finish the job. Olmert until now you have screwed up everything you have ever done. I hope you learned from Lebanon 2 and do this one right. DO NOT STOP UNTIL HAMAS SURRENDERS AND BEGS US TO TAKE SHALIT BACK.

It's high time that Israel defend her citizens from the incessant terror inflicted by Gazans. This operation was necessary to remove the many terrorist cells that are allowed to fester under Hamas rule. Civilian casualties are unfortunate; the difference is that Palestinians target Israeli citizens, whereas Israelis target Palestinian terrorists. I am proud of Israel, my country, and my Channukah is merrier knowing that Israelis are defending themselves.

i am a jew and an israeli living here near gaza and i tell you the truth. this operation was 100% needed. we could not go on like this day in and day out. however, about shalit, forget it. if he wasn't dead before, now for sure, they will kill him for sure!

Vionlece can not solve your problems. Start to talk! And Israel has to stop their occupation of Palestinian land.

of course, he is a military target, but I doubt on the Israeli side.

Olmert "also made it clear that Israel will assist Gaza’s civilian population". Why? Since when does one "assist" the enemy population? And if you need proof that the Gazan population is also the "enemy", just look at the "Israeli" Arabs. Exactly whose side are THEY on? Olmert and the Left still don't have their heads screwed on straight.

Let's see Russia start lobbing missles into Norway and then you can talk.

hope the Olmerts do this one right FOR ONCE ! am yisroel chai

It is indeed sad for the Shalit family, and one cannot ever expect them to come to terms with such a decision, however it is totally irrational to allow the entire population of the South of Israel to live in terror and fear, on the chance that Gilad is still alive. It is a terrible reality, but it is reality. Hamas has laughed at Israel for years. Knowing that Israel would refrain from real action on Gaza all for the sake of hoping Shalit would be released. Talk is over. The time for action has come. Kol Ha Kavod IDF.

kadima glory seekers-please take a vacation-mecca or any other arab local to kiss up with your friends while the idf bulldozes a road to jordan on which to escort the residents of gaza to their state--------------where they belong--for now.

Have you had your head in the sand the past couple of years? Israel left Palestinian land (Gaza) and then that land became a base to launch rockets at Israel.

So, let's bomb instead Oslo, disturb the everyday lives of thousands of your compatriots, witness years of terror and killings of innocent people and then see you in action. I bet you would be the first to ask and shout at your government to bomb the hell out of the aggressors, even if they were your much beloved Hamas terrorists. And rightfully so. Best thing for you is to mind your own business if you don't have enough brains to reason.

shall die by the sword. this is happening to the Hamas fanatics. Israel has shown to be extremely hesitating and peace loving almost to the extent of suicide. what is happening now is more than 100 percent the fault of the Hamas fools. one thing to be desired that many of the civilians in Gaza may come to recognize that they have a much better future without this gang of religious killers.

Thank you Oslo ....Great contribution to "peace". Oslo was one of Israel's biggest mistakes. They trusted the enemy.. Yes... they TALKED...and have not STOPPED TALKING since. God help us if morons like you ever hold sway. Please crawl back under your rock and stay there.

Isreal is foolish and you cannot break our resolve and our will , you will regret about your violence . we wont give up , we wont kneel even if Gaza became a cascade of blood , this is our land and you must leave it for ever . The sacrifice from us is needed . Israel will pay the price of course about these foolerys .

Meanwhile, "Bibi" Netanyahu, who should be demontrating strength, instead demonstrates contemptible weakness as he purges the party of "hardliners" like Moshe Feiglin. Yesterday a Likud spokesman opined, he is proud of what Likud did to Feiglin. Meanwhile Likud falls precipitously in the polls as more and more on the right abandon Likud (for small principled parties) in the face of its pusillanimity. This is really a sad spectacle to behold.

Olmert should let livni and barak do most of the work here. Barak knows what he is doing. Olmert-do not interfere and stay out of it for Israel's sake. Israel may yet suffer casualties and it is critical that the IDF goes all the way to meet its objectives. A dry eye is needed even if israel suffers 1000 casualties. If this is the war to the finish, so be it. just keep out of the way Olmert and don't screw this up. Let Barak handle and keep a dry eye.

Israel will lose in a ground war like they did in 2006 and they know it. That's why IDF does cowardly fly bys with American engineered arsenal. I am not a supporter of HAMAS, but if you complain about Qassam rockets killing civilians (which is rare by the way), then give them more accurate weapons like what you have so they will hit only military targets. ONE Israeli man dying, although its sad, doesn't justify the murder of over 200 men, women, and children. This is the essence of terrorism plain and simple.

