Humanitarian Crisis In Gaza. Cease-Fire in future? Threat Of Hezbollah Getting Involved. Update in Afghanistan

Hello everyone, hope your safe :). During the past couple of hours, I have come across a lot of images and video of families, men, women, children, teenagers, elderly, pets, innocent bystanders, people who need help. Israel, faced with international pressure to implement a cease-fire, has allowed, for some days, three hours at a time, to cease fighting to open "humanitarian corridors", and allow humanitarian aid, for the people of Gaza. Ever since the ground incursion began, 683 Palestinians died, while 3,085 have been injured, with 11 Israelis dead, 7 soldiers (apparently some died from "friendly-fire", cover-up perhaps?), and 4 Israeli citizens who died from rocket attacks. These numbers will, unfortunately, be outdated by the time this is posted. During the three hours cease-fire, people in Gaza have a chance to go shopping for life's necessities, everything from food to medical supplies. The saddest is that children, during this short three hour cease-fire, can play outside in the playground, I am sure the children feel, it is not enough. The UN also does not feel the three hours are enough to deliver ALL the supplies needed. The situation has become critical, with medical supplies running short, and only two foreign doctors helping.

France has managed to have an agreement that Hamas and Israel, actually want to consider. The Franco-Egyptian Initiative is probably not going to be implemented though, since it is not tough enough, from an Hamas or Israeli perspective. Israel wants to stop rocket attacks into its southern cities, and to stop weapon smuggling to Gaza, from Egypt. Hamas wants to end the blockade that prevents it to trade supplies, and to bring in people. This initiative has at least planted the seeds of good, somewhere.

This conflict is getting even more dangerous. Five Rockets, from Lebanon, have been fired into northern Israel, which makes you think, "Is Hezbollah, watching images of Israel strike Gaza, felt a need to act?". Israel responded, with artillery fire, that they say, hit precisely where the attack came from. This attack, probably came from a Hezbollah supporter, but probably not from Hezbollah itself. Hezbollah, in May, will want to secure their win in the parliamentary elections, which will help it stay in power, they cannot afford to be involed in this conflict. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has expressed concern, regarding a possible Israeli attack in Lebanon. Nasralled feels, "[They] are ready for any aggression, Death to Israel! If you come to our villages, our lands, our neighborhoods, you Zionists will discover that the 2006 Lebanon-Israeli war was nothing compared to what you'll face this time". Strong words, unfortunately he's right, they are stronger than before the war. If too much time passes, Hezbollah must, will, has to, feel SOMETHING, must have the urge to ATTACK! STRIKE! If the conflict keeps up, it will happen.

After all this time, we must all feel this is all that is happening, when it comes to conflicts, unfortunately, this is not the case. 20,000 US troops will go to Afghanistan in this countries own surge. In Afghanistan, U.S. led forces (US troops assisted), have killed 32 insurgents, who where making bombs, in an Eastern Afghanistan cell, they were part of the Taliban. The US led forces fought off 75 insurgents, and destroyed the materials that make bombs and weapons caches. Nearby residents complained that building actually were destroyed, when the materials and weapons were destroyed, killing innocent civilians, at least 22 bodies, they say, were recovered. While Afghanistan was the model for a successful war, a model for US troops in Iraq, unfortunately, a revived Taliban insurgency has made 2008 the deadliest for US troops in Afghanistan, 151 dead in 2008.