[mnehring]

I agree that Hamas bears huge responsibility, for lobbing those crude missiles at civil targets, and for mingling combatants with the civilians, but I don't think that enables Israel to bomb apartment buildings, or even nonmilitary governement buildings.

If civilians (sic) willfully let these groups use civilian targets for storage, staging, or shields, then these targets are no longer civilian targets but military assets and the civilians in such locations are no longer civilians but part of the support infrastructure.

They should have gone in on the ground a week ago.

That would put Israel's own forces in greater danger of harm. Your first and foremost obligation is to the safety of your own troops, thus, softening your targets and removing threats to your own is your forces is your number one obligation. Having them go in as a ground assault prior to target softening puts your own troops at undue risk.

[ArrogantBustard]

the civilians in such locations are no longer civilians but part of the support infrastructure.

That's another problem ... when fighting a non-governmental or quasi-governmental, irregular-force opponent ...

What is a civilian? Is a 10 year old wearing a bomb-vest a civilian? Is his mother, who dressed him in a bomb-vest, a civilian?