There are innocent dead on both sides and the leaders of both sides have chosen to close their eyes to the suffering of civilians.

The leaders and supporters of Hamas must bear their share of responsibility while Olmert and his coalition bear theirs.

But the people who should not be paying the price for these atrocities are the elderly, children, sick and disabled in Gaza whose medical and other aid supplies are not being allowed through the check-points.

Owen, London, UK

How much money does it cost for each missile that the poor Palestinians shoot daily into the civilian centres in Ashkelon and Sderot? Maybe the Palestinians would be better spending this money on improving the lot of their own people rather than killing innocent Israelis.

Jonathan, London, uk

There seems to be a lot more concern with these deaths than the deaths of dozens of Palestinians by the IDF in the last couple of weeks.
Why is that? Are the innocent Palestinians less worthy of our sympathies?

Tim, Toronto,

Interesting to note that Israeli dead all have names, meticulously listed, while the Palestinians dead are nameless in the past week's reporting. No list of the 120 Palestinian dead then, not even the children. And we all know that only the named dead have importance! Rest are "collateral damage" and not even considered human. The hypocrisy makes me sick!

Anamika, London, UK

Might this have been retaliation for the February killing in Syria of Imad Mughnieh, Hezbollah's military commander? Not to imply Israeli responsibility for that killing, but a yeshiva at the forefront of the settler movement would have been a logical target.

Tariq, Toronto, Canada

These were extreme right-wing jews, the ones ruining the state of Isreal.
The attack was essentially a domestic affair and should be of concern to ordinary decent Isreali Jews or Arabs, it was one set of fundamentalists against another - let them fight it out amongst themselves.
In a few years, isreal wil reap the benefits of having less of these raging lunatics.

Alan M, Brighton, England

When Isreal kills civilians its war, When Arabs kill Isrealies its terrorism

Ron, Clarence, usa New York

This is disgusting!- why are soo many people killed ( Israelies and Arabs). Today unfortunatly a minority of extremists who are " Muslims" pollute the entire religion of Islam, and people in the west are bound to believe that Islam is a religion that advocates terrorism, because of the agressive attacks carried out by those people as well as the negative ,bias media, which really further infiltrates a negative image of Islam.
I am disgusted and tired of this ongoing feud, between the arabs and the Israelies- we should all be united and live in peace- but unfortunatly , " a man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights"- so all we can do is pray for change, so we can aid people who really need our help( Darfour)

RY, london, barnet

Israel can be singled out as the sole villain in the world every single time, but condemning Palestinian terrorism is a no-go. Why am I not surprised? The UN is dominated by countries that support terrorism.

RL, London,

To Joe in London,

120 Civillians AND militants. Most civillians are used as human sheilds in this conflict. Hamas fire rockets into Israel and know what Israel is capable of doing....they continue to fire rockets into Israel and then cry 'woe is me' when a civillians dies.

Holly Shaw, London, UK

To Laila, London, UK.
How about helping the Palestinian refugees express themselves through the ballot box? Have any of the refugees been asked in referendums what their opinions are? Are there any elected refugee representatives sitting in peace negotiations? Why is that? There are 2 million Palestinian refugees over 18, who could vote. For any solution it's likely they would like a referendum - so the sooner they start voter registration, the sooner they can vote on solutions: land, returning, compensation.

850,000 Afghan refugees used Out of Country Voting (OCV) to express themselves - why not the Palestinian refugees. 5 million Afghans have returned home. The language in the West is votes/democracy. Let the 2 million refugees vote for representatives, and then they can go to Washington and put their case. The OCV for Afghans was organised in 80 days - simple. This is something positive.

For more info, google: afghan ocv.

Hugo van Randwyck, London, UK

Excuse me, but I never heard the UN or the world news media condemn the firing of rockets into Israel. You want to talk about bias? OK, let's talk. And the media don't seem to be ignoring the dead Palestinians.

