Israel is currently “preparing for the next stages of the war,” IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said on Thursday morning, adding that no decision has yet been made on a ground attack, despite strong rumours, skynews.com reported.

But Israel remains on “full alert” and its intelligence is focused on tracking down the Hamas militants who carried out the attacks, he added.

Israel will “get to all these people,” including the men sitting in a truck over the body of a young German woman.

“We will get to them and they will pay with their lives,” he says.

The Israeli military announced today that it is carrying out a “large-scale operation” on Hamas-owned targets in the Gaza Strip, without giving further details of the operation.

Hamas media reported today that 15 Palestinians were killed in overnight raids.

Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli jets heavily bombarded Gaza City, while Gaza authorities also reported an airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, is arriving in Israel today for contacts with the Israeli leadership, who will also have a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to the PLO.

Netanyahu’s dramatic speech

In his dramatic speech last night, Netanyahu said that the fate of Israel “hanging by a thread.”

Announcing the formation of an emergency government, with the head of the centrist opposition National Unity party Benny Gantz at his side, Netanyahu noted that “we are putting aside all our differences to fight an enemy worse than the Islamic State.”

Announcing the formation of the emergency government with the addition of the National Unity party, the prime minister signaled that Israel was fighting back. “Every member of Hamas is a corpse,” he said.

Netanyahu characterized the support of the US “critical” for Israel’s struggle.

“Now is the time of war”

“We stand side by side and send a clear message to the Israeli citizens and to the opponents: we are together” Ganj stated.

“Israel is in its most difficult moment, our cooperation will help to ensure victory” said the head of National Unity

Addressing Israelis who feel they no longer have security, Benny Gantz commented that “I understand the fear, I understand the pain,” but assured that “Israel has the strongest army in the region.”

“My cooperation with the government is not political, it is a cooperation for our destiny.” “This is one of the most difficult times that Israel has ever known” he said.

“Our cooperation will lead in a clear victory, and it will change reality as we rise to every challenge,” Ganj pledged.

“There is a time for peace and a time for war, now is the time of warhe emphasized.

“Gaza ISIS will be wiped off the face of the earth”

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallad said for his part about the Hamas attack that “such barbarity we haven’t experienced since the Holocaust.”

“It was the worst terrorist attack the world has ever seen. What happened has not happened to the Jewish people since 1945,” he said.

“We will eliminate Hamas…Hamas, ISIS of Gaza, will be wiped off the face of the earth” Gallant emphasized.

“There is no way you are killing Israeli children and we are pretending nothing is happening,” he added.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said earlier that he would meet with the Israeli prime minister during his trip to Israel.

“Not since the time of ISIS have we seen this kind of brutality, and we will continue to stand very resolutely against it,” Blinken told reporters before departing for Israel.