Ground op, airstrikes to continue — Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking at the cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. He says IDF soldiers are continuing to carry out operations in the Gaza Strip “at full force,” by land and air.

He says that in the 17 days since the start of Operation Protective Edge, Israel has managed to do “deep and significant” damage to the terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip — “terrorists, rockets, headquarters, manufacturing facilities, and other targets.”

The prime minister says that on land, the soldiers’ objective is to “locate and neutralize” terror tunnels dug to “reach Israeli territory and carry out deadly large-scale attacks on Israeli civilians.”

He says that the government has also been working to overturn the ban on flights to Israel, adding that these efforts “bore fruit.”

The prime minister thanks Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, IDF Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz, and Israeli soldiers and reservists for “taking part in this important struggle to defend our country.”

He extends his condolences to the families of the fallen, praising the home front for its solidarity with the soldiers in Gaza.

“Our strength is in our unity,” Netanyahu says.