Hamas care about the citizens of Gaza?

Many wrongs have been perpetrated by both sides in the build up to the current conflict in Gaza. However, Hamas are to blame for the climbing body count reported over the last 24 hours.

I have young children. If I take them for a walk in our local park and we happen to come across a large dog, I do not poke that dog with a sharp stick. For one thing, that dog will almost certainly attack me, another is there's a good chance my children will get bitten in the process.

Hamas are firing rockets into Israel, knowing full well that the retaliation will be costly for the people they are supposed to represent. When Israel started its air offensive to stop the rocket attacks, Hamas continued to fire rockets. When Israel massed its army on the border, Hamas continued to fire rockets. Now that Israeli troops have entered Gaza, Hamas continue to fire rockets. It's like me continuing to poke that dog with my sharp stick after it has already savaged two of my kids. Worse still, by placing their rocket sites near civilians, Hamas are poking the dog whilst holding their children in front of them.

It may seem like I'm taking sides with Israel on this, but I'm not. Both sides have committed wrongs in the past, but it is a fact that if Hamas had stopped firing its rockets last week, a lot of people would be alive today.

You cannot poke a angry dog with a sharp stick and expect to get away with it.