Two militants were killed in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, in an Israeli bombardment. Over 40 Islamic Jihad rocket and mortar launch posts have been targeted in Israeli airstrikes on the territory of the Gaza Strip.
Israel is "ready to expand the current operation and deal heavy blows on Gaza now and in the future," says Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. Egypt is a historic mediator between Hamas and Israel and has contributed, through its secret services, to ceasefires in several previous conflicts that have opposed Palestinian factions.