Story highlights Hillary Clinton says Vladimir Putin "indirectly" responsible for MH17 downing

The former secretary of state says Europe needs to stand up to Putin

She describes Putin as "a very arrogant person to deal with"

Suggests Israeli actions in Gaza not war crimes

Russian President Vladimir Putin bears at least some responsibility for the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday.

"I think if there were any doubt it should be gone by now, that Vladimir Putin, certainly indirectly -- through his support of the insurgents in eastern Ukraine and the supply of advanced weapons and, frankly, the presence of Russian Special Forces and intelligence agents -- bears responsibility for what happened," she told CNN's Fareed Zakaria in an exclusive interview that will air Sunday.

Clinton's comments come just over a week since Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 on board. Pro-Russian militants have been accused of downing the plane using Russia-supplied armaments and of interfering with the subsequent investigation at the crash site.

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U.S. President Barack Obama last week called the crash a "wake-up call for Europe and the world that there are consequences to an escalating conflict in eastern Ukraine," a view Clinton echoed in urging Europe to go further.

"We have to up the sanctions that are required. The United States has continued to move forward on that, Europe has been reluctant," Clinton told. "They need to understand they must stand up to Vladimir Putin."

Putin has argued that Ukraine bears significant responsibility, saying in a statement that if military operations had not resumed in eastern Ukraine on June 28, "this tragedy probably could have been avoided."

However, Clinton joined a chorus of Western voices laying much of the blame at Moscow's door, and she lamented that the United States and Europe had been "disabused" of their earlier hopes over the so-called reset in U.S.-Russia relations that was announced during President Obama's first year in office.

