Israel pummeled Gaza with airstrikes on Monday and Palestinian militants launched rockets at Israeli cities despite a flurry of U.S. and regional diplomacy that has so far failed to halt more than a week of deadly fighting.
Israel's missile attacks on the densely populated Palestinian enclave killed a top Islamic Jihad commander and left a crater in a seven-story office building that Israel's military said was used by Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas.
"The directive is to continue to strike at terror targets," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a meeting with military chiefs. "We will continue to act as necessary to restore peace and security to all residents of Israel."