Israel Continues Strikes, at Least 315 are Dead

The Middle East is once again the center of violence on this Second Day in the Octave of Christmas when so much of the world is commemorating the Nativity of the One who is the path to peace.

GAZA CITY (Catholic Online) - The sounds of exploding bombs and screaming people were heard Saturday morning in the Gaza strip. Israel has executed simultaneous strikes against Hamas strongholds.

Reuters reported that an aide to Defense Minister Ehud Barak indicated that Israel is poised to escalate its assault on the Gaza Strip saying, "The operation will be pursued and widened as required and subject to (commanders') assessments... We are facing a period that will not be simple or easy."

Reports from Ghaza Health Ministry official Moawiya Hassanain from the ground indicated at least 270 were dead after 100 tons of bombs strike at Hamas, a number expected to escalate as rescue workers are able to reach some of the more devastated sites. There are close to 400 wounded.

The air was heavy and toxic with black smoke. The sounds of wailing family members searching for their loved ones is being heard everywhere in this land which is hailed as holy by so many.

Among the bodies recovered was the Gaza Police Chief along with several other uniformed officers.

Israel claims to have specifically targeted these security compounds in a defensive response to the continual rocket fire which Hamas has been raining down upon Israeli citizens from Gaza.

The Hamas sympathizers and victims of this strike who were interviewed by the Press promised to fight back until "the last drop of blood".

In the meantime, fathers and mothers search for missing children, husbands for wives, wives for husbands ...and the pained expressions on the faces of all engaged in the rescue mission speak loudly of the anguish in a land besieged with fear.

Prayers are being uttered in loud wails from both sides.

The Middle East is once again the center of violence on this Second Day in the Octave of Christmas when so much of the world is commemorating the Nativity of the One who is the path to peace. The One whose sacred feet once walked on these very lands.

UPDATE: The airstrikes have continued for three straight days with no sign of ending anytime soon. The Israeli Defense Minister is quoted in news sources as having vowed to fight this "war to the bitter end". The death toll has now exceeded 315 with close to 1500 injured. UN reporst that among the dead, at least 51 were civilians. Just Sunday evening alone, reports have indicated that at least 17 children have been killed.

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