Gabi Ashkenazi, Israeli Army Chief of Staff, said, "We are working to widen the damage to the military branch of Hamas, to minimize the shooting and to strengthen the deterrent, so we can create a better security reality for Israeli residents in the south."

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the military operation would continue in order to stop rocket fire and arms smuggling into Gaza.

On the Palestinian side, President Mahmoud Abbas urged Israeli troops to withdraw from Palestinian land.

Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President, said, "This aggression must stop, Israel must withdraw from the Palestinian lands, the blockade must end, the crossings should be opened. The suffering of the Palestinian people should stop. This is what we want and what we aspire for."

Hamas fired more than 20 rockets and mortar shells toward Israel on Tuesday without causing any injuries. The groups says they won't stop firing the rockets until Israel agrees to their terms.

Both sides have defied last week's UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, as frequent clashes continue.

Hospital officials say more than 970 Palestinians have been killed so far, about 40-percent of them civilians, including scores of children.

(CCTV January 14, 2009)