"Terrorism" in Israel-Palestine

Today, Israeli forces marched into Gaza in a military action against the Hamas government and the Palestinian people after having already bombarded the small region with an eight-day air strike. According to AP reporters Barzak and Keyser yesterday, "more than 400 Gazans had been killed and some 1,700 wounded since Israel embarked on its aerial campaign, Gaza health officials said. The United Nations has said the death toll includes more than 60 civilians, 34 of them children." The exact numbers of dead and wounded may be greater and surely will grow due to the inaccuracy of artillery fire. The amount of Israeli casualties from Hamas' 50 plus rockets at this point is 4, only one being a civilian. Israeli planes bombed the home of a Hamas leader, Rayan, late this week, killing him and the majority of his family. "Eighteen other people, including all four of Rayan's wives and nine of his 12 children, also were killed, Palestinian health officials said. A man cradled the burned, limp body of a child he pulled from the rubble." The bomb dropped weighed 2,000 pounds (one ton) and obliterated the apartment building the family lived in completely as well as damaged buildings nearby. There have also been bombings of several mosques packed with worshipers. Israeli military personnel claim that weapons were being stored there, but there is no excuse for attacking these places of worship, especially while occupied!
Nations world-wide have begged Israel this past week to cease fire and begin negotiating peace, but Israel has disregarded these requests and continued with it's heavy-handed campaign. The Israeli military has also issued a ban on foreign reporters coming in to Gaza, so true conditions may be unknown. Countries have also been having problems gaining access into Gaza to provide humanitarian aid as Israel is restricting the amount of aid allowed in (see above photo of nurses from Jordan protesting earlier this week because due the fact they were not allowed in to provide aid).
President Bush on Friday called Hamas' act of launching rockets at civilians an act of terrorism. Perhaps he is correct. However, Israel's actions against the innocent Palestinians in Gaza most certainly can be called terrorism as well. Israel gets its weapons and military equipment mainly from the United States and their military have been trained by U.S. military personnel meaning they have much more state-of-the-art technology and training than the Hamas leaders and "militants". Israel could certainly go about taking care of this problem with Hamas in a much cleaner fashion than it has been exercising in the past few days. Dozens of innocent men, women, and children dead due to the messy way in which the Israeli military is handling this situation. It is unnecessary, heartbreaking, and unforgivable. However, I do not in the least agree with the way Hamas is handling the situation either and do believe that the Hamas government has brought this upon itself and upon it's people.
I chastise both parties for their insolence and obstinacy. In the name of God, think of your children! What good is it for them if they have no future? What good is it for them if there is only endless war ahead or if they all lie dead in the street due to your folly?
The last three out of the five photos I have included in this blog are of Palestinian children (Muslim and Christian) who are protesting for PEACE. The little Christian girls in the photos have painted one cheek with the Palestinian flag and the other with the Israeli flag, while the Muslim children hold up peace signs. I ask all people to join these children and their parents in praying for peace between Israel and Palestine, that these atrocities may cease quickly.