A rocket launches from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Friday. Palestinian militants have fired more than 600 rockets this week.
A rocket launches from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Friday. Palestinian militants have fired more than 600 rockets this week. (Menahem Kahana, AFP/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM — Asserting it has broad international support for a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, Israel is showing no signs of ending the operation, vowing to press on until there is a halt to rocket attacks from the seaside territory.

Israeli officials say they are pleased so far with the operation. Military officials say the round-the-clock airstrikes over four days have hit hard at Hamas, taking out the militant group's command centers, rocket-launchers and storage sites, and knocking out much of its long-range rocket arsenal.

At a news conference Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off a question about a cease-fire, suggesting the campaign will continue for some time. He also refused to rule out a ground offensive.

"I will end it when our goals are realized," Netanyahu said. "And the overriding goal is to restore the peace and quiet."

In four days, Israel has pummeled more than 1,000 targets in Gaza. More than 100 Palestinians have been killed, including dozens of civilians, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

Adding to Israel's technological edge, the "Iron Dome," a U.S.-funded, Israel-developed rocket defense system, has intercepted more than 100 incoming rockets, preventing any Israeli fatalities. Palestinian militants have fired more than 600 rockets, most falling in open areas.

Netanyahu said he has held phone conversations with key allies, including President Barack Obama and the leaders of Germany, Britain, France, Canada and Russia.

He described the talks as positive and said he had told his counterparts that no country would tolerate rocket attacks on its citizens.

"No international pressure will prevent us from acting with all power," he said.

Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, said that Israel has "strong diplomatic backing for what it's trying to do."

For now, international criticism of Israel appears to be muted. White House spokesman Josh Earnest reaffirmed "Israel's right to defend itself," although he also called for the sides to "restore calm." Britain, another close ally, also offered its "staunch support" for Israel's right to self-defense.

But the support has not been wall-to-wall. French President Francois Hollande said Israel should "take all measures" to protect its population. The European Union condemned the indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza on Israeli population centers but also deploring the growing number of civilian casualties.

Netanyahu rejected criticism of the death toll among civilians, saying that Israel does everything possible to protect them. He accused Hamas of putting civilians in harm's way by using residential areas for cover.