The patience of the Israelis reached its end today.  After taking more that 200 missile attacks in the past week, the IDF attacked every known Hamas security station in Gaza today, killing hundreds and wounding hundreds more.  Gazans pledged resistance to any ground invasion, but Israel has not yet indicated when — or if — one will come:

Israeli warplanes retaliating for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes Saturday, killing at least 155 and wounding more than 310 in the single bloodiest day of fighting in recent memory.

Hamas said all of its security installations were hit and responded with several medium-range Grad rockets at Israel, reaching deeper than in the past. One Israeli was killed and at least four people were wounded.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said “the operation will last as long as necessary,” but it was not clear if it would be coupled with a ground offensive. Asked if Hamas political leaders might be targeted next, military spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich said, “Any Hamas target is a target.” …

But with 200 mortars and rockets raining down on Israel since the truce expired a week ago, and 3,000 since the beginning of the year, according to the military’s count, pressure had been mounting in Israel for the military to crush the gunmen.

Hamas made it clear last week that they wanted war.  They announced the end of the so-called truce, although as the 16th paragraph in this report finally makes clear, Hamas and other affiliated groups had never stopped attacking Israel.  They want to provoke a wider war and hope to get Egypt involved.  The Egyptians opened the border to provide emergency medical care to the wounded and condemned the attack, but have not broken diplomatic relations with Israel yet over the attack.

The world should step aside and quit interfering in the war Hamas so desperately wants and will desperately lose if left to their own devices.  As long as Hamas controls Gaza, a state of war exists, and cease-fires do nothing to advance peace, as this year has proven yet again.  Tiresome calls for “restraint” don’t work when one side is determined to have war.  The best way to resolve this conflict is to allow Hamas to have its war and get utterly crushed by Israel or overthrown by Gazans to avoid that unavoidable conclusion.

Hamas insists on a war of annihilation and won’t accept any other solution.  Let them have it.

Update: Meanwhile, Fox needs a new headline writer, according to HA reader Roger B:

No mention of the 200+ rocket attacks Hamas conducted on Israel over the past week, or at least some hint in the headlines of the context of Israel’s response?  Surely they can do better than that.