TERRORISTS OR WAR-CRIMINALS: Which best describes Hamas?

But, to be sure, both apply.

In recent days and weeks, Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in Gaza have made normal life impossible for over one million Israelis. No government would tolerate a situation where nearly a fifth of its people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire, and Israel will not tolerate this situation.

This is why my government has instructed the Israeli Defense Forces to conduct surgical strikes against the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza. And this is why Israel will continue to take whatever action is necessary to defend our people.

I want to remind you that seven years ago, Israel withdrew from every square inch of Gaza. Now Hamas, they took over the areas we vacated. What did it do? Rather than build a better future for the residents of Gaza, the Hamas leadership, backed by Iran, turned Gaza into a terrorist stronghold.

They fired thousand of rockets at our cities, at our towns, at our civilians, at our children. They’ve smuggled thousands of rockets and missiles into Gaza, and they deliberately place these rockets and missiles in civilian areas: in homes, in schools, near hospitals. This year alone, the fired over one thousand rockets and missiles at Israel, included close to 200 rockets in the last 24 hours.

Hamas is committing -- and has committed for years -- war crimes. War crimes by the thousands.

In fact, its actions over the last few weeks represent a "double war-crime":

• Targeting civilians? Check.

• Using human shields? Check.

If it were up to me, I'd bomb Gaza into the Stone Age. Which, of course, would be an improvement over a Hamas-led government.