Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, an observer on the security cabinet, called for the IDF to temporarily take over Gaza for a few weeks in order to disarm Hamas, in an interview with Ynet on Wednesday.
"We will have no escape one day from a temporary takeover of Gaza, which has heavy prices," said Steinitz to Ynet. "This day did not come for all sorts of reasons. I think this day will come, if not now, then in the coming years."
"No one will disarm Hamas unless we do it by force," added Steinitz. "This idea of taking over Gaza to completely dismantle terrorist organizations has heavy costs. That is why I understand the people who think differently from me and who object to the idea of one day doing a ground invasion and the collapse of the Hamas regime."
Steinitz added that Israel should declare a unilateral ceasefire without an agreement with Hamas, saying that the terrorist group wouldn't follow any agreement in any case.
Concerning how long he believes the operation will continue, Steinitz stressed that he wouldn't make a statement on the matter as the "last thing that I want to do is provide the other side with a schedule."
The statements come amid reports in Israeli and international media claiming that Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement on a ceasefire that would begin on Thursday.
Hamas official Izzat Reshiq tweeted on Tuesday night that the reports of a ceasefire were not true and that no agreement had been reached, adding that "the efforts and discussions of the mediators are serious and continuous, and the demands of our people are clear and known."
During a briefing for ambassadors in Israel on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that Israeli is "not standing with a stopwatch, but rather is concerned with meeting goals."
Community Affairs Minister and security cabinet member Tzachi Hanegbi told KAN Reshet Bet radio on Wednesday that "Israel is not engaged with a ceasefire, but in firing. The IDF has many other goals and missions — for many days and weeks." Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis told Army Radio that the operation is continuing and that there is "nothing related to a ceasefire."
A person involved in the ceasefire talks told Army Radio on Wednesday that there are currently no negotiations on a truce and that Egyptian efforts to reach a ceasefire are ongoing.
A senior official in Jerusalem said on Tuesday that while the IDF has had major successes in striking Hamas, it has many more targets it wants to hit.Since the beginning of the fighting, close to 3,500 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel, with some 500 falling short and landing inside the coastal enclave.Lahav Harkov, Tovah Lazaroff and Omri Nahmias contributed to this report.