Israel rachets up Gaza response

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country's military is prepared to extend its operation against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

His comments came after the head of the military wing of Hamas, Ahmed Said Khalil al-Jabari, was killed during Israeli air strikes on the territory.

These followed a wave of rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza.

One Palestinian was reported killed by a fresh Israeli strike on Thursday.

The man, described by Palestinian medical officials as a militant, was on a motorcycle near Khan Yunis when the strike occurred.

"Today we've sent a clear message to Hamas and to other terrorist organisations," Mr Netanyahu said in a televised address.

"And if there is a need, the Israeli Defence Forces are prepared to widen the operation. We will continue to do everything to defend our citizens."

Jabari and another Hamas official who died alongside him were among at least nine people killed in Gaza on Wednesday by the Israeli strikes and that number would probably rise, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, told reporters in New York.

Jabari, who was 46, is the most senior Hamas official to be killed in the Gaza Strip since the major Israeli offensive four years ago.

Outside the hospital to which Jabari's body was taken, angry Gaza residents chanted "retaliation" and "We want you to hit Tel Aviv tonight".

A number of injured civilians, including children, were seen being taken to hospital in Gaza City.

Hamas spokesman Abu Zuhri said: "Israel will regret the moment they even thought of doing this."

An emergency closed session of the UN Security Council was held at the request of Egypt late on Wednesday to discuss the situation.

Mr Mansour told the meeting that Israel was "vulgarly and publicly boasting about its wilful killing of Palestinians".

US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice defended Israel's actions at the meeting, according to the AFP news agency.

"There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel," Mrs Rice told the session.

In other diplomatic reaction:

• US President Barack Obama spoke to Mr Netanyahu by telephone on Wednesday evening, with both men agreeing that Hamas needed to halt its attacks on Israel to allow the situation to de-escalate, the White House said.
• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke to Mr Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, expressing concern at the "deteriorating situation"
• Arab League foreign ministers say they will meet in emergency session on Friday to discuss the escalating violence
• Egyptian President Mursi also spoke to President Obama and agreed on the importance of working to calm the situation as quickly as possible, the White House said.

Neighbouring Egypt condemned the strikes, recalled its ambassador to Israel, summoned the Israeli ambassador in Cairo as well as calling for UN and Arab League meetings.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly, in Cairo, says Egypt's reaction to events in Gaza will be followed closely.