Mary Witherspoon, Liverpool, UK

Israel has been trying to make peace with the Palestinians for more than a decade now, with repeating peace offers and financial aid. The Palestinians have proved themselves as a nation which cannot be addressed by anyone, as they constantly refuse these peace offers and mis use Israeli aid. They will not stop until Israel is completely destroyed. The international community seems to lack knowledge regarding what is going on. Israel is probably the only nation in history which provides millions of dollars along side electricity and food to its enemy. The Israeli state of mind does not allow them to degrade into acts of terror, yet they suffer from barbarian cruelty from those they are trying to aid - the Palestinians. The murder was purposely aimed against teenagers, 15 year-olds, who cannot defend themselves. that is the biggest difference - Israel targets terrorists, while the Palestinians target innocent civilians. after the incident last night they celebrated through out the night.

Roy M, New York, United States

How long before people (both Arab & Israeli) realise that this is not the solution. The constant insistence that it is the other side's fault will only result in further bloodhshed and loss of lives. Both sides have to realise that the onus is on each of them to make concessions or this situation will never change. Successive generations of Arabs and Israelis will grow up hating each other and the killings with continue. The situation is extremely depressing. The propoganda on both sides is depressing.

Chris Smith, GIBRALTAR,

The terrible truth is that there is no truth anymore. The media is geared toward provocative images that fan sentiment --not toward fine distinctions between massacres and orchestrated civilian deaths. The Palestinians have seized on this trend to claim a moral high ground in a situation where there really isn't one.

You don't see any of the oil rich arab countries coming to their aid. Why not? Because they don't really care about their so-called 'brothers' and enjoy the spectacle of suffering that makes Israel look bad in public eye.

I don't blame Israel for taking matters into their own hands. If your neighbour was launching rockets into your backyard daily, I challenge anyone to say they would not retaliate vigorously. The Palestinians need to get their own house in order before they go around throwing stones in glass houses.

S, oxford, England

Dancing at home?? The Israeli's mourn every dead. No Children are intentionally targeted by the Israeli army.

vicki, London, UK

Israelis dancing in the streets? Golda Meir once said: "We can forgive them for killing our sons. But we can never forgive them for making us kill their children."

The Arabs in Gaza were killed in Israeli attacks on rocket launching sites where the rockets being launched were targeting Israeli civilians. According to the Israelis only a few of those killed were civilians not connected to the rocket attacks on Israel. In contrast, this murder of 7 teenagers in Jerusalem was at a religious seminary, not a rocket launching site.

Wallace Edward Brand, Alexandria, VA, US

People only seem to react when an attack actually succeeds.

Why?

For the past two years, ever since Israel gave the whole of Gaza to the Arabs and destroyed tens of Jewish villages, the Arabs there have shot thousands of missiles into Israel, any one of those missiles being capable of causing as many dead and wounded as yesterday's rifle attack in the seminary.

Then, when finally Israel retaliates in order to stop the missile fire, the world complains that in the short Israeli raid many more Arabs were killed from the one action, than the number of Jews killed all from all the 1000s of Arab missiles.

So the world wants the numbers to even up more? I.e., they would be happier if more Jews were killed just to even up the numbers?

Israel has completely pulled out of Gaza two years ago. So why are the Arabs there still firing their missiles at us?

And so Israel should carry on giving the Arabs land of Israel? Just to give them more areas from which to bombard Israel?

Avraham, Rehovot, Israel

An axiom I heard once from a Jewish friend, "The violence and bloodshed will cease and there will be finally be peace, the day the so called 'palestinians', together with certain sections of the Arab and Muslim populous, learn to love their children more than they hate the Jewish children."

Unfortunately our own experience in this country should teach us that life is not a high priority for many of these individuals.

JJ, England,

It seems that several people read the news selectively! Israel is constantly condemned by the Security Council because it is comprised of Arab countries!! Israel's actions over the weekend were condemned!!!

The simple fact that Palestinians took to the street celebrating the killings goes to show what type of an enemy that Israel has to deal with. Please let us remember the scenes of jubilation in gaza and the west bank on September 11.

How can outsiders be critical of check points in Israel, when any random Palestinian is ready to kill a the average ordinary Israeli on the street? When israel left Gaza they started to kill eachother instead!? they have no humanity!

