Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz called for a unified government Tuesday, in light of ongoing discord and sinking approval ratings over Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
"We will either adopt a political solution or win a decisive military victory," he said during a speech at the Bar Association of the Tel Aviv and Center District conference in Ashkelon. "No solution is simple and each has a painful price."
"The situation in Gaza is so complex and we are under very complicated threats," he said, noting that for outsiders, the situation is "difficult to comprehend."
"Gaza is an almost impossible military arena," he added. "Hamas is firing at us from one of the most populated areas on the planet and that's what makes the fight so problematic."
Therefore, he said, "unity is always good, and certainly essential, during a military operation."
Steinitz's call for unity surfaces less than 24 hours after a poll revealed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's approval ratings have taken a sudden nosedive, the result of waffling over the military and security situation and perceived weakness in the face of constant rocket fire.
At least twenty rockets were fired on Israel Tuesday morning, according to Channel 10, as Operation Protective Edge in Gaza is well into its fiftieth day.
Earlier Tuesday, the IAF shelled two high-rise buildings in Gaza being used as Hamas headquarters.
Hours earlier, a rocket struck a house in Ashkelon, injuring over 50 people. Miraculously, the home's residents missed being killed by seconds, with the parents having run from the blast site - their bedroom - to protect their children as sirens blared.