Israeli army spokesman Yonatan Conricus addressed foreign media about the planned ground entry into the Gaza Strip, following his interview with the Australian ABC network, and said that Israel's goal is to "completely dismantle Hamas' military capabilities."

The occupation spokesman added, "If it were possible to do this from the air, with very limited exposure to IDF soldiers and less damage on the ground, that would be good," according to what the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

At the same time, Conricus stressed that "if Hamas activists come out of hiding under the people of Gaza, release all 212 of our prisoners and surrender unconditionally, the war will end. If they don't, perhaps we will have to go inside and do it ourselves."