For four days, since the beginning of the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, the situation has deteriorated and become intolerable. More than a hundred Palestinians have been killed, most of them children, women and other civilians, while an Israeli civilian and two soldiers also lost their lives. Hundreds of wounded are filling the few hospitals.

In all the Israeli peace movements, there arose an urgent need for a demonstration to protest against the madness - the more so as the media, as usual, accompanied the action with rabid war propaganda, and hardly any sane voice was heard in public.

Today (March 3) hundreds of protesters came together opposite the Ministry of Defense in Tel-Aviv, in order to express their protest against the continued killing, which starts to look like a massacre. The demonstrators shouted in unison angry slogans, such as "Barak, Barak. Minister of Defense - How many civilians have you killed until today?" and "How long will blood be shed - The people of Gaza are human beings!"

The police was ready in great force, but it seems that the many high-ranking officers present had given an order to show restraint. However, several fights broke out and some protesters were arrested.

Over the demonstration, the flags of the various movement were waving, including the two-nations flag of Gush Shalom, the national flag of Peace Now and the red flag of the Communists. MK Dov Hanin of Hadash and Gamal Zahalka of Balad were present, as well as Yariv Oppenheimer of Peace Now, Tamar Gozansky of Hadash and Jonathan Pollak of the Anerchists.

Answering questions of Journalists, former MK Uri Avnery of Gush Shalom said: "Government and army spokesmen admit quite openly that a cease-fire could be achieved within the hour, but that the government refuses to do this so that 'Hamas would not fix the rules of the game'. This proves that the real aim of the action is not to stop the launching of the rockets, but to break Hamas. That is a criminal play with the lives of human beings, most of them unarmed, including the children on both sides of the border. The aim, of course, will not be achieved."

In the course of the demonstration, many of the participants signed a joint Israeli-Palestinian petition for a cease-fire, which is now being prepared simultaneously both in the Gaza Strip and in Israel.