Netanyahu, Italian FM hold joint press conference

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a joint press conference with visiting Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini. He says that Hamas is launching rockets at Israel and killing Israeli citizens, and that attempts by Israel to find a diplomatic solution were unsuccessful.

He points out that Israel ceased fire on Tuesday for six hours and Hamas rejected it and responded with additional rocket fire. He says that if Florence or Milan were bombed, Italy would not tolerate it.

“Israel will continue to act thus until peace and quiet prevail in the country; this is our right,” Netanyahu says. “We must reach a situation in which Gaza is disarmed from weapons and missiles.”

Mogherini calls on Hamas to reconsider its decision to reject the Egyptian ceasefire proposal and accept a truce. She expresses concern over the civilian casualties in Gaza, and says she hopes that a solution to the crisis is found soon.