Jonathan Swain on the grief in Gaza
Israel has shelled areas of south Lebanon overnight - in response to rocket attacks. It's the sixth day of airstrikes by Israel which says it's targeting Hamas militants. Thousands of people have fled from the homes in Gaza, at least 166 people have died in the attacks.
Jonathan Swain has more in his blog...
There is grief in Gaza and it shows no sign of ending. Over the weekend families in the tiny Palestinian territory have been burying their loved ones. It's been six days now since this conflict began and so far 166 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air strikes.
Israel are bombing Gaza in retaliation for Hamas firing rockets into Israel. These rockets cause fear but so far no Israeli deaths. Hamas are the Islamic militant group who rule the Palestinian strip of land and oppose the state of Israel.
It's a conflict that has been raging for almost 70 years since the state of Israel was created on land that was once called Palestine.
There is constant tension here but the increasing death toll is alarming. No-one is pulling back either. Israel are increasing their air strikes and they are no longer just targeting Gaza but also bombing Southern Lebanon too. They say they are targeting sites where Hamas fire their rockets from but the reality is, that homes are hit and families are dying. Over the weekend an Israeli air strike killed 17 members of one family including 3 children. This death and devastation doesn't diminish support for Hamas among Palestinians, it only boosts their popularity and encourages them to fire more rockets at Israel.
This is the underlying problem as Israel respond by more bombs and the cycle of death and deadlock continues. Israel has the support of America so can it pound the Palestinians without the fear of sanctions or even a slapped wrist. Internationally there is inaction. European leaders are doing little to end the bloodshed.
The only hope for those who are suffering is a ceasefire, but sadly, at the moment, there is no sign of that.