CRI听力:Military Action to Continue as Long as Necessary: Israeli PM

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hamas that it will pay a high price if it continues to fire rockets at Israel.

Netanyahu said Israeli troops will operate in Gaza as long as necessary to restore calm for Israeli citizens.

"Hamas again mistakenly believes that the people of Israel do not have the will and determination to fight them, and Hamas again will learn the hard way that Israel will do whatever it must do to protect its people. I call on all responsible international leaders and decent people everywhere to stand with Israel now, stand with Israel as it confronts Hamas, stand with Israel as it defends itself against Hamas' deliberate indiscriminate attacks on our civilians."

He also suggested that the Israeli military will reassess its Gaza operation once troops complete the demolition of Hamas military tunnels under the Gaza-Israel border.

The Israeli leader spoke after nearly a month of Israel-Hamas fighting that Palestinian health officials say has killed at least 1,650 Palestinians.

66 Israelis died, all but three of them soldiers.

Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said Israel would not engage in Egypt-hosted truce talks with Hamas for the time being.

Fighting continued on Saturday morning, with residents reporting airstrikes along the Egypt-Gaza frontier as well as heavy tank and artillery shelling.

The Israeli military said it was searching for a missing soldier and had sent automated calls or text messages to Rafah residents to stay indoors.

The Israeli army also distributed a video of their troops continuing to destroy Hamas' military tunnels under the Gaza-Israel border.