Israel Adamant on Ousting Hamas

"The state of Israel, and a government under me, will make it a strategic objective to topple the Hamas regime in Gaza," Livni said. (Reuters)

"The state of Israel, and a government under me, will make it a strategic objective to topple the Hamas regime in Gaza," Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi told members of her centrist Kadima party, Reuters reported.

Livni, who seeks to form the government after the February 10 snap election, said that all means would be allowed to achieve this goal.

"The means for doing this should be military, economic and diplomatic."

Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the opposition Likud party and Livni's main rival for the premiership, also said toppling Hamas would be the main object of his government.

"In the long-term, the toppling of the Hamas regime is inevitable."

The same point was made by several cabinet ministers.

"What we want is to end the Hamas regime in Gaza," Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon told public radio.

Hamas became the ruling party in the occupied Palestinian territories after defeating once-dominant Fatah in the March 2006 and forming the government.

Differences and eventual infighting led to the sacking of the Hamas-led national unity government by President Mahmoud Abbas in June 2007.

Hamas has since remained the ruling authority in the Gaza Strip, home to nearly 1.6 million Palestinians.

Tensions have risen steadily since Friday, when the major Palestinian factions, including Hamas, did not renew a six-month truce with Israel.

Palestinian fighters fired 14 rockets and three mortar rounds into Israel Sunday, lightly injuring one person.

Israel has launched a number of air strikes on the Strip since Friday, killing one Palestinian and wounding three others.

Massive Offensive

The Israeli threats on ousting Hamas coincided with preparation for a massive Israeli offensive on Gaza.

"We cannot accept the situation created in Gaza," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said ahead of the cabinet meeting Sunday.

"We are preparing our response to the Hamas threat," Amos Gilad, a senior adviser to Barak, told Israeli public radio.

"We have to prepare for it carefully, like for a surgical operation."

Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog said the offensive on Gaza has become inevitable.

"It needs to be clear…A strike in Gaza will come, and it will be hard and painful."

Israel has launched a number of massive offensives on the densely populated territory, leaving heavy casualties and creating a major humanitarian crisis.

A five-day onslaught in March killed at least 123 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 350 others.

A 2006 Israel offensive to free captured soldier Gilad Shailt left more than 400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead but failed to free Shilat.

Anticipating an Israeli offensive, Palestinian resistance factions have been placed on highest alert.

Mahmoud Zahar, a leading Hamas official and former foreign minister, said his group was undeterred by Israel's threats.

"Israel is playing with fire like a child going out to smoke his first cigarette, coughing and choking, and then quitting on his own," he told the Nazareth-based Radio A-Shams.

"Nothing can finish off our people," said Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Gaza government.