As Israel's military operation escalates, Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israeli civilian areas. On Tuesday, a rocket landed in the town of Yehud, a few miles from the Ben-Gurion International Airport.
As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration suspended all flights to Israel by American carriers for at least 24 hours.
The attack came as diplomats from the United States and United Nations visited Israel in hopes of negotiating a ceasefire. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Israel's efforts to stop Hamas rocket fire were entirely justified, adding that no country would accept a similar situation.
"We condemn strongly the rocket attacks, and these must stop immediately," Ban said during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"We condemn the use of civilian sites, schools, hospitals and other civilian facilities for military purposes," added Ban. He also insisted that Israel "exercise maximum restraint" in its counterterrorism operations.
Perhaps more surprising was a similar statement from European Union foreign ministers. They called the Hamas rocket fire aimed at Israeli civilians "criminal and unjustifiable acts." In addition, they called on Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Gaza terrorists to "disarm. The EU strongly condemns calls on the civilian population of Gaza to provide themselves as human shields."
An Israeli government official called the statement "dramatic," the Jerusalem Post reported. And while the EU statement repeated calls for Israel to respond "proportionately," it did not say Israel had overreacted, something the Post described as "an important matter of diplomatic nuance."
Appearing with Ban, Netanyahu said that Hamas' grievance "is that we exist. They don't want a two state solution. They don't want any solution." He vows to continue the operation until Hamas ceases firing rockets into Israel.
That could take another two weeks, a senior military official told Israeli Channel 2. On Sunday, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon assured that the majority of Hamas' tunnels would be "destroyed in the next two or three days."
So far, Israeli troops have found 23 tunnels with 66 openings. The IDF released this video showing the chain reaction when an explosive-laden tunnel is targeted.
Normally politically-fragmented Israel seems united in its resolve. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, considered the most dovish member of Israel's cabinet, dismissed the idea of an immediate ceasefire.
"There is no real option for a cease-fire now. This operation is unavoidable," Livni said.