Battlegrounds

The conflict is raging in Gaza,a coastal strip of land to the east of Israel that is controlled by the Hamas....

War zones

amp;149;Israel: The conflict is raging in Gaza,a coastal strip of land to the east of Israel that is controlled by the Hamas. After Hamas seized control of the strip in June 2007,Israel intensified its economic blockade of the strip. While Palestine is currently recognised by 96 countries,including India,Hamas is listed as a terrorist organisation by Canada,EU,Israel,Japan,and the US. Australia and the UK list only the military wing of Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

amp;149;Lanka: After a quarter-century of civil war,this is one of the bloodiest points in Lankas long-running civil war. The LTTE aims to create a separate homeland for the Tamils in the northern and eastern parts of the country. But the present conflict is mainly confined to the north,with the military seizing control of many eastern areas last year.

Trigger

amp;149;Israel: It says the attacks are a response to the rockets fired by Hamas. The Israeli attack began on December 27,2008,soon after Hamas announced that it would not renew a ceasefire that had started in June 2008.

amp;149;Lanka: President Mahinda Rajapaksa formally abandoned a six-year-old Norwegian brokered ceasefire early in 2008. Unlike Israel,Lanka didnt claim any immediate provocation,except that they wanted to attack from a position of strength.

Casualties

amp;149;Gaza: Israel has come in for international criticism for the rising number of civilians killed in the fighting. Palestinian medical officials say at least 800 people have been killed. The casualties increased after Israeli ground troops moved into Gaza.

amp;149;Lanka: Aid agencies estimate there are around 2.30 lakh Tamil refugees in the war zone. The Lankan government has kept these areas out of bounds for the media,which is why its almost impossible to confirm the casualty figures.

Successes claimed

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amp;149;Israel: On Sunday,Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gazas main city as warplanes carried out nearly 60 air strikes to combat Palestinian rocket fire. Israeli forces also claimed to have demolished some 200 smuggling tunnels beneath the Gaza-Egypt border. Hamas is said to have fired 19 rockets into Israel,including four military-grade Grad rockets.

amp;149;Lanka: The Lankan military has achieved a string of major victories against the LTTE,including the capture of the LTTEs administrative capital of Kilinochchi a week ago and that of the strategic Elephant Pass,which provides a crucial link to Jaffna peninsula in the north. The soldiers are also claimed to have made advances in the last LTTE stronghold of Mullathivu.