Kadima and Labor refused to allow idf ground troops to take out the 600 tunnels. The tunnel network is still up and running. You can't destroy all the tunnels from the air. So iran will rush to hamas longer range rockets. This is just like disengagement leaving the philadephia route open. Oh kadima and labor are for turkey being in gaza and in the philadelphia route but that won't stop the smuggling. Oh and kadima are also for eu taking over the crossing. Kadima's goal is to do as much damage as possisble before the elections.

This is a big defeat for Israel. This will not stop rockets by Hamas, it will not stop the flow of weapons to GAZA. Nothing has been accomplished by this massacre of civilians. Killing civilians and bombarding hospitals, mosques, and the press is due to the frustration by the IDF for not being able to accomplish anything. Unless you go inside the cities and fight like real men they cannot accomplish anything. A unilateral cease fire means a big defeat for Israel. Barak and Livni will pay a big price for this in the elections. Israel is on the decline; with all these powers it cannot accomplish anything anymore. It’s the will of humans against the best technology in the world. Guess who won? The will of the GAZA people, this is history in the making again after the Lebanon War.

but whose victory?

Not fair for the people in the south! Our kids are suffering from trauma. we live in the basements! What do you mean unilateral!!! I knew this, I knew they won't finish it. Kadima and Labour must go!

We look like crap infront of the world, its really bad here in Canada! AND We didn't finish Hamas

objective - halt Hamas rockets on south unstated goal - finish this before Obama gets in reality - rockets continue to fall future - Likud will win election as other leadership fails

What about him?

Israel has now got Hamas against the ropes. The ref is about to call it in Israel's favor. Israel could just knock out Hamas and bulldoze a channel to the sea that would cut Hamas off from arms supplies forever. But wait. The humanitarians want Israel to throw in the towel and let Hamas rise from the floor, just when victory was about to be theirs. Wow. How many times does it take to snatch defeat from victory before you are labled schlmazels? Schlmazel leadership.

The various reports, even on this website, is very confusing to say the least. One report talks about a near ceasefire, the next headline says no truce by hamas, and back and forth it goes. Whoever is doing the headlines for this paper, definitely needs to get on track and tell us what exactly is going on.

ISRAEL first UNILATERAL WITHDRAWAL which forced out the ISRAEL CITIZENS of ISRAEL GAZA (who STILL do not have permanent homes and jobs) created HAMAS power in GAZA and PA but ISRAEL wants to repeat the fiasco to please the UN!

Loser seculars can´t do the job. Just the most motivated soldiers, protected by G-d, can. Oh, sorry, I forgot they have to study Torah!

Of course, now the BBC are in the Strip we will see all these Palestinian claims rigourously fact checked.... holding breath....

I’m sure Israel can count on its enemies, and be sure they will not stop their aggression. As such, Israel will have enough time to hunt the rest of the barbarian leadership of the Hamas. The people of Israel deserve it. And please bare in mind that the only way a barbarian should be allowed to come into civilization is in a coffin.

that idiot.

In 2006 Hizbollah kidnapped tow Israeli soldiers to exchange them with its prisoners in Israel jail. Israel refused the deal and rushed to war that last 33days with Hizbollah ending up loosing about 150 soldiers dead and hundreds of injuries .In the mean time over 1200 Lebanese civilian were killed(what a coincidence with the killed today in Gaza) ,bombed UN compound as well and UN posts with thousand of Lebanese civilian casualties.It managed to destroy Lebanese bridges, power station airport , and all kind of civilian infrastructures ,.the outcome was well known and Israel end up exchanging prisoner the way Hizbollah offered at the beginning, just an extra humiliation for IDF and Hizbollah emerged stronger. Looking to the situation with Gaza now, I will say pretty much the same outcome. Mashal offered an extension to existing truce if Israel remove Gaza blockade and open crossing points. Israel refused and lunched this no sense war. Israel will come back to the Initial conditions offered by Mashaal but after so many deaths, unfortunately and worldwide resentment for its actions. I think Israel is living deep national crisis since its establishment, when the Israeli are raised up as unconquered nation, nation that win only, any war and on the battle field of the ennemy.The Israeli connot realize or accept that, that time is over ,is gone and new reality formulated in the Middle East, Arabs are learning how to fight as well and can be a winner to some extend. This selfish self-image that was created during the 60 years of Isreali existence, all of a sudden trembled and created this irrationalism among the nation. A nation that 80% of its citizen moved to the extreme right is in trouble definitely. Liberman suggestion to bomb Gaza with nuclear bomb as in Japan reflect the barometer of the sickness the Jewish State has reached.

That didn't work, did it Kadima?? Dumbasses!! You're only looking for legitimacy in a world that already hates Israel - Hamas will be seen as a winner in Arab eyes and the West is already against Israel and no action short of suicide with appease them. :Livni - take your defeatist ilk, who are out of touch with reality, especially the mentality of your enemy, and go build your political career somewhere else. We have a State to save - not to sacrifice so you have a job to go to in the morning - schmuck!

