"This is a difficult morning, after a very difficult day of fighting in Gaza," he said after the army announced 14 soldiers had been killed in the Palestinian territory since Friday.

"The war is exacting a very heavy price... but we have no choice but to keep fighting," he added in a statement.

"We are continuing with full force until the end, until victory, until we achieve all of our goals: the destruction of Hamas, the return of our captives and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to the State of Israel."

He added: "Let it be clear: This will be a long war... (until) Hamas is eliminated and we restore security in both the north and the south."

Since Israel's ground assault began on October 27, the military has lost 153 soldiers in the Palestinian territory, including 10 on Saturday, making it one of the deadliest days for the army, which is also facing Hezbollah militants across its northern border with Lebanon.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online.