#superlongtext

Or, at least, for the past 10 years, after the Intifadah ended.

I'd like to draw a line of events for you: 1. Early June: 3 Jewish teenagers are kidnapped by Palestinians extremists from the West Bank and were murdered not too long after the kidnap. Their bodies were buried in a shallow grave somewhere in the open, only to be found after an extensive search (late June).

2. Early July: the body of a 16 year old boy from East Jerusalem is found. Turns out he was, too, kidnapped, this time by Jewish extremists.

3. As a result, only this Sunday, missiles were launched from Gaza on Israeli towns close to Gaza. Israel responded with air attacks.

4. Only this Tuseday, a group of Hamas operatives tried to arrive at the Israeli town of Zikim - a Kibutz, filled with innocent citizens living their lives. Their intentions? Conquering, causing massive harm, etc. As long as they have an access point to Israel. They were taken down by the IDF before any action was carried out.

That same night, on Tuseday night, an alarm was heard in my town - and in the whole spectrum of 40 km up from Tel-Aviv, actually, which is a largely populated area. My little sister panicked, and even though her room is the safest one in the house - she was still afraid to sleep.

A friend from work lives near Rehovot, which is a very popular site to launch rackets at. It's close, so the weapons are cheap. She can't leave her house, for she has only 15 seconds to get to shelter before the missile hits. Today she told me she heard a far too close noise near her house.

My heart goes out to the people who live in the southern part of Israel, close to Gaza Strip. They live in the constant fear of being targets, of being hit on, that their whole course of life is being altered. The same goes for citizens in Gaza, who don't take any part in assissting Hamas. Who are innocent and are victims of the situations. Just like innocent Israeli citizens, who happen to live very close to this clash hotspot. I can't begin to fathom what life like that must be like.

You see, since the last clash between Israel and Hamas a year and half had gone by. 18 months of relatively quiet ceasefire that was broken only 5 weeks ago. And while that's horrible for both parties, saying that only one side is to blame - well, I believe that's wrong.

As I see it, both original actions were conducted by extremists with radical views, no existing morals and no respect for human life. Thing is, while in Gaza there's an organization (and yes, a terrorist organization) which chose to react, Israel is a state with its on army and manners of defense, and not an array of spread out operatives who, by the way, mostly act in the name of money and respect by their families, with citizens to protect, and people are going to get hurt. From both sides. Thing is we have better protection from our country, comparing to Gaza, where innocent people are being used as human shields and are threatend to stash weapons and missiles in their own houses.

I'm hurt to see how people in my country are deemed terrorists, heartless and inhuman, when they suffer from the EXACT SITUATION as citizens in Gaza - being attacked and bombed at. Only we evacuate them first, and then attack. The loss of property is nothing in comparison to loss of life. 

If you do happen to have reached here - please, do not take only one side into consideration when approaching this matter. No side is free of guilt.

As a citizen of Israel, a soldier in the IDF, who have friends and family who are in constant danger because of their close proximity to the border, frnakly - I understand the situation way better than any news site or newspaper can describe.