Israel shows its broader aims outweigh peace

The large-scale predawn air strikes Israel launched across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that killed over 400 Palestinians shattered the ceasefire that has been in place since January.

Tel Aviv justified the strikes by demanding that Hamas must release more hostages, and its requirement that Hamas should relinquish control of the Palestinian territory is simply absurd.

What Israel demanded are also the requirements of the United States, which its leader made public earlier this month in the form of an ultimatum, which Hamas rejected saying it will only free hostages in return for a lasting truce, and abandoning Gaza has never been a consideration.