Over 38 people, including at least 8 children have now been killed in the Gaza strip after continuing air and sea attacks by the Israeli Defence Force.
Officials in Gaza said that six children were killed in an attack targeting Hamas activist Odeh Ahmad Mohammad Kaware, with several of his children said to have died in the assault, reported The Guardian.
The Israeli military has conducted over 440 air and naval strikes since Monday.
"Four Palestinians were killed in air strikes, including two brothers who are 12 and 13 years old in Shejaiya, while a four-year-old boy and a woman were killed in a raid on Zeitun," emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told Agence France-Presse.
Powerful raw video shows Israeli airstrikes on Gaza - Washington Post (09 July 2014)
The Israeli government has authorised the drafting of 40,000 reserves for a potential ground operation in Gaza and is moving troops and tanks to the border with Gaza.
Israel's chief military spokesman, General Moti Almoz, speaking to army radio, said,
“We have been instructed by the political echelon to hit Hamas hard.”
Hamas is continuing to fire missiles towards Israel, with several targeting Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on Wednesday morning. According to the IDF, over 165 rockets had been fired into Israel since Tuesday morning, with several missiles intercepted by the Iron Dome, the country's US-funded missile defence system. No casualties have been reported.
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas has asked Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to intervene in defence of Palestinians in Gaza.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Sisi responded: "Egypt is concerned about the safety of the Palestinian people and wishes to stop this dangerous attack and reach a ceasefire as soon as possible."
Abbas also called on Israel to immediately halt the air strikes.
"The Palestinian leadership is conducting intensive and urgent contacts with regional and international parties to stop the escalation," he said.
In a nationally televised statement, Netanyahu said continued rocket attacks on Israeli communities would not be tolerated.
"Therefore I have ordered the military to significantly broaden its operation against Hamas terrorists and against the other terrorist groups inside Gaza," he said. "I call on you to display patience, because this operation could take time."
Netanyahu's spokesperson said the IDF will put an end to the rocket attacks.
"We have repeatedly warned Hamas that this must stop and Israel's defence forces are currently acting to put an end of this once and for all," said Mark Regev.