NO WAY OUT

It’s the children of Gaza who are paying the ultimate price in the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas

- RICHARD VAN RENSBURG

THE horrific scenes hit you like a sledgehammer blow – image after image of loss, terror, heartache and suffering. In one, a little boy stumbles down the street carrying his baby sister in his arms. Another shows a sobbing teenage girl, her cheeks smeared with tears and dust, as two terrified toddlers cling to her.

Elsewhere in Gaza, a rescue worker carries a bleeding child out of the rubble of his parents’ house. In other heartbreaking photos, shellshocked children clutch onto treasured possessions: a toy, a pet, a blanket . . .

The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has been raging for decades but this latest outbreak of hostilities has resulted in bloodshed like we’ve never seen before.

It started in October when the militant group Hamas unleashed thousands of rockets on Israel. Their fighters invaded the southern part of the country, killing 1,300 Israelis, most of whom were civilians, and abducting more than 155 to use as bargaining chips.

Israel didn’t waste any time firing off missiles and sending in its fighter planes to the Gaza Strip, the gated Palestinian territory Hamas has ruled with an iron fist since 2007. And it wasn’t just military installations that were targeted in these retaliatory attacks. Mosques, hospitals and schools were also in the firing line.