During a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tel Aviv, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out "conquering Hamas."
"There are only two ways to deal with them [Hamas]: you can either overpower them, which is always an option, or you can prevent them. And we're currently engaged in forceful deterrence, but I have to admit that we're not ruling anything out "On Wednesday, Netanyahu said.
His remarks come as Israel continues to bomb Gaza, which is heavily populated, and Palestinian militants continue to fire cross-border rockets. Despite international calls for a truce after more than a week of fighting, there is no firm indication that one is imminent.
Netanyahu said that there is "no timetable" for the conflict's resolution, adding that Israel's offensive is intended to discourage Hamas and other Palestinian militants. "They still have enough rockets to launch," an Israeli military spokesman admitted, citing the groups' Gaza arsenal of 12,000 missiles and mortars.
Two Thai employees were killed and seven others were injured in a rocket attack on an Israeli farm near the Gaza border on Tuesday, according to police. The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, both assumed responsibility.
The Israeli military said 50 rockets were launched from Gaza overnight, with sirens heard in Ashdod, south of Tel Aviv, and in communities closer to the Gaza border. There were no injuries or damage reported.
Since the fighting began on May 10, Gaza medical officials say 217 Palestinians have been killed, including 63 children, and over 1,400 have been injured. According to Israeli officials, 12 people have been killed in Israel, two of whom are teenagers.
The Israeli military said 52 Israeli aircraft attacked Hamas tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip in a 25-minute assault overnight. It was recorded that 40 targets were hit during the mission.
Since the start of this round of fighting, nearly 450 buildings in Gaza have been demolished or severely damaged, including six hospitals and nine primary-care health centers, according to the UN humanitarian agency.
48,000 of the 52,000 displaced people were enrolled in 58 UN-run schools.
More than 3,450 rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza, with some falling short and others being shot down by Israel's Iron Dome air defenses. It estimated that it had killed around 160 militants.
In retaliation for what it said were Israeli rights violations against Palestinians in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Hamas started shooting rockets nine days ago.
Hamas posed a threat to its key competitor, West Bank-based President Mahmoud Abbas, by taking the lead in a dispute with Israel over the sensitive issue of Jerusalem. Abbas canceled a parliamentary election in which Hamas seemed to have a good chance of winning last month.
These are the most significant hostilities between the terrorist group and Israel in years, and unlike past Gaza wars, they have helped spark street violence between Jews and Arabs in Israeli cities.
France called for a UN Security Council resolution on the violence on Tuesday, after the US told the council that a "public pronouncement right now" would not help calm the situation, according to diplomats.
"Our aim is to bring this dispute to a close. We'll assess the best course of action on a daily basis. At this time, our tactical strategy appears to be discreet, intense behind-the-scenes conversations "Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday.
Egypt and UN mediators have stepped up mediation efforts, and the violence will be discussed at the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
Before the emergency European Union negotiations, Germany called for a truce and offered more assistance to Palestinians.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian who tried to strike them with a gun and explosives in the occupied West Bank, according to the military.
According to health officials, another Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces during a rally in the West Bank. Soldiers came under fire, two of whom were injured, and retaliated, according to the military.
The shelling of Gaza by Israel, Ramadan clashes between police and worshippers at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque, and a court case brought by Israeli settlers to expel Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Israel-annexed East Jerusalem have all exacerbated tensions in the West Bank.
According to Israel's N12 TV news, Egypt had proposed that Israel-Gaza fighting ends on Thursday morning through "hidden outlets," citing unspecified Palestinian sources.
On Tuesday, Ezzat El-Reshiq, a member of Hamas' political bureau based in Qatar, released a statement denying that the group had agreed to such a ceasefire.
He said that "no agreement has been reached on precise timings for a ceasefire." "We affirm that our people's demands are known and clear and that our efforts and communications are serious and ongoing."
Despite Netanyahu's statements that victory was near, former Israeli military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin said the picture was more complicated, citing civil unrest in Israel, mounting Palestinian demonstrations in the occupied West Bank, and a trickle of rocket fire from Lebanon.
