Israeli aircraft’s lobbed more than 80 tons of bombs on terrorist Hamas controlled Gaza killing over 200 people. Howard L. Berman (D-CA), chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, concerning the security situation in Israel said “Israel has a right, indeed a duty, to defend itself in response to the hundreds of rockets and mortars fired from Gaza over the past week. No government in the world would sit by and allow its citizens to be subjected to this kind of indiscriminate bombardment. The loss of innocent life is a terrible tragedy, and the blame for that tragedy lies with Hamas.”

The US condemned the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and held Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire and for the renewal of violence in Gaza.

Since Hamas decided to end the calm on 19 December, there has been a marked deterioration of the situation in southern Israel. Palestinian terrorists fired over 20 Kassam rockets and mortars into Israel on Sunday (21 Dec).

60-80 rockets and mortar bombs were fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip between Tuesday night and Wednesday (23-24 Dec), including 7 rockets at Ashkelon , among them Grad-type missiles, and 5 at Netivot – one exploding outside a local community center which was full of children enjoying Hanukkah activities.

The 200 plus death in Gaza is ironic as earlier terrorist killed at least 195 people in Mumbai, India.

Since 11:30 Saturday morning, the IDF attacked dozens of targets affiliated with the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip. The targets included command centers, training camps, various Hamas installations, rocket manufacturing facilities and storage warehouses. The vast majority of the casualties are terror operatives, most of whom were wearing uniform and working on behalf of terror organizations.

The Air Force activity came as a result of the continuation of terror activity by Hamas terror organization from the Gaza Strip, and the duration of rocket launching and targeting Israeli civilians.

The targets that were attacked were located by intelligence gathered during the last months and include Hamas terror operatives that operated from the organization’s headquarters, training camps and weaponry storage warehouses.

The Hamas government leaders and operatives, which activate terror from within civilian population centers, are the sole bearers of responsibility for Israel ‘s military response.

The IDF Spokesperson emphasized that anyone sponsoring terror, hosting terror in his house, housing terror in his basement and sending his wives and children to serve as human shields- is considered a terrorist.

IAF aircraft struck a number of terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip, including a mosque in the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza city, from which many terrorist operations emanated. The mosque served as a base for terrorist activities. The IDF will continue to strike at any target that serves as a base for the terrorist activity against Israeli citizens. Those who are responsible for the attacks against residents of the south will not find refuge in any facility.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak convened a press conference on Saturday afternoon to formally announce the beginning of the IDF’s operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Barak laid out the three objectives of the offensive: dealing Hamas a forceful blow, fundamentally changing the situation in Gaza , and bringing to the cessation of rocket attacks against Israeli citizens.

FM Livni briefing to foreign press said “This is the translation of our basic right to self defense. Hamas cynically abuses its own civilian population and their suffering for propaganda purposes. The responsibility for harm to civilians lies with Hamas. Israel expects the support and understanding of the international community, as it confronts terror.”

At a noon press conference broadcast on Egyptian television Egyptian FM Gheit harshly censured Hamas, placing responsibility for the current situation on Hamas.