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Cyber warfare between Israel and Hamas
Not only is Israel involved in a military offensive against militants in the Gaza Strip, it is also waging an information war.

Israel's operation, named Pillar of Defense, began when it assassinated a top Hamas commander in an airstrike, after which The IDF issued a tweet on social media site Twitter which said that it recommended Hamas operatives didn't show their faces above ground in the coming days. Militants the al-Qassam Brigades tweeted back saying that Israel had opened the gates of hell.

The IDF has been using its Twitter feed to put out real time news on the conflict, including links to videos and photos and even a list of reasons why Israel has the right to defend itself. Both sides are utilising Twitter's hash tagging facility which allows users to create a topic-based feed of information using key words.

The IDF has also created a range of posters with slogans that are easily shareable across social networking-site Facebook, which means the latest statistics and updates on the threat to Israel can be published within a matter of minutes.

The Israeli Air Force has made leaflets which it has dropped on several locations in the Gaza Strip, warning local residents of forthcoming airstrikes and advising Gazans to stay away from Hamas and avoid other terror organizations, operatives, and facilities.

Meanwhile in reaction to the conflict Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi has said that he stands by the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. In contrast, the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has stated that the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas "bears principal responsibility" for the escalating tension in Gaza and southern Israel.