JERUSALEM – Israel’s prime minister vowed Friday to press forward with a broad military offensive in the Gaza Strip, saying international pressure will not halt what he said was a determined effort to halt rocket fire by Palestinian militants as the death toll from the 4-day-old conflict rose above 100.
Addressing a news conference, Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off a question about possible cease-fire efforts, signaling there was no end in sight to the operation.
“I will end it when our goals are realized. And the overriding goal is to restore the peace and quiet,” Netanyahu said.
Israel launched the offensive on Tuesday in response to weeks of heavy rocket fire out of Gaza. At least 103 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. Palestinian militants have fired more than 600 rockets at Israel.
One rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck a gasoline station and set it ablaze earlier Friday in southern Israel, seriously wounding one man, and the army said the condition of a soldier wounded by rocket shrapnel on Thursday had worsened. But there have been no deaths on the Israeli side, in large part because of a new rocket-defense system that has intercepted more than 100 incoming projectiles.
Gaza militants already have fired more than 550 rockets against Israel in the offensive. The Israeli military says it has hit more than 1,100 targets, mostly what it identified as rocket-launching sites, bombarding the territory on average every five minutes.
Netanyahu said he has been in touch with numerous world leaders, including President Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Canada.
He said he had “good discussions” with his counterparts, telling them that no other country would tolerate repeated fire on its citizens.
“No international pressure will prevent us from acting with all power,” he said.
Israel’s allies have backed the country’s right to self-defense, but they have called for restraint. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern about the heavy civilian casualties in Gaza, and on Friday, the U.N.’s top human rights official said the air campaign may violate international laws prohibiting the targeting of civilians.
“We have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes,” said Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights.
“Such reports raise serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” she said.
Netanyahu brushed aside such criticism, saying Israel’s aerial campaign is aimed at military targets.
He blamed Hamas for causing civilian casualties by hiding in residential areas and criticized the group for targeting Israeli population centers.
Israel has massed troops along the border in preparation for a possible ground invasion. Netanyahu was evasive when asked about the odds of a ground operation, saying only: “We are weighing every possibility.”
Associated Press writer Najib Jobain in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.
Turkey issues warning
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s president on Friday called on Israel to halt its offensive on the Gaza Strip and not to carry out a ground incursion, while the prime minister said there can be no normalizing of Turkish-Israeli ties as long as Israel’s actions continue.
“I would like to remind Israel that (a ground operation) would lead to dangerous developments and sow the seeds of hatred,” President Abdullah Gul said on his way out of a mosque following Friday prayers.
“Such an escalation could lead to chaos in our region,” he said
The escalating violence between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza comes at a time when Turkey and Israel have been working toward improving ties that were soured after Israeli commandos stormed a pro-Palestinian aid ship in 2010, killing eight Turks and one Turkish-American.
Israel apologized to Turkey for the deaths and agreed to pay compensation under a U.S.-brokered arrangement in 2013. Turkish officials said in March the sides were close to reaching a compensation deal that would lead to a restoration of ties.
Late Thursday, speaking during his campaign for the presidential elections in August, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Israel, “You have to end this oppression. As long as it does not end, a normalizing of ties between Turkey and Israel is not possible.”
Israel’s military has carried out more than 1,000 strikes against Gaza targets in four days of fighting that have killed at least 98 people, including dozens of civilians. Hamas militants have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, including into the country’s two largest cities, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, which were intercepted by its rocket-defense system.