Palestians bring this situation upon themselves in which they revel. The are the best PR campaigners in the world. A cowardly people who use their civilians as martyrs, protecting the militants and weaponary, knwoing that Israel will be condemned for any action that will inevitably result in civilian casualties.

L, london,

To Andrew Brown from Derby

Don't talk to me about rocket science Andrew, you can not kill 120 civilains unintentionally..it's impossible!

Are you saying the crack IDF did not see them??

Have I still missed something?

Joe, London,

Today the Palestinians have revised their estimated civilian casualties from the past week to 30% civilian.The Israelis have been accurate in targetting 70% terrorists, and hitting 30% civilians as "collateral damage". This is horrific for the Palestinian innocents, but the intent (and success) of the Israelis in killing Palestinian Hamas terrorist scum is the main difference between Israel and Hamas.
The Israelis go to great lengths to ensure that they hit terrorists. When civilians are hurt or killed it is because the terrorists hide in civilians areas - have you not seen the picutres of katyusha rockets launched from the homes of civilians. This use of the "human shield" is a constant feature of Arab and fanatical Islamist attacks on Israel and the West.
The targetting of a specific religious centre brings to mind the atrocity committed by Baruch Goldstein in Hebron. It also reminds me of the Hebron Massacre of 1927.
Make peace. Stop the cycle of violence. It's our constant praye

Rabbi, Liverpool, UK

"we have never seen is Jews dancing in the streets whenever a Palestinian is killed..." -- Graham, London, UK

If only you can prove without a doubt that Israeli's do not dance in their homes, then i am with you. Who says it has to be on the 'streets only', for it to be bad?

Mohammed, London, UK

Massacre, what about the 120 palestinian that were killed a few days ago ?

Of Course what happened yestruday is terrible and must be blamed, this never should have happened and whoever commited this heinous act should be arrested.
Nevertheless for 8 lives that has been taken the UN Security Council meets forthwith, we have a full coverage by the media but for 120 nothing is done or said.
How is it ?

This is utterly unfair.

joaquim, Paris, France

It's so sad to hear what people have to say about all this...but the explaination to comments been made is the mere fact that none of us can feel,understand what any of those people, be it Irealies or Palestiniens. When we here living happily, knowing our families are safe, eating, sleeping, waking knowing we'll have food and our basic needs met. When we lose a loved one through old age or an illness we feel our worlds fallen apart, yet theres the palestiniens and isralies who epecting the news day in day out about the lose of another loved one. For us hearing about '100's' being dead is 'another news' we cant put ourselves in there shoe's. Its a shame! People are calling them heartless, well i think the heartless people some of you making comments! Did a tear roll down youe eye hearing about there deaths?? if not consider yourself heartless! And grow love for these people, there all innocent and helpless!

Ali, Staffordshire,

If the Gazan withdrawal is a pilot for withdrawal from the West Bank then it doesn't exactly bode well does it? And it makes nonsense of Palestinian demands for land in exchange for peace (short of giving Palestinians everything).

Gerard, London, UK

Would all the people justifying this attack also justify if some Muslim committed a massacre at a school in England because British troops killed innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. UN troops have killed over 250 innocent civilians in Afghanistan in the the last 3 months alone, would that then justify this kind of an attack against a school in Holland or Denmark?
Surely people are not so stupid that they can't distinguish between deliberately killing innocent civilians studying in a library and unintentionally killing innocent civilians in pitched battles where terrorists use civilians as cover and fire rockets from houses.

Steven K., Manchester,

Collaterall damage is one thing as terrrible as it is especially if your target is hidden amongst women and children but to walk into a class room, ANY CLASS ROOM and kill innocent children in cold blood is abhorent. The Muslim fanatics however, seem to have no compunction in slaughtering the young and weak, does no one remember the school in Beslin?

How in all honesty can anyone sit down and talk about peace with a group of people who hold life so cheaply, including the lives of their own people.

