The Guardian is reporting that “…millions of Arabs across the Middle East and north Africa are watching vivid and often shocking coverage of the Israeli military onslaught on Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Arabic satellite TV channels, with al-Jazeera again leading the field.”

The Guardian article goes on to say that “Al-Jazeera has also just become available to computer users live over broadband on the Livestation Network in every country except the US, where it is blocked.”

This is not quite true. Al Jazeera English is available world-wide, although the agreement for streaming Al Jazeera Arabic on Livestation, drawn up by Al Jazeera’s distribution team in Doha, requires that we geoblock it from being seen in the USA.

We have certainly seen a massive increase in traffic to the Livestation streams of both the Al-Jaeera English and al Jaeera Arabic channels. There has also been non-stop chat in the chat room linked to the stream as up to 50 people at a time have been discussing the developing situation.

The live, instant chat in the Al Jazeera English chat room has thrown up some fascinating discussions with people posting from all over the world. Anyone can join the chat and discuss the live events as you watch them unfold.

Al Jazeera would do well to have a news producer sitting in on the chat and stimulating the debate.

Live, instant newsgathering on the desktop - it has to be the future.