If that's the case, then Israel has very foolishly fallen for the trap. If Hamas wanted to goad Israel into demonstrating their true capacity and appetite for death and destruction, then... mission accomplished I guess. That's on Israel for falling into this ploy, not on those now condemning it!

There's a very simple way to stop fueling anti-Israeli sentiments: Israel can stop doing bad things. It's not Hamas dropping 2000lb American-supplied munitions on civilian infrastructure, or blocking humanitarian aid shipments into Gaza. They're not loading the bombs, fueling the planes, flying the drones, and pulling the bomb release triggers. Hamas is not 'making' Israel do anything, unless Israel is in fact not capable of independent thought. Israel had the option to pursue other less-destructive courses of action.

It's funny how Israel is the 4th most powerful military in the world, backed by the 1st, yet acts like it's hands are tied and can't do anything other than what Hamas 'makes' it do.

Is it Hamas or the Knesset that dictates Israeli policy?