January 6, 2009 Gaza and Israel: Opposing perspectives Play video

(NECN) - Israel's war against Hamas militants is causing civilian casualties. The two sides are swapping blame, but no one denies that the death toll is rising.

Israeli troops pushed into urban areas in both the north and south of the Gaza Strip. The total number of Palestinians dead is now more than 600, the UN says at least a quarter of them are civilians.

The guests on this segment of Newsnight come to the Middle East crisis from opposing perspectives. Steve Grossman at one time served as President of the American Israel Public Affairs Council, and Nadeem Mazen is an MIT grad student who does outreach for the Boston chapter of the Muslim American Society.