French online forums 'at war of words' over Gaza

The deadly Israeli offensive in Gaza has let loose an unprecedented wave of insults on media websites and social networks in France that moderators say they are struggling to contain.

The bombardment by land, sea and air that has killed at least 425 Palestinians has enflamed tensions far afield from the Middle East, especially in France with its large Muslim and Jewish communities.

"As soon as you talk about Israel, it crystallises all passions, with up to 20,000 or 30,000 comments sometimes after an article, of which we will only let five to 10 percent through," said David Corchia, head of Concileo, a firm of moderators that counts the dailies Le Figaro and Liberation as clients.

The moderators have little time to decide whether to let a remark through, and generally block 25 to 40 percent of comments.

But on the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the rejection rate can reach 95 percent.