Quote: ""This morning 18 people, women and children, were massacred ... an escalation of violence I think is unacceptable," Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema told reporters. "I think that now an international initiative to unblock the Palestinian situation is essential." "It is clear that if this escalation of violence is not stopped we risk returning to a climate of war," D'Alema said.

Meanwhile, the threat of renewed violence in the Middle East is mounting. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal has promised that the terrorist organization will respond with "deeds, not words". The military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, has called for Muslims worldwide to carry out attacks against American targets because of US support for the "Zionist occupation". 

Quote: "Signalling a change in tactics, Hamas' military wing on Wednesday called on Muslims around the world to attack American targets after an apparent misfiring of an IDF artillery shell in the Gaza Strip. "America is offering political, financial and logistic cover for the Zionist occupation crimes, and it is responsible for the Beit Hanoun massacre. Therefore, the people and the nation all over the globe are required to teach the American enemy tough lessons," Hamas said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.

This news comes for a very awkward time for the state of Israel, with police already on high alert over the threat of violence on Friday's planned homosexual march through the streets of Jerusalem. Haredim have been protesting in the streets, and the Friday date isn't likely to impress Muslims. The same parade was postponed earlier in the year due to the Israeli-Hizbullah war. The Gay Pride rally the previous year was also cancelled due to the threat of violence during the Gaza disengagement. Is it any coincidence, that as another homosexual march is in the planning, Israel once again faces the threat of war?

Quote: "As if the unprecedented measures taken to deal with the gay pride parade scheduled to be held in Jerusalem on Friday were not enough, the police on Wednesday declared a high state of alert across Israel following the grave incident which took place in Gaza Wednesday morning. On Wednesday afternoon, Police Chief Moshe Karadi instructed the police districts, the Border Guard and the traffic police to boost their routine security operations. The defense establishment currently holds 15 concrete warnings on terror organizations' plans to carry out attacks in Israel. The warnings originate in the Samaria and Gaza Strip and relate to suicide bombings, fire incidents, high-trajectory fire and kidnappings.

Source YNet News, YNet News, Jerusalem Post, YNet News