Israel have undoubtedly killed innocent people and I am sure that they have perpetrated acts that we would find unnaceptable. What we have never seen is Jews dancing in the streets whenever a Palestinian is killed.

If people can not see the obvious differnces between the two parties then they should wake up and start to look at the facts.

This is not a war for land and freedom, this is a war for the very existence of Israel. Hamas simply want to anihilate the entire country.

Graham , London, UK

Yes Joe - you have missed something! Unintentional means unintentional... i.e. the intended targets of the Israeli military were Hamas militants attacking Israel. Intentional means intentional... i.e. Palestinian terrorists delibeartely targetting civillians. Not rocket science really is it .

Andrew brown, derby, uk

muslims blow up buses in uk fred what t f did those travellers do mate

Yeshurun, London, ENGLAND

This is not a competiton of who suffers more,and one sided humanitarian arguments are void.The only issue thta bothers me is the reaction to this autrocity.Whe nIsrael invaded Gaza many innocents died,but no one in Israel celebrated their death,in fact there were marches agianst the incursion,howvere the whoel of Gaza celebrated the attack,qithin there lies the crux of the issue,the Pals embrace death and if an Israeli had done the same the media would have a field day.By th eway the argument that the press ignores the pals situation (which is bad no argument) is nonesense,they get more coverage then Darfur which is the shocking issue.The Arab media is vast and they are never under represented or held accountable,israel right or worng is as it is a democracy.In the ned when it all kics off who will hurt you and who won't ?

Dante Perez, London,

Massacre? Really? So why you don't use same word when just last week Israel killed 100 palestinian civilians? That was a real massacre.

Ruiz, London,

"This is a shocking crime, however you certainly argue that Israel has brought this on itself."

Piffle. Israel is deperately tring to defend herself from terrorists seeking to destabilise peace talks in the region; over 2500 missiles launched from the Gaza Strip since the turn of the year. Call it what you want, I call that war.

The people of Sderot are living in constant fear; many sleep in bomb shelters, such is the threat from these terrorists. If the Gaza population could reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with their rockets, they bloody well would aim them at these thriving population centres. That after all is their aim; to kill as many Israelis as is possible, to indiscriminately massacre as many civilians as possible.

The rocket firing squads in Gaza hide behind their own people, so as to make it almost impossible to get a clean shot on them, They are preposterous; cowardly religious zealots.

If this is war, and it certainly is, face us in an honest battle.

Corporal Miller, Jerusalem, Israel, & London, England

The reason Palestinian citizens are killed is that the Palestinians want this. They could protect their citizens easily if they wanted. They choose to store weapons in civilian buildings. The reason fewer Israeli citizens are killed is that the Israelis defend their people. The United Nations is dominated by a bloc of Muslim countries who cannot accept the tiny Jewish state on their doorstep.

Tom, London,

Libya’s position is understandable. The US, Israel and their western supporters are demonstrating to us once more one of the reasons for the ongoing violence in the Middle East. The double standard they use to justify Israel’s murderous actions in Gaza and the West Bank and putting all the blame is on the Palestinians is frustrating. It deepens the Palestinians’ feeling of injustice that will not help establish peace in the Palestine. There will never be peace without justice.

Ahmed, Benghazi, Libya

All of the sudden the humanists come out in England...so overly concerned you are about Darfur that you don't realize that your country is being swallowed up by that same Islamofascist monster. This time, a different Hitler.

Your country is unwittingly a breeding ground for the trouble we see in the Middle East, just as in the U.S., we are feeding, clothing and caring for every lost soul who has made a concerted effort to infiltrate our borders. All You Need is Love!

jeffrey P., Urbana, MD, USA

This is a shocking crime, however you certainly argue that Israel has brought this on itself.

Mark, Bangkok, Thailand

It's Show how much the U.N is useless organization
And controlled by the arabs states and other failed states!

shimon, beer sheva, israel

What are the Libyan's doing on the security council? What good are statements anyway? Terrorists dont give a fig,

UN statements are a way to make countries feel important and less guilty about abdicating their moral duty. If the UN felt that deeply about the Gaza situation they would insert a peacekeeping force to stop the Hama rockets - the reason for this violence. To show UN commitment, the force would be made up of NO Americans, NO British, NO Dutch and NO Australians, Canadians or Polish... Find a force that will actually do anything from what's left!

