Hamas is looking for a ‘major success’ before the end of fighting: Israel Army

To hold up something as a victory over Israel, Palestinian militant group Hamas is “trying to have a major success,” such as a cross-border attack or other major assault, Israel Defense Forces(IDF) was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel.

The lethal fighting continued with both Israel and the Islamist militants voicing defiance.

According to IDF Military Intelligence, the terror group has at least enough long-range munitions to conduct several more barrages of dozens of rockets at Tel Aviv. 

Israel carried out over a dozen airstrikes on Gaza after midnight, including two that destroyed two houses in the enclave's south. Medics said four people were wounded in an airstrike in the town of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Israel's military said its aircraft early on Thursday struck what it said was a "weapons storage unit" located in the Gaza City home of a Hamas official, and "military infrastructure located in the residences" of other Hamas commanders, including in Khan Younis.

Rocket sirens blared early on Thursday in the southern Israeli town of Beersheba and areas bordering Gaza. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Gravitas: Who funds Hamas?

Since the fighting began on May 10, Palestinian health officials say 228 people have been killed in aerial bombardments that have worsened Gaza's already dire humanitarian situation.

Israeli authorities put the death toll to date at 12 in Israel, where repeated rocket attacks have caused panic and sent people rushing into shelters.

BIDEN SEEKS 'SIGNIFICANT DE-ESCALATION'

Netanyahu has repeatedly hailed what he has described as support from the United States, Israel's main ally, for a right to self-defence in battling attacks from Gaza, home to 2 million Palestinians.

But Biden put the Israeli leader on notice in a telephone call that it was time to lower the intensity of the conflict.

"The president conveyed to the prime minister that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday.

Washington and several Middle East capitals have sought an end to the violence through diplomacy. The 193-member United Nations General Assembly was due to meet on the conflict on Thursday with the participation of several foreign ministers but was not expected to take action.

The U.S. mission said it would not support a French push for a resolution in the 15-member U.N. Security Council, saying it believed such actions would "undermine efforts to de-escalate" violence.

Hamas began firing rockets on May 10 in retaliation for what it called Israeli rights abuses against Palestinians in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The rocket attacks followed Israeli police clashes with worshippers at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and a court case by Israeli settlers to evict Palestinians from a neighbourhood in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.

The hostilities are the most serious between Hamas and Israel in years, and, in a departure from previous Gaza conflicts, have helped fuel street violence in Israeli cities between Jews and Arabs.

The conflict has also spilt over to the Israel-Lebanon frontier and stoked violence in the occupied West Bank.

Four rockets were launched towards Israel from Lebanon on Wednesday, the third such incident since the Gaza conflict began, the military said. There was no claim of responsibility.

In the West Bank, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian woman who the military said had fired a rifle at troops and civilians. At least 21 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli troops or other incidents in the West Bank since May 10, Palestinian officials said.

(With inputs from agencies)