The Israel-Gaza War

We need to flatten entire neighborhoods in Gaza. Flatten all of Gaza. ~ Gilad Sharon

Israel's war against the Gaza Strip has multiple components.

1. Attack military targets. There are very few of these, weapons caches and rocket launchers. This is a legitimate use of deadly force.
2. Decapitate Hamas leadership. This is more questionable. Assassination has long been a military strategy. It is pretty much the only strategy the United States uses in the War on Terror. It is also considered a violation of Just War Doctrine, especially if such assassinations also kill innocent non-combatants such a children.
3. Spread terror. A principle goal of this war is to terrorize the population of Gaza to convince them to stop lobbing rockets into Israel. On the Hamas side, the goal is to use fear of lobbed rockets to convince Israel to lift the economic siege on the Strip. 
4. Genocide. Some Israeli hawks want to "flatten" Gaza, as Ariel Sharon's son suggests. Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari has said that Gaza and her 1.7 million residents should be "liquidated." The Israeli Interior Minister wants to "send Gaza back to the Middle Ages."