deaths, but we are not willing to have them choose our mode of life: that every day for another 8 years they can lob qassams and katyushas causing terror even if they don't cause as many casualties.

When Hamas fires at our towns and cities from amidst civilian areas they are deliberately endangering the civilians on both sides. It doesn't acquit the IDF from making an effort to not hurt their innocents, but it isn't a reason not to do anything. It is a shame, but if Hamas cared about innocent life they would've acted differently.

Mr. El-Ad, you are obviously someone with one of the best character traits of a Jew: compassion. However, it is precisely this character trait that Hamas is exploiting, whether against our IDF or the international media. Hamas PURPOSELY put their children and civilians in harms way, they operate FROM schools and residential areas, daring IDF to try to roust them without any civillian casualty. Hamas rounds up fleeing Gazans by gunpoint and demands that they remain in crowded areas of conflict in order for them to hide behind these women and children, almost hoping for the photo-ops of "casualties". As Jews: "Purim is not celebrated on the anniversary of the victory against our enemies. Am Yisroel does not rejoice over the downfall and death of its foes. We celebrate Pesach because we were saved, not because our enemies perished, and we rejoice and read the Megillah ...the day after the war, when no one died, but we were saved. For this reason the last day of Passover (when the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea) is not a day that we sing praise to Hashem in the form of the entire Hallel prayer (as we do through the rest of the holiday). One reason is because of King Solomon's warning (Proverbs 24:17) that "You shall not rejoice in the fall of your enemy". We do NOT rejoice, we mourn, when we see death and destruction, even of our "enemy". It is naive, however, to think that it can be avoided without causing the death and destruction of our own, and carrying with it the full weight of responsibility for not doing anything to stop it. If Hamas is killing our people and daring IDF to shoot through hordes of civillians to stop them....then we must do our best to avoid civillians, but must still do the job. They are using our finest instincts against us, but where are theirs? LOOK and SEE in their own words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2G1TZKerTo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TejVJWSTTpY Are we supposed to care MORE for their own than THEY themselves do? Are we supposed to care more for their children than for OURS?

When the arabs will teach their children tolerance and educational skills instead of hate, and to learn to build instead of to destroy-then we can make peace. I see Israel making all the efforts-giving up land, and providing aid, and on the West Bank paying for medical care and schools. I see the arabs spending aid on weapons and bunkers for their leaders to hide in. They should have made every inch of the Gaza Strip productive, as the Jews did when they were there. All they do is destroy and terrorize. The world should force them to change their mindset.

intended as fodder for the pulp fiction market.

1) The only reason Israel has less casualties is because they have bomb shelters and sirens and they close their schools whereas Hamas shoots from the schools and line up women and children to die--the really brave leaders are hiding in bunkers 2) Israel warns before bombing--and Hamas calls women and children to run to the spot to die. Go to http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129384 and have a look at the video Israel cares about every single life while Hamas sacrifices every single life. If you love Hamas so much go live in Gaza and wait for them to tell you to be a shield.

Or you'll break your mother's back. What lala land is this El Ad (short for what??) living in? Between shortness of breath every time he reads the word kindergarten and misplaced heartburn at so-called civilian targets, how can he physically survive in Israel? Surely his heart is not in the right place and his nose must be somewhere it does not belong. I guess El Ad has never heard that Hamas uses so-called civilian areas as hiding places. I suppose he doesn't want bombing of mosques because they are religious establishments. Plus, don't kill any terrorists because after all, they're human too. Let's all hold hands and dance in a circle. Try it when someone comes at you with a waist belt full of grenades, El Ad. I want to hurl. Even Olmert has developed a spine, if only for political reasons. Jewish Israeli soldiers have to overcome their trained and natural reluctance to do these acts, and here instead of giving them support you are undermining them with your crocodile tears. Yes, El Ad, even crocodiles cry. Before they eat you.