Israel has long regarded the concurrant rise of the left-wing pro-islamic media and the rise of anti-semitism. We see it in the Western press with, for example, the refusal by British papers to republish the Danish cartoons, (what happened to a land of free speech?)

What's the UN for?, London, England

This shows exactly what is wrong with the UN. How an organisation which is normally so quick to condemn Israel's actions is not able to, as an organisation, condemn the killing of school children in cold blood is a disgrace.

A B, London, UK

Will Mr Balls consider sending the 2 students from each school to Israel and Gaza as well as Auschwitz...

cww, suffolk,

The ridiculousness of this article is astounding. It clearly shows why the UN is not able to serve the nations of the world any longer. That this blatant terrorist infiltration of a place of Jewish study and worship became the scene of a bloody slaughterhouse is witness to the hate-filled society the Palestinians live in and perpetuate. That hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets dancing and celebrating is disgusting. At the same time, we have constant rocket barrages on the cities of Sderot and Ashkelon. It is time that the UN got some balls and either condemend the attacks or stepped aside to let Israel defend its people. If the nations of the world did not seek to condemn Israel, these attacks could be prevented.
Why not instead send UN troops into Gaza to help build up a stable society so that the next generation is not raised to hate and kill?Or is it too dangerous?Too ridiculous a thought? Can only Israel be put in such danger and can only Jews be left to die like this?

a voice of reason, Cleveland , USA

Killing of innocents on either side cannot and should NOT be condoned and must be condemned. Israel has the right to exist and so does Palestine in peace with its neighbours. To me the actiones of both sides in the last two weeks need to be questioned.

Hamad Lone, London, England

The Americans do everything bigger and better. The Palestinian was a lousy shot. On another note, these religious fanatics are future settlers - the type that shoot up stone throwing Palestinian kids. Not sure how much sympathy I've got.

Tom, Brum, UK

It did not matter how much we in the UK hated the IRA, the only way to stop the cycle of violence was to talk to them.
We did not invade Ireland, and we did not hem them in with a huge wall.
Israel take note, you are creating your own problems!

Pete, St Albans, England

Roger, Ipswich -

Israel will never have the justification to expell a entire group of population from their home - Im quite shocked that we haven't learned from History of what occured the last time a group of people was singled out.


I don't see UN condeming Israel killing innocent civilians which included children last week.
Why should UN condem this attack on Israel?

I agree with Fred, lets start focusing on Darfur where a genocide is occuring, seems to me we're pushing it aside for the ME.

Laila, London, UK

Any civillian Israel kills is an unfortunate victim in the war against terror. Anyone the Palestinians kill is the subject of a monstorous terrorist attack against humanity by murderers.

All i ask for is equality in reporting - or to move all the Israelies to Montana where they would be most welcome and get rid of the problem in the Midle East.

Mike, Singapore,

If the Arabs laid down their arms, there wold be no more violence. If Israel laid down it;s arms, there would be no more Israel. A true adage perhaps?

Stuart Murray, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Surely the Israeli state would now be justified in almost any action it takes against Gaza? Including expelling the entire population?

Roger Pearse, Ipswich,

Killing 120 civilians (including children and a baby) is not condemned because it's unintentional.

Can anyone please explain how 120 people can be killed unintentionally??

Six Israeli students are killed and we have uproar around the western world and wall to wall news coverage.

Have I missed something here??

Joe, London, UK

So where's the UN Security Council condemnation of Israel imposing colllective punishment on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

They're living in inhumane conditions and plenty of innocents are regularly killed but does it recieve the same profile as this outrage - no!

Andy, Glos, UK,

Oh no!

The UN can't issue a statement.......the WORLD IS AT AN END.

Or not.

I'd much rather they'd concentrate on problems like Darfur than to spend time trying to issue statements that could have come from the university of the bloody obvious.

Fred, London, England