"Israeli aircraft fired missiles at the Palestinian prime minister’s office early Sunday, just hours after a Palestinian official said the soldier whose abduction sent Israeli troops into the Gaza Strip is alive and in stable condition.
A Hamas militant was killed in another Israeli airstrike.
Witnesses said two missiles hit the Gaza City office of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas early Sunday, leaving one bystander slightly injured and setting the empty building on fire. The Israeli army confirmed it attacked Haniyeh’s office." Yahoo
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See my earlier comments on this process of the elimination of the Hamas government. "Peace? What Peace? parts 1&2
Pat Lang
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060702/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians
What is the benefit of eliminating the Hamas government?
As long as the Palestinians perceive they are being squeezed by Israel there will always be support for organizations like Hamas.
Hamas could very well be eliminated. Most of their leaders including Sheikh Yassin have been killed by Israel. But would not another Hamas take its place?
There is the danger in Israel’s desperate need to survive that she becomes the aggressor. I believe she is close to doing to the Palestinians what was done to Jews.
The striving for perfectibility of a peace treaty is faulty. Better to settle for temporary cessation of hostilities than to exacerbate it with an aggressive response.
Hamas has indicated several times that they will temporarily have periods of peace. They are the elected government–the previous one was so corrupt that Palestinians voted to replace them with less than an ideal government.
Temporary peace is superior to hostilities until there is a more acceptable government Palestinians can elect.
It would be an egregious mistake for Israel to kill the present Hamas leaders they have captured. They will have to pull their forces back and enter into imperfect negotiations. They must not annihilate Hamas because they prefer a more lasting peace. Genocide of the Palestinians is not an option.
Well shoudl pat every warmongerer in the back. They now get all they want.
We gonna be thee for a …loooooooong..looooong time and we gonna be involved in MAJOR regional war. … score one to Al Qaeda. (hell they can just send a small group and kill some settler and kidnap another soldier…in the next 2-3 years) and the whole thing will be a major war.
… I am putting my shiny dime on this scenario now.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060704/ts_nm/mideast1_dc_3
Increasing political pressure on Olmert to launch a broad ground offensive, Palestinian militants carried out their deepest rocket strike yet against Israel, hitting a school yard in the coastal city of Ashkelon, some 10 km (6 miles) from Gaza, causing no injuries.
Olmert said in broadcast remarks the attack would have “unprecedented, far-reaching consequences” and Hamas, whose military wing claimed responsibility for launching the rocket, “would be the first to feel them.”
Israel ignored a 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) ultimatum set by three militant factions, among them the Hamas armed wing, to begin freeing 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, as well as jailed women and youths, in exchange for Shalit.
The factions vowed not to release any information about the soldier and pulled out of negotiations with Egyptian mediators trying to end the standoff, a Hamas political leader said.