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Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 sits in a field at the crash site in Hrabove, Ukraine, on September 9, 2014. The Boeing 777 was shot down July 17, 2014, over Ukrainian territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists. All 298 people on board were killed. In an October 2015 report, Dutch investigators found the flight was shot down by a warhead that fit a Buk rocket, referring to Russian technology, Dutch Safety Board Chairman Tjibbe Joustra said. Hide Caption 1 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Australian and Dutch experts examine the area of the crash on August 3, 2014. Hide Caption 2 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman walks with her bicycle near the crash site on August 2, 2014. Hide Caption 3 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Police secure a refrigerated train loaded with bodies of passengers from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as it arrives in a Kharkiv, Ukraine, factory on July 22, 2014. Hide Caption 4 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A pro-Russian rebel passes wreckage from the crashed jet near Hrabove on Monday, July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 5 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine – Wreckage from the jet lies in grass near Hrabove on July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 6 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man covers his face with a rag as members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Dutch National Forensic Investigations Team inspect bodies in a refrigerated train near the crash site in eastern Ukraine on July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 7 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Emergency workers carry a victim's body in a bag at the crash site on July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 8 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A piece of the plane lies in the grass in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 9 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine An armed pro-Russian rebel stands guard next to a refrigerated train loaded with bodies in Torez, Ukraine, on Sunday, July 20, 2014. Hide Caption 10 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Ukrainian State Emergency Service employees sort through debris on July 20, 2014, as they work to locate the deceased. Hide Caption 11 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman covers her mouth with a piece of fabric July 20, 2014, to ward off smells from railway cars that reportedly contained passengers' bodies. Hide Caption 12 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Toys and flowers sit on the charred fuselage of the jet as a memorial on July 20, 2014. Hide Caption 13 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People search a wheat field for remains in the area of the crash site on July 20, 2014. Hide Caption 14 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman walks among charred debris at the crash site on July 20, 2014. Hide Caption 15 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Emergency workers load the body of a victim onto a truck at the crash site on Saturday, July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 16 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Emergency workers carry the body of a victim at the crash site on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 17 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A large piece of the main cabin is under guard at the crash site on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 18 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Victims' bodies are placed by the side of the road on July 19, 2014, as recovery efforts continue at the crash site. International officials lament the lack of a secured perimeter. Hide Caption 19 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man looks through the debris at the crash site on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 20 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine An envelope bearing the Malaysia Airlines logo is seen at the crash site on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 21 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Armed rebels walk past large pieces of the Boeing 777 on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 22 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Ukrainian rescue workers walk through a wheat field with a stretcher as they collect the bodies of victims on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 23 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman looks at wreckage on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 24 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Pro-Russian rebels stand guard as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe delegation arrives at the crash site on Friday, July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 25 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman walks through the debris field on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 26 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Pro-Russian rebels stand guard at the crash site. Hide Caption 27 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Wreckage from Flight 17 lies in a field in Shaktarsk, Ukraine, on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 28 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man covers a body with a plastic sheet near the crash site on July 18, 2014. The passengers and crew hailed from all over the world, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany and Canada. Hide Caption 29 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A diver searches for the jet's flight data recorders on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 30 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Coal miners search the crash site. Hide Caption 31 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Wreckage from the Boeing 777 lies on the ground July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 32 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People search for bodies of passengers on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 33 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman walks past a body covered with a plastic sheet near the crash site July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 34 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Belongings of passengers lie in the grass on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 35 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People inspect the crash site on Thursday, July 17, 2014. Hide Caption 36 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People walk amid the debris at the site of the crash. Hide Caption 37 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Debris smoulders in a field near the Russian border. Hide Caption 38 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Fire engines arrive at the crash site. Hide Caption 39 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man stands next to wreckage. Hide Caption 40 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Debris from the crashed jet lies in a field in Ukraine. Hide Caption 41 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Family members of those aboard Flight 17 leave Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands. Hide Caption 42 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A large piece of the plane lies on the ground. Hide Caption 43 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Luggage from the flight sits in a field at the crash site. Hide Caption 44 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A couple walks to the location at Schiphol Airport where more information would be given regarding the flight. Hide Caption 45 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Flight arrivals are listed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia. Hide Caption 46 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Debris from the Boeing 777, pictured on July 17, 2014. Hide Caption 47 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man inspects debris from the plane. Hide Caption 48 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Wreckage from the plane is seen on July 17, 2014. Hide Caption 49 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man talks with security at Schiphol Airport on July 17, 2014. Hide Caption 50 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Wreckage burns in Ukraine. Hide Caption 51 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man stands next to the wreckage of the airliner. Hide Caption 52 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 53 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter. Hide Caption 54 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 55 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 56 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine An airsickness bag believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 57 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 58 of 58

"He [Putin] has a strategic plan in mind, the Eurasian Union, which would be in competition to Europe," Clinton said. "His continuing efforts to intimidate Europeans -- not just through energy, but through interfering in elections, putting money behind buying press outlets in European countries ... trying to discourage countries like Ukraine being able to join the European Union."

"And if the United States and Europe don't present a united front, I think Putin is the kind of man who will go as far as he can get away with. I think he is still smart enough and cautious enough to be pushed back. But there has to be a push in order to make that happen."

'He's a very arrogant person to deal with'

Clinton also shared her thoughts on her interactions with Putin during her stint as Obama's secretary of state.

"He's very tough. He's a very arrogant person to deal with, which I think is a combination of this vision of Russia and some fundamental insecurity, because when you are dealing with him, he often acts as though he could care less," Clinton said.

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"...There was a G20 summit in Los Cabos (Mexico, in 2012) and our President had a meeting scheduled. He kept President Obama waiting 40 minutes before he showed up. He sat down. It was a very small meeting on both sides of the table. We, at the time, were very hopeful -- not realistically so, but idealistically so -- that we could get more cooperation from Russia to slow down (Bashar) al-Assad and what he was doing in Syria," she said. "Putin could not have looked more bored, more discomfited, and never apologized for being late."

"So then, of course, he wanted a summit in Russia. He wanted to play the host. And my advice to the president was don't go chasing after him. We're not sure of what his real intent is."

Has Israel committed war crimes?

In a wide-ranging interview