“The Israel Defence Forces must be ready to go all the way,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted as saying on Tuesday.<br /><br />Shortly afterwards at least four Palestinians were reportedly killed in an Israeli assault on Gaza.<br /><br />Earlier in the morning, Israeli forces launched a series of up to 50 aerial and naval strikes on the Hamas-ruled territory – part of its ‘Operation Protective Edge’ offensive.<br /><br />Israeli President Shimon Peres spoke to the press.<br /><br />“We cannot compromise with death, we cannot compromise with rockets, we cannot compromise with this sort of behaviour and we shall stop them,” he said.<br /><br />Hamas activists are believed to have launched a number of rockets into Israel on Monday.<br /><br />Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the Islamist militant group issued this warning:<br /><br />“We warned Israel against continuing the escalation and targeting civilian institutions and homes. This is a red line we will not allow the occupation to cross.” <br /><br />A surge in rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip saw 1500 Israeli reservists called up.<br /><br />Israeli authorities have suggested the operation may be a long-term offensive.
