AP Debrief: Intense fighting between Israel, Hamas

Fighting between Israel and Hamas has gone on long enough, and is intense enough, that the Associated Press considers the two sides to be at war. Joe Federman of the Associated Press explains. (May 17)

Video Transcript

JOE FEDERER: Israel and Hamas are now in the second week of heavy fighting. We don't see any slowdown in the fighting. Israel continues to pound Gaza with dozens and dozens of airstrikes around the clock. Hamas also firing dozens of rockets toward Israeli cities. No slowdown in the fighting.

Yesterday was an especially bloody day, with over 40 people killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. We don't see anything of that magnitude today. Israel did assassinate one of the leaders of the Islamic jihad militant group in a targeted airstrike. But for the most part, Israel says it's focusing its airstrikes today on Hamas infrastructure. The main focus is Hamas' tunnel system.

The Associated Press has made the decision to call this current round of fighting a war. This was not an easy decision to make. It's something that we discussed over several days. But after much debate, we decided that the threshold had been crossed.

We're talking about a lengthy conflict. We're now over a week into the fighting. It's very heavy fighting. In some ways, it's the heaviest fighting we've ever seen between these enemies.

We also see a change in the type of weapons that have been used and the types targets. Israel is not only striking military bases and weapons and so forth, it started to go after Hamas leaders, political leaders military leaders, assassinations. So there's a major escalation here.

The fighting is heavier. More weapons, more fighting, no end in sight. When we add everything up together, that felt like a war. And that's what we've decided to call it.

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