As Israel's attacks on Gaza continue and Western leaders still steadfastly support them and refuse to call for a ceasefire the situation seems to be becoming increasingly perilous and the growing sympathy for the civilian population there is playing right into Hamas's hands (and Russia and China's to boot).

I totally understand the Israeli compunction to retaliate and destroy Hamas and the argument that, if they had done nothing, that Hamas could simply have continued to strike at them across the border with Iranian supplied weapons.

I also get that Hamas is deeply inbeded within the civilian population of Gaza and uses buildings such as schools and hospitals as cover. It is going to be an incredibly difficult task for Israel to neutralize legitimate targets without also killing a great many innocent Palestinians and warfare amongst the rubble and ruins is -as Stalingrad and other examples from history have amply proven-going to be both slow and costly. Both these realities mean that the longer their operation goes on, the more support Hamas extremists are able to whip up in Muslim communities across the world and the more pressure is applied to the West on their stance.

Surely, for the West-particularly the US-to continue it's refusal not to call for a ceasefire will only exacerbate already growing divisions in the Middle East. There comes a point when the "refusal to negotiate with terrorists" policy fails and becomes very much a "cutting off your nose to spite your face" one. The aim, surely, must be as much about securing the safety of the hostages taken and preventing further loss of innocent civilians lives as it is about seeking revenge. The thorny subject of borders and further debates on a possible 2 state solution can all follow after. Some of the heat needs to be taken out of this situation and quickly before it truly explodes across the region and further.

Continued intransigence by both sides will achieve nothing other than further bloodshed. While Islamic extremists in Iran and elsewhere are glad of this opportunity to fuel their cause and Putin stands on the sidelines, doubtless rubbing his hands with glee, the West (and US particularly) need to wake up and realise that their actions now are critical. Only perhaps strong words from Washington to call for a ceasefire now may be able to dissuade the Israelis from their current attacks and bring a pause for both more effective humanitarian aid to be delivered to the area and an opportunity for negotiation. The alternative scenarios aren't good