Half the dead are women, children, and elderly? Well, that's much lower than what Hamas and Arabs are claiming - 98%. But then again, the UN and ICRC, both in line with IDF, claim 30% or less. SO, considering your pseudo-liberal subjectivity, I'll go with the next best "official" option. But hey - it's tough to deny it when it's show on tv, right - because why would a tv lie?

Let Islamic Jihad and Hamas aire pictures of our used hot dog wrappers, boxes of bamba, empty bulet shells, and maybe even an IDF hat - they can claim to be ultimate winners in warfare and the orgasmic Arabs can sleep with sweet dreams.

the twin unilateralisms are symptoms of dementia

Hamas rocket attacks on Israel have increased in tandem with European and UN assistance. Rocket fire from Gaza into Israel increased more than 500 percent in the year following Hamas' rise to power, and almost doubled again in 2008, as 1,730 rockets and twice as many mortar rounds struck Israel. Diplomats interceded to promote peace, but during each period of truce, Hamas rearmed with more sophisticated weaponry. In light of the escalating attacks on Israel, the United States is understandably reluctant to demand Israel cease defending itself, especially after urging Israel's initial withdraw from Gaza. More at : http://xrl.us/bebj4g

the exact same message BIBI WILL FINISH THE JOB AS A RESULT OF THE THREE LOOSING THERE NERVE WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THE WORLD THINKS .they just sealed there political ending

Hi all of you, I read all the comments. and i am really impressed. Why cant you love these palestinians, why cant you help them , after all you are cousins. maybe you understood badly your mission on the earth. you will tell me that they hate you and they want to kick you out from israel, well ok , you tried war , and it did not work , try the love for sometimes , let your childrens play together , let them visit your cities and you visit there cities , I am sure that there religion is so open since they beleive that you are the beloved persons of God , and it is written in their holy book , so common israel , wht is the real problem of loving them....

Even after the fall of Germany in WW2, Nazi's were still around the countryside causing as much trouble as they still could. Of course that all ended and today the USA, Germany and even Japan seem to be good friends and allies, but you must remember that we firebombed their populations and even nuked a couple of cities into near oblivion to get them to stop fighting. Those countries then arose from the ashes and chose a different path to prosperity, but even if you destroy Gaza, I just don't see them ever getting over their hate of Israel as long as anyone of them is left alive.

Olmert, Livni, and Barak are delusional. There is no such thing as a legitimate agreement with Hamas. Hamas will NEVER adhere to any agreements which provide peace and security for the State of Israel. Hamas exists to kill as many Jews as possible and ultimately destroy Israel. Anything short of total defeat and surrender by Hamas at the conclusion to this war means victory for Hamas in the grand scheme of things. I pity the Israelis for having leaders who, just like in Lebanon in 2006, are sewing more seeds of Israel's demise.

what ring and what towel? after 22 days of bombing our homes, houses of worship, hospitals and schools and murdering 1100 people most of them women and children and wouning 5000 years we still resist you and you can't advance in our towns. You are touring every corner of the planet with your failed PR and you still cannot win. If you think murdering people who strive to lift your seige on them is victory, then you live in lala land. You will NEVER win over us, simply because we have the right and you don't.

Hamas won on paper, but in reality, they know that they got raped really bad.

Do you ever notice how the king of shia kameini, assigns to himself the rulership of all sunnis; Most sunnis hate shia. So the arrogance is incredible. mashaal is almost a carbon copy of arafat in his naievete. He says hamas has won when they have had the crap knocked out of them. Not that israel has won but it does have the upper hand.The biggest point is that IDf has demonstrated tactical understanding of how to fight islamic guerillas on the ground and ashkenazi and barak deserve a big hand. Europe should be cautious in its criticism or israel will not help them fight when the time comes. And when you look at the numbers of moslems in european countries, one can only say that they are screwed.Moderate moslems obey their duty and become bomber extremists if called to by the distorters of allah, mainly the shiite bastards of iran. Haniyeh is also cut from the mashaal cloth, uses inflammatory outrageous rhetoric and presents himself as some religious saint. The leaders of hamas are undergound because they are afraid of dying contrary to what they say. Perversions of philosophy and religion as professed by larijani, mashaal and haniyeh produces the islamic death cult that killed sadat and wants to kill mubarak and all the west.So guys, watch out because you are next if you start trouble. Iran will be addressed, don't worry larijani, you will be addressed.

this man is a total lunatic. no on can reason with him and his ilk.

When HAMAS responds to the stupid Livni Olmert unilateral ceasefore with twice the rockets that they have been able to launch in recent days. Israel should respond with a ten fold increase in bombings until Gaza is totally destroyed. Meshaal and Haniyeh have reiterated the goals as stated in the HAMAS charter of the destruction of Israel and murder of all Jews and Israelis. There is no place in their agenda for peace and coexistance. As such the only option left is to kill or deport the entire Gazan Population. They leave us no other options.