Hamas tries to turn the tables on Israel's Gaza offensive

They want 1,000 prisoners released for the single captured soldier, Cpl. Shalit. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Militants gave Israel 24 hours starting Monday to begin releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, implying they would kill an abducted Israeli soldier if their demands were not met. [...] Israel has pounded Gaza with airstrikes and artillery shells for nearly a week in an unsuccessful effort to force the militants to release Shalit. Israel sent a small force of tanks into northern Gaza on Monday, raising fears it was gearing up for a large invasion. After Shalit was seized in a June 25 raid on an army post that left two comrades dead, his captors demanded Israel free all imprisoned Palestinian women and minors in exchange for information about him. They later increased their demand to include the release of a further 1,000 prisoners. [...] If Israel doesn't comply, "we will consider the soldier's case to be closed," the statement said, "and then the enemy must bear all the consequences of the future results." Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Hamas military wing, later told The Associated Press that Israel must at least begin freeing the women and minors. "Israel must understand that the resistance factions are serious in this matter. They will close this case if (Israel) doesn't deal with the demands," he said, adding that the militants would not compromise. [...] "If God forbid, they should hurt the soldier, our operations will be far, far worse," Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon told Channel 2 television. That's a crock of shit, and I bet Israel will bomb Palestine like it's never done before if they harm a single hair on that young soldier's head. And notice how the terrorist spokes-hole never even acknowledges that the Israeli captive is even a human being whose life is in danger. He's simply a "case," the next chapter in this conflict that will soon be "closed." And in this case "closed" is to be read as "beheaded," "murdered," "butchered," and/or "tortured" just in case you don't have your terrorist/english dictionary handy. And as we've discussed here before, hopefully worse includes more precision strikes taking out specific targets like Mashaal in Damascus as well as the continued shelling of Gaza terrorist hideouts.