[Nic Name]

Undeterred by U.S. criticism, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday praised the IDF strike against Hamas that killed 14 Palestinians and wounded more than 100 in the Gaza Strip.

Sharon said there would be more such operations in the future.

The Palestinians said all the dead were civilians, while Israel was equally adamant that most were armed men who died in battle. The army said the operation was meant to put the Islamic militant group on notice that it could no longer feel safe in Gaza, where Israel had been reluctant to stage large operations in the past because it feared complications of fighting in crowded neighborhoods.

more here.