a family shelter under their defences as an Israel rocket homes in on them. The Times. As the death count continues to rise, international condemnation of Israel's actions begins to solidify. With Hamas refusing to stop launching rockets and the IDF returning fire there appears to be no solution to be found to this inextricable human tragedy in sight. But with the massive majority of the casualties on the Palestinian side questions are being asked about the IDF's notion of proportionate response.

Since this editorial was created Hamas and Israel have made some efforts to create a lasting cessation in hostilities. With Egypt a player in negotations and pressure from US and UK political allies the IDF have pulled back from armed incursions. Many of the conflicts and problems  in the Middle East region going back at least to the end of World War II, and the rise of the ISIS militia has been connected with the 2003 invasion of Iraq and in Syrian civil war. The current conflict in Gaza between the Israeli IDF and Palestinian based Hamas and the resulting deaths of many innocent civilians just adds to the increasing image of a region on the brink of all out collapse and inevitable war. With ISIS sweeping through Iraq and causing deliberate death and destruction in their aim to creat a single Islamic caliphate that doesn't recognise existing national boundaries, the whole Middle East region looks on the verge of collapse into all out war.