“Those who call for a land operation in Gaza are really suggesting we drown again in the quagmire of the Strip,” Meretz Party chairwoman Zahava Gal-On has said. The leftist politician urged negotiations with Hamas on the basis of mutual interests, pointing out that the Islamist movement is responsible for 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, former Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer called for continuation of the military operation in Gaza. “The operation must not be stopped until the Palestinian organisations in the Gaza Strip understand that the rules of the game have changed,” the Labor Party member said.