As the IDF confirmed 5 Israeli soldiers were killed, including four by a mortar fire near the border with Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau said ‘’we need to be prepared for a long operation until our mission is accomplished."
IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, standing alongside the Prime Minister at a press conference, said the operation would continue as long as necessary.
"Gaza residents should distance themselves from areas in which Hamas is acting because we will get there and it will be painful," Ganz said.
‘’We knew that there would be difficult days. This has been a difficult and painful day,’’ Netanyahu said. ‘’Patience and determination are needed in order to continue the struggle against a murderous terrorist organization that aspires to our destruction.’’
He continued, ‘’We are, at present, continuing to take action to neutralize and strike at the terrorist tunnels. This is the clear and unequivocal objective of the State of Israel and the need for it has been apparent again today.’’
‘’The operation against the tunnels is a first and necessary step in the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. The process of preventing the arming of the terrorist organization and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip must be part of any solution,’’ Netanyahu sdtressed, adding that the international community ‘’needs to demand this explicitly.’’
‘’Instead of the international community allowing funds to enter the Gaza Strip, via Hamas, for concrete and cement to serve in the unlimited construction of tunnels, there must be monitoring and supervision. In the past, when we raised these demands and these concerns of ours, we were not taken seriously. This has to change.’’
On Monday, Israel categorically denied that its forces were responsible for the strike on Shifa hospital in Gaza City, saying rockets launched by Hamas had misfired.
"We have not fired on the hospital or on Shati refugee camp," IDF spokesperson Major Arye Shalicar said. "We know that Hamas was firing from both areas and the missiles struck these places."
At least one Hamas terrorist among a group which infiltrated Israel through a tunnel was killed as the men emerged near the southern kibbutz of Nahal Oz, close to the border.
Warning sirens were reported in northern Israel, including the city of Haifa, suggesting that Hamas could be deploying long-range missiles in its arsenal.
At the same time, diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire chugged along, with the UN Security Council drafting a statement, rejected by Israel as one-sided, calling for a halt in fighting.
Forty-three Israeli soldiers, two civilians and a foreign worker have been confirmed killed in three weeks of fighting, while Gazan health officials put the death toll there at over 1,000. Israel says hundreds of those are Hamas terrorists.