KEEP the pressure on Hamas. Keep targeting the Hamas leadership (but, do NOT target Haniyeh) and Hamas members -- and that their family members (including family members of Haniyeh) will get caught in the crossfire ; too bad for them, what else can be done. Hamas taught it can get away with the terror-generating Kassam rocket attacks on the UNARMED civilian population of Sderot, other places in Israel. IF possible, do not send the IDF into Gaza Strip. Use everything else to clip the wings of Hamas. BTW Hamas SHOULD understand that violence (i.e. firing Kassam rockets) breeds violence (i.e. Israeli counter-attacks). Hamas SHOULD understand that it can NOT go on firing Kassam rockets into Israel day-after-day-after-day -- and think that Israel will say nothing. Hamas should know that the present casualties in the Gaza Strip is CAUSED by Hamas, and by Hamas ALONE. CONCLUSION : I think Hamas leadership (except Haniyeh) SHOULD be hit HARDER and MORE severely. LET the Hamas leadership (except Haniyeh) feel MORE pain.

Talk is all Israel has been doing. It is about time Hamas gets a taste of it 's own medicine. And don't talk about civilians because they train their children from birth to be martyrs. Just like a video on Youtube where a woman asks her child: What religion is right? What G-d is right? What are the Jews? Enough of the crocodile tears. www.yeshabulletin.com

You say :”Violence causes violence”. YES. Hamas SHOULD have known that. SINCE the beginning of 2008 till yesterday Hamas et al has fired more than 3,000 rockets and mortars from Gaza Strip onto Sderot, other places in Israel. Kjetil, what do you think those 3,000+ Kassam rockets and mortars (fired into Israel) will result in -- flower garlands from Israel ?

KEEP the pressure on Hamas. Keep targeting the Hamas leadership (but, do NOT target Haniyeh) and Hamas members -- and that their family members (including family members of Haniyeh) will get caught in the crossfire ; too bad for them, what else can be done. Hamas taught it can get away with the terror-generating Kassam rocket attacks on the UNARMED civilian population of Sderot, other places in Israel. IF possible, do not send the IDF into Gaza Strip. Use everything else to clip the wings of Hamas. BTW Hamas SHOULD understand that violence (i.e. firing Kassam rockets) breeds violence (i.e. Israeli counter-attacks). Hamas SHOULD understand that it can NOT go on firing Kassam rockets into Israel day-after-day-after-day -- and think that Israel will say nothing. Hamas should know that the present casualties in the Gaza Strip is CAUSED by Hamas, and by Hamas ALONE. CONCLUSION : I think Hamas leadership (except Haniyeh) SHOULD be hit HARDER and MORE severely. LET the Hamas leadership (except Haniyeh) feel MORE pain.

the military are studying the results to see the consequences. That means the responsibility is shouldered for the military because the military said everything was prepared for Gaza operation. why wait-and-see policy, because both military and politician are unaware of one thing; they do have had planes but don't have plans.

As a friend of Israel and non-Islamist living in Jordan, my fear is that this operation will empower Islamists all over the region similar to what happened in Lebanon during 06. We realize that Hamas is acting out of political adolescence, but this should not justify Israel's desire to spread politcal Islam across the enire region. They should be more accurate in targeting Hamas targets rather than the Palestinian population. Any thoughts?

they have more patience more believe but israil have more and more and more bomb .but bomb has no patience at all have no god

Who do you think you are fooling? You are the kind of traitor who would give Al Qaeda jihadists more accurate weapons so they could more easily kill American soldiers. This is what you are calling for. You are on the side of the enemy. You are a low life Jo Jo, Los Angeles, USA. A real low life!

Israel's leaders have no God other than political power, money, greed, themselves or what have you. Hamas jihadists have patience and Allah. We must give them their due.

If anything was to be learned from the last war ... patience in war is not virtue. My understanding of this operation is to stop the rocket attacks .. not to bore them to death. It needs to be done NOW, depite the U.N.'s opinion and given they don't live there ... they need to stay out of Israel's business, given they are the ones recieving the rockets. They need to be bombed back to the stone age, and any Hamas or one suspected taken and put away. Those that live in this area of the Gaza Strip made a choice when they let Hamas in, therefore they should suffer the same. They have had years to round up these Hamas operaters ... they chose not. The boat that Iran is sending, they can go back to Iran, or blow them out of the water ... if anyone thinks they are bringing relief, they are very niave.

A crushing defeat to the Islamist Hamas is the only thing that will stop the rise of radical Islam in ME. Any other outcome would be perceived as the proof of the validity of the Jihadist ideology.

You say :” Hamas jihadists have patience and Allah.” Steve, the Hamas jihadists don’t have ALLAH. Why not ? Because they fire rockets on UNARMED civilians (of Sderot, other places in Israel) -- that’s why ALLAH, the Supreme Lord, is very UNHAPPY with them ; that’s why ALLAH is very ANGRY with them ; that’s why they do NOT have the mercy of ALLAH.