Itongadol.- Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed on Friday that Israel would continue its military offensive in the Gaza Strip until Jerusalem can ensure that all rocket fire on Israeli towns would cease.
When asked whether Israel was preparing a ground invasion, Netanyahu said, "We are preparing all options."
Netanyahu told the nation on Friday that Israel would continue to strike "decisive" blows against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu praised the Iron Dome anti-rocket battery for intercepting hundreds of Hamas projectiles fired at Israeli towns.
The premier also praised Israeli civilians for their "fortitude" in the face of incessant rocket fire. Netanyahu said that the IDF has thus far hit over 1,000 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.
"I\’m proud of the way Israeli citizens have conducted themselves, and I\’m proud to be their prime minister," Netanyahu said.
The prime minister added that no terror entity in Gaza is immune from Israel\’s long arm.
Netanyahu said that "no normal country would accept a situation" in which rockets are fired on their cities and towns. He added that he held "very good, positive" telephone consultations with US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The premier said that Israel is paying the price for its 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, "something which I did not support." He said that any Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank "would create another 20 fronts with Gaza, 20 Gazas."