Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel will further intensify its current campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from his office.

Netanyahu met with security officials, including Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Banny Gantz, in Be'er Sheva on Wednesday as Operation Protective Edge is in its second day.

"We have decided to further increase our attacks against Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu said, adding that Hamas "will pay a heavy price" for the barrages of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel.

"The IDF is prepared for all scenarios," the prime minister said, possibly alluding to a ground operation in the strip. On Tuesday, the Israeli cabinet approved the draft of 40,000 Israeli reserve soldiers, part of which were already recruited while others are on standby.

Earlier on Wednesday, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said that the operation "will not end any time soon."

Operation Protective Edge was kicked off by Israel with massive air strikes in the Gaza Strip after more than 300 rockets were fired into southern Israel in the past three weeks.

The Israeli Air Force struck more than 550 targets in the Gaza Strip since the operation began early Tuesday, including 11 houses of senior Hamas members claimed to have been used as command centers for the organizations, as well as 31 tunnels and 60 rocket launchers, according to numbers from the IDF Spokesperson Unit.

According to Palestinian medical sources, over 35 people died in the attacks, among them eight children, and more than three hundred people were injured.

Over 48 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip and struck Israel throughout Wednesday, the IDF Spokesperson Unit reported. The spokesperson also said the Iron Dome anti-missile battery has intercepted an additional 14 rockets.

Wednesday's rockets showered over the skies of the southern central and central coastal plain. One rocket made its way to Hof Hacarmel, a regional council in northern Israel near Haifa, located about 120 km north of the Gaza Strip. This is the most northern spot reached by missiles from Gaza.

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