Israel 'prepared to expand' Gaza operation

Israel sent a "clear message" to Hamas through the killing of its top military commander and is ready to widen its operation in Gaza if necessary, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has warned. "Today we sent a clear message to Hamas and other terrorist organisations, and if it becomes necessary we are prepared to expand the operation," he said in a televised address on Wednesday evening. Speaking hours after a major wave of air strikes pounded targets in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, killing Hamas's military chief Ahmad Jabari and six other people, Netanyahu vowed that Israel would not tolerate any further rocket fire on its territory. "Hamas and the terror organisations have chosen to escalate their attacks on the citizens of Israel in recent days. We will not tolerate a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by rocket fire," he said after consultations with his security cabinet. Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba, reporting from Gaza, said, "In the last 30 seconds there was another big blast. [The strikes] have been going on all evening." "It is not just air strikes, but also strikes from Israeli naval ships just off the coast of Gaza." He went on to say the streets of Gaza City on Wednesday evening were "eerily quiet, except for the sound of ambulances." "The latest from medical sources is that at least seven people have been killed, including two children, and at least 60 people have been wounded, including 10 children." Mark Regev, spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, told Al Jazeera, "We are continuing to hit Hamas targets, and their missile sites, because we knew they would responding immediately....Ultimately we did not want this round of fighting, it was forced upon us. "We will not allow Hamas to terrorise our civilian population," he said. "All the options are open. Our most important goal is to protect our people. Hamas has deliberately targeted civilians. They deliberately use Gaza civilians as human shields, too." Rising tensions The strikes came after five days of rising tensions along the Gaza border which began on Saturday when Palestinian fighters fired an anti-tank rocket at an army jeep, sparking Israeli fire which killed seven. Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the strike was only the beginning of an operation with the goal of strengthening Israel's deterrence, damage armed groups' rocket-firing capabilities and stamp out attacks on southern Israel. "Israel doesn't want a war but the Hamas provocation of recent weeks, with recurring, frequent rounds of mortar and rockets fired at southern Israel, an explosive tunnel that was activated.. and anti-tank fire at a jeep in Israel, forced us to act sharply and decisively," Barak said. "We are at the beginning, not end of this action," he said, stressing the need to be "on high alert in Israel and West Bank... It won't be a quick fix.. but we'll reach goals we set for this operation." He urged regional leaders to act "judiciously and with a cool head to promote stability and return of quiet, and not to be dragged to their deterioration." The operation prompted widespread condemnation, with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi recalling Cairo's envoy to Israel and summoning the Israeli ambassador for consultations, his spokesman said. Following a request from Morsi, Arab League chief Nabil el-Arabi said the organisation was preparing to hold an emergency meeting over the violence. Britain also urged restraint and Russia said it was "very concerned" about the escalation, while Washington said it was watching developments in Gaza "closely." Israeli army spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said the operation, code named "Pillar of Defence," had only just begun with the air force hitting "close to 20 targets" used for launching rockets, especially those with a range of 40km, and causing "significant damage." The Qassam Brigades issued a furious communique, saying Israel had "opened the gates of hell on itself," and Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said the strike was tantamount to a "declaration of war." "The occupation committed a dangerous crime and crossed all the red lines, which is considered a declaration of war," he said in a statement. "The occupation will pay dearly for this and we will make it regret the moment they thought about it."