After coming to see 2 seperate posts on the subject, I believe its important to give the truth on what is going on there.
In theory, the situation is not a first, unique situation, but is in many ways a repeat of the Gaza War of 2008/09 which started once Hamas (-a terrorist group according to the EU, US and Canada) started launching 100s of rockets at Israeli cities and towns (Sderot and Ashkelon being the most well-known).
An offensive was launched by Israel to stop the rocket fire and protect Israel’s civilians.
AGAIN, 3 years later, Hamas, after smuggling in thousands of rockets into Gaza, has restarted its campaign of terror against Israel’s civilians, now launching rockets as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
List of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, 2012
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2012
To add important points, Hamas is one of the two main factions of the Palestinians (the other being called FATAH). Both are in favour of Palestinian independance. Hamas in a bloody uprising took over the Gaza strip in 2005, and has used Gaza as a terror based since then. In reaction to this, to stop weapons coming in, Israel maintains a blocade on the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is a militant Islamic fundamentalist organization which rejects peace and, according to its manifesto, wants to destroy Israel.
Hamas has launched hundreds of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians since the 1980s against Buses, nightclubs and other public places.
In this war, Israel targets military targets such as terror bases and rocket launchers, while Hamas fires indiscriminately at Israeli civilians in towns.
In the town of Sderot, Israeli schoolchildren have only 15 seconds from the time the alarm siren goes off to find shelter.
The cause and solution of this war are clear: the ROCKET ATTACKS.
If Hamas were to stop firing rockets at Israeli civilians, the war would end tomorrow.
For a good overview of the general conflict, a short 5 minute movie:
Prager University: The Middle East Problem
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