Gaza, Hamas and the Israeli Operations

From what I've heard / read, the hope is that Hamas will return those it's kidnapped and the current Israeli operation in Gaza can be called off.

Mean time... here's some of the quotes I've come accross from the media so far:

One way or another, the Damascus-based Khaled Meshaal, with his Syrian and Iranian backers, has clearly emerged as a more powerful figure in Gaza than either Haniyeh or Abbas.

Source: yossi alpher on comment is free

Is this even anything to do with Palestinians any more, or is it part of Hamas's stratagy for global Islamism? There is a lot more to this than meets the eye, for some background see: Palestine, Hamas, Fatah and civil war

Think of the Children, oh please, won't someone think of the children?!

Israeli war planes flew low overhead, setting off sonic booms that smashed windows and frightened children. "The bombardment of civilian infrastructure, vital and central bridges and the lone power plant in the Gaza Strip is a war crime," said Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri."

Source: AlertNews (Reuters)

What do you think? When you're complaining about the noise of aircraft scaring children during a war... there's not too much going on in my opinion.

Incidently, Israel is just too small for this problem to be isolated to Gaza, whatever the people in Gaza were suffering (in terms of noise polution etc from the planes), the Israelis must be suffering too. Summary: War is not nice. It should be avoided. In this case there is a way out... HAMAS SHOULD TAKE IT!

"For sure, he's in hands that will protect him and treat him well. Our morals and our religion dictate that we do this to every prisoner," Abu Marzouk said.

Source: JPost

Do you buy this? Are Islamic states the way forward? I agree that this IS what Islam says, but since when has that made any difference to Hamas? There is a difference between Islam, and the corrupted version called Islamism that wants everyone to convert and all countries under Sharia Law. See the next quote as well!

Abu Abir, told Al-Jazeera satellite TV earlier Wednesday that Asheri would be butchered in front of TV cameras" if the IDF operation in Gaza did not stop. "Our patience is running out," said Abu Abir.

Source: JPost

What? How does this follow from the previous statement? Palestinians want convicted terrorists released in exchange for returning the soldier or his body. They want about 500 people released from Israeli prisons.

Is 18 year old Eliyahu Asheri being treated as a political prisoner? He hasn't actually done anything wrong besides being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Is he getting at least the same level of support, rights etc as convicted murderers in Israeli jails? If not, why not? What about 19 year old Gilad Shalit? He's a soldier in the Israeli Army, true... but that means he is a POW. Is Hamas complying with it's obligations under international law re: POWs?

Hamas is the government now, they have a responsibility just like any other government. Their
security forces are now government security forces... the rules of international law and the international community should apply just as much to them as to any one else. Has anyone even raised this point?

Is the NGO community putting pressure on Hamas about their lack of complaince? Are grass roots movements pringing up to boycott Palestinian goods?

Why not?