His arguments are specious. His arguments are not compassionate but misplaced compassion, like Shaul's in not killing Agag. There is a time for war and a time for peace. No one except a sadist or a psychopath enjoys killing noncombatants; I daresay most Israeli soldiers do not even rejoice at killing combatants except as an ugly necessity for our survival. El Ad inverts the necessary and meaningful equation. The facts regarding "compassion" in this case: 1)Hamas and many of the others in Gaza want out deaths 2)Hamas etc train little children to hate Jews and wear bomber outfits 3)Hamas steals humanitarian supplies 4)hides in humanitarian buildings 5)uses human shields 6)places maiming material in rockets... need I continue? One may not feel good that one has killed a mad dog, but one feels good that one has gotten a problem to some extent out of the way.

How long does the IDF hope to fool the public with these kindergarten rocket attacks. I blame the press. What the hell are the 100 or so foreign journalists doing waiting to get into Gaza. They could be out and about verifying these kindergarten and school attacks. Always when the schools are empty, near a carpark and no witnesses seeing the rocket arrive. A simple operation drop an old rocket with a delayed bomb then if need be throw a rock through the nearest kindergarten window and wow those terrible Palestinians targetting kindergartens. Wake up people. You are being treated as idiots.

Go ahead and let the "journalists" into Gaza so you can claim Israel shot them in the back. Or so they can write how Israel is the "aggressor" and "occupier" on "Palastinian" land. You obviously only believe what you want and that is Israel's the bad guy. However, the truth is the opposite. You're damn lucky Israel has the constraint and compassion that muslims don't. How'd you think Israel would fare if Gazans/Hamas/Fatah/muslim had the fire power Israel has and it was Israel who was weaker? Yeah, Israel would be a reap of ash and every jew killed. So, go put your head back in the sand and pretend that Israel's the bad guy. Don't come crying to me when you die and wake up in Hell for your stupid denials. Thank God for Israel.

It is easy to criticise when not directly involved with an enemy that has no regard for it's own people as with Hamas who will operate from anywhere that suits them knowing full well the likely consequences of their actions.The cold hard truth is that under these conditions civilions will be killed and injured despite all efforts taken to minimise this.Carry on the fight IDF, until this internationally recognised terrorist gang is eliminated, and Israelis and Gazans can live side by side, hopefully to work together for the economic development of the whole

Your comments remind me of the old story:A son deliberately kills his parents. When he appears before the judge,he pleads," Please show me mercy. I am an orphan and need your understanding and pity." Hamas deliberately,willfully,and with premeditation acts to kill, wound (remember the suicide vests with the nails in them?) and disrupt life in Israel.They are determined to pursue that goal regardless of the cost to the Israelis or their own people. Hamas relies on the compassion of people,institutions ,and countries--it is a natural and human reaction to destruction---to get a green light.Thus, such people,institutions,and countries serve as "enablers": they provide the license to kill,wound,and disrupt normal living.Compassion too requires that context be taken into account .Failing to do so renders the compassion nothing more than what Shlomo Hamelech called the acts of a Tzadik Shotah.

Share your anguish over civilians but I think that Israeli sensitivity to civilians, including that of the activist community has reduced the level of casualties, certainly compared to the practices of other countries at war. Unfortunately, we have no choice

A new term tells it all, with a lack compassion for the victims: "UNsymmetrical warfare" example: IDF destroys hamas operatives through a $pecific window in that $pecific building. Co$tly Such means succeed in a very high percentage of Israeli attacks. BUT not EVERY attack suceeds: some cause innocent civilian slaughter and maiming. The enemy , hamas (or hizballah), have NO similar technology. Ah ! but in their view it is NOT necessary : ham, hiz use TERROR . ha , hiz use cheap, crude weapons: UNguided rockets, against unknown civilians: Israeli, Arab or any passer-by. TERRORISTS use suicide bombers , people that dismember themselves with explosives in order to murder, maim civilians ..Israeli or Arab . OR passer-by makes NO difference Long term solution: 1. Assassinate the operational brain of terror EARLY and , FIRST 2. Mistakes will happen. SO WHAT : this is the Middle East . Fool me once: shame on you. Fool me wice : shame ME ! Moshe

The reality of war is that when your troops are fired, you either fire back or let your soldiers get killed. That Hamas tried to use the civilians in Gaza doesn't change that reality. They brought death and destruction to the people they used as human shields.