What is Israel trying to gain from this?

They're trying to achieve the ultimate zionist wet dream.
Complete israeli government should be on a trial for ethnic cleansing, and so should their American allies.

This is a tragic scene, no doubt. However, don't forget Hamas was firing 200+ missiles a day into Israel. Do you think if Mexico was doing that to Phoenix America would just let it stand?

I'm sorry TM but I'm positive U.S. media is not painting a realistic picture of this and there's a good reason for that.
Hamas doesn't HAVE 200 missiles all together, let alone 200+ a day so if you wanna be objective about this you should remove that from the equation.

There number of Gazan civilians killed just in the opening minutes of this video greatly exceeds the number of Israelis killed by Hamas rockets over the past several YEARS. That's why the Israeli army has banned all foreign correspondents from Gaza during this operation. They don't want the world to see what they're doing.

You greatly underestimate the Iranian-backed Hamas if you think they lack for missiles. Hamas is the officially elected government of Palestine now. They have resources, money and missiles. They are also backed by Hezbollah which has previously dropped thousands (an estimated 4000 in one month of 2006) of missiles into Israel from Lebanon. The Palestinians broke the ceasefire.

I have yet to understand why anyone would want to take the side of Hamas in this conflict. Say what you will but no American would put up with one missile, or one airplane into a building, let alone the assault Israel endures.

American reserves the right to defend itself and it seems contrary to that principle to deny that right to Israel.

WhatRoughBeast hit the nail on the head.

As for you TM, I really don't understand why you insist on drawing the "what if America was attacked like this" parallel -you're mixing geopolitical apples and oranges there.
Israel is conducting ethic cleansing for decades now, with a blessing from U.S., they trapped the remains of what once was complete nation like rats with nowhere to escape and now they're bombing them.

Today NEUTRAL observers reported 100+ Palestinian civilians killed in yesterdays attack and two Israeli SOLDIERS killed in a FRIENDLY fire.
Sorry, I forgot to emphasize the word CIVILIANS too.

I'm not pro-Hamas, I am anti-zionist.

I don't know why you insist on ignoring the logic of that point. It's also just silly to say that because something has been going for decades it's OK. Tell that to the battered wife or abused child.

Also it was the UN, not the US, that created the state of Israel. And this after the British mandate over Palestine expired, that's British, not US.

Then what was the first act of Israel's new neighbors? Egyptian, Iraqi, Jordanian, Syrian, Lebanese, Saudi and Yemeni troops invaded. To this day the state of Israel is smaller than the original borders drawn up and approved by the United Nations.

47 million civilians were estimated to be killed during World War II.

Israel, ZION, has a right to exist and to defend itself against attack. They were the ones attacked. Israel did not begin the war. Israel is here responding to attacks on its cities. The "what if America was attacked" parallel stands firm, but also stands as a great inconvenience for those who would defend Hamas or use it as a case to be anti-Zionist.

I have several problems with the way you're expressing your opinion: first is the ridiculous analogies you're using, second is the fact you're misinterpreting half of my words and ignoring the other half, third is the brainwashed litany I have heard many many times and really can't anymore. (exact same words, it's sad really. I'm afraid it would lead to Godwin's law.)

I'm not gonna continue the discussion cause obviously none of us will change our opinions.

And you're the one who should be worried about being wrong about this, I don't believe in immortal soul. ;)

Top Monkey, surely you wouldn't approve if Israel killed every single man, woman and child in Gaza because of the rockets from Hamas. And the reason you wouldn't is because there has to be some proportionality that governs response. So it's too simple to say that Israel has a right to do just anything because of the (primitive and mostly ineffective) rockets lobbed at random by Hamas. When you are bombing UN schools filled with refugees--as Israel just did--you are violating any humane sense of a reasonable response.

nika, I won't even bring religion into this, even though that is really where the conflict began. As a side note, not believing in an immortal soul seems so...boring. The intellectual possibilities of an immortal soul are enough in themselves to garner by belief.

I stand by the analogies as being sound. As for being brainwashed, with all due respect you have no idea who is behind this keyboard and what my life experience and knowledge on this subject is.

I am not ignoring half your words and if I am misrepresenting them it is not intentional. Perhaps it is because it is text only I cannot understand the tone and body language that normally would go along with it.

I can't say I won't change my mind on this issue. I won't speak to your mind as certainly you know it best. However, as I now understand the issue I believe Israel has a right to defend itself, its people, and its UN defined borders.

beast, you are right, certainly I do not say they can do "anything". However, it is well documented on many news sites that Hamas regularly hides snipers in hospitals, and rockets in in mosques and neighborhoods. I don't think for one moment that Israel wants to kill every man, woman and child but Hamas seems to get no blame for hiding in a neighborhood and using those lamented civilians as shields.

