Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to increase Tel Aviv's military operation on Gaza following the failure of a so-called Egyptian truce plan, according to Agence France Presse.
"[A ceasefire agreement] would have been better resolved diplomatically, that's what we tried to do when we accepted the Egyptian truce proposal today. But Hamas leaves us no choice but to expand and intensify the campaign against it," said Netanyahu in a televised address Tuesday.
"That's how we will act till we achieve our goal of bringing quiet to Israel's citizens, while significantly harming the terror group [Hamas]...I'm determined to do the right thing, I know you trust me to ignore the background noises and focus on the main mission to safeguard you [Israelis] and your lives," he added.
The Prime Minister's address came shortly after reports were released confirming that an Israeli had been killed by a Hamas rocket near the Erez border crossing with the Gaza Strip. The death represents the first Israeli casualty since the start of the so-called "Operation Protective Edge" campaign on Gaza.
At least 194 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,000 wounded from Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since July 8.
