In the most obvious sense, Operation Cast Lead (as Israel calls it) has been a success for Israel. It has brought global attention to a slew of improvised rocket attacks from Hamas militants that have terrorised Israel for months. The operation has killed some key Hamas figures and reduced Hamas' capacity for rocket attacks by attacking both purported weapon facilities as well as the illegal tunnels at the Egypt-Gaza border that supply them. But Israel have failed in their primary mission: to completely eliminate rocket attacks from Hamas. On the last day of hostilities Hamas still managed to fire fifteen rockets into Ashdot, Kiryat Gat, Ashkelon and other towns.

In the grand scheme of things it is often forgotten that Israel's civilians, too, have been on perennial alert from unaimed Hamas rockets. On the other hand, says Israel's foreign minister and prime ministerial candidate Tzipi Livni, Israel's aircraft carefully aim at Hamas installations, but their sheer power mean that any damage to nearby civilians and civilian property is a "product of circumstance".

But the main story of this war is the extent of Gaza's suffering: past, present and future. Even before the first buildings in Gaza fell, Gazans have endured economic hardships as Israel's tight border controls deny them export revenues and UN aid. Intensive bombing raids have killed at least a thousand people, 40% of whom are women and children. Despite tight restrictions on journalists entering Gaza, technology has brought thousands of television viewers and Internet users into the households (or former households) of ordinary Gazans. Some are covered in blood, some scream and wail at recent losses, desperately scrabbling the rubble to recover their loved ones; others just speechless and numb to the madness.

Israel have taken great pains to paint a humanitarian side to the war. Israel have attempted to explain their intentions online (through its blog and Twitter web page), phoned private homes up before bombing apartment buildings, and increased the amount of aid into the Gaza strip by three times since the escalation of hostilities.

But these efforts have done little to limit the damage to civilians. 1.5 million people live in Gaza, which measures just 41 by 12 km. Even in the best case, where a bomb hits a Hamas target used for the most devious of activities, its sound waves propel debris into the eyes and flesh of ordinary Gazans living nearby. In the worst case, as the UN claims, Israel bombs its facilities and schools, where hundreds of schoolchildren huddle through sleepless nights in a collective prayer. There is also extensive proof that Israel has used white phosphorus, a smoky substance that cannot be extinguished with water, and burns to the bone on contact with human skin.