I agree that Israel has a right to defend its borders, but since when was killing civilians a legit way to defend your country and borders? I'm sure these casualties could of easily been avoided.

Iceman, Hamas hides in the hospitals, schools, mosques and neighborhoods. It isn't so easy to avoid hitting civilians when Hamas has their missile launchers in the middle of a community.

Confirming what I have been saying about this event I just read on AP that the school, "...grounds were being used by terrorists to fire mortar shells at troops stationed nearby, and the soldiers responded by firing mortars back, the army said. According to the IDF, the dead included members of the Hamas rocket cell, including senior operatives Imad Abu Askhar and Hassan Abu Askhar." Finding Hamas leaders in the school among the dead is proof what they are saying is true, but if that isn't enough he story goes on to read, "Defense officials told The Associated Press that booby-trapped bombs in the school had triggered secondary explosions that killed additional Palestinians there."

So not only were they using the school as a shield they rigged it so that a minor mortar attack on the part of the school they were hiding in which would normally cause minimal damage would detonate secondary devices and cause major damage.

I find it hard to see how Hamas should not be blamed for this.

TM, I invite you or anyone else interested in the Gaza invasion to read this column by Israeli commentator Uri Averni. http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1230937462
As to your specific arguments: First, we can't yet know that the claims of the Israeli Defense Force are correct, because no independent journalists have been allowed into Gaza since the invasion started, and frankly, the IDF doesn't have a very good track record for honesty. Second, even if the claim is correct, that still doesn't justify bombing the school. According to the IDF's own figures, they have killed 125 Hamas militants since the assault on Gaza started. But well over 600 people total have died. This is a 5:1 ratio of civilians to fighters. And this is no accident, or collateral damage. It is a message directed at the population if Gaza--punishment for electing a Hamas government. But sending "messages" to civilians through the use of violence is terrorism by any definition.

I disagree that their intent is to send a message to civilians. I think their intent is to send a message to Hamas. Much as civilian casualties sent a powerful message to Emperor Hirohito. When the warriors are shooting from the midst of the civilians horrible choices must be made but made they certainly must be. This has been an element of war, disgusting as war is, from the beginning.

Would it not then be logical that if Israel means to annihilate Hamas,they could win over Palestine's citizens instead of killing them? Instead of destroying everything around your enemy, why not use everything around your enemy, against your enemy?

In any war, killing civilians to send a message to a government is wrong. Dropping an atomic bomb on small Japanese fishing villages to send a message to a corrupt emperor is wrong. So why is it right to say that Israel can kill civilians to send a message to Hamas? That Israel is big and tough and that they can push their little neighbors around?

Even before this attack, Israel had been building a massive wall on the border with West Bank. They deliberately built the wall deep within territory that was officially West Bank's, including Jerusalem and Bethlehem- West Bank's Capital. Now tell me that Israel is merely trying to defend its borders.

kurt, these are people who fly airplanes into buildings and strap bombs to themselves and teach their children to do so http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Suicide-bomber-baby01.jpg. Israel can't use logic with Hamas.

That doesn't sound very logical....also the link doesn't work.

"THIS VIDEO IS MISLEADING

The video was not taken on January 1st 2009. It was not taken in a civilian market, and it was not the result of an IDF air strike.

This video is from September 23rd 2005, and was taken in the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. A Hamas pick-up truck carrying Qassam rockets detonated by mistake during a Hamas rally, leaving at least 15 killed and dozens more injured.

The pick-up truck in question is visible for a split-second at the start of the video. The section of the video showing the pick-up exploding has been edited out. The large number of Hamas personnel present, the number of injured in military uniform, the large number of civilians and Hamas flags all over the place confirm this.

Compare the video from 4:08-4:24 with this photograph taken after the blast at the rally. In the background of the video the man shown in the white top in this photo is clearly visible tending to one of the casualties. Another person is shown coming over to him and placing the distinctive purple/green striped blanket over the body laying next to him, and the wooden pole he is knelt next to is visible.

The man in the white top is visible once again in this photograph (from this CBS News article) along with the man in a yellow shirt with serious leg injuries visible at around 3:55 in the video

A side-by-side comparison of a frame from the video at ~4:08 and the aforementioned photo from the CBS News article is here."

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/7n4re/graphic_video_of_
israel_defense_forces_attack_on/9rj2

Anyone here can blame Israel for overreacting dramatically to Hamas`s attacks all they want, but please don`t try and defend or rationalize what Hamas does in return. This extremist group provokes violence and time and time again has chose to commit it rather than proceed in peace processes and is in no way less to blame for the violence than is Israel.