DAY 7: ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR, THE REAL CAUSE AS THE DEATH TOLL RISES

The longstanding conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas reignited last week after Israel launched airstrikes against what it called terrorist targets in Gaza.

Israel explained that the offensive, which it calls "Operation Pillar of Defense," was necessitated by increasing rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled territory.

Among those killed in the Israeli airstrikes Wednesday was Ahmed al-Ja'abari, the chief of Hamas' military wing. Weapons depots and rocket-launching sites were also targeted.

"Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in Gaza have made normal life impossible for over 1 million Israelis," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said

in a statement. "No government would tolerate a situation where nearly a fifth of its people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire."

Palestinian leaders condemned the attacks and said it is just another example of Israel's aggression toward Gaza. Since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, Israel has imposed a crippling economic embargo on the territory because it views Hamas as a terrorist organization bent on destroying the state of Israel.

Meanwhile, Hamas' military wing vowed revenge, warning that Israel had opened "the gates of hell on themselves."

Since then, Israel and Hamas have been trading bombs and rockets, and there is international concern that the situation could escalate into an even bloodier ground war. The Israeli government has called up 75,000 reservists and massed 30,000 troops across the border of the Palestinian territory, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

"If this situation continues and it escalates, it's going to be really serious and tragic -- not just for Israelis and Palestinians, but actually it will cause a huge amount of upheaval right across the region," said former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is envoy for the Middle East Quartet working to find a peace agreement. "And this is a region, as you know, that doesn't require more upheaval right now."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew to the region Monday to personally appeal for a cease-fire, joining a chorus of Western and Arab leaders who do not want to see a repeat of 2009, when a three-week ground offensive resulted in the deaths of at least 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

But not all of those leaders view the conflict similarly.

Many of the Western nations, including the United States and several European countries, see Hamas as the aggressor. U.S. President Barack Obama, speaking in Thailand on Sunday, said Hamas rocket attacks were the "precipitating" event for the fighting and that "we are actively working with all the parties in the region to see if we can end those missiles being fired without further escalation of violence." The United States, like Israel, views Hamas as a terrorist organization.

More: Obama's telephone diplomacy on Gaza

Many Arab and Muslim nations, on the other hand, see Hamas as the victim of Israeli aggression. Egypt, for example, recalled its ambassador to Israel and delivered a formal protest to the Israeli government.

"No one can remain still and watch this tragedy unfold in this fashion," Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil said Friday. "This is impossible. The whole world must intervene, and Israel must abide by the agreements and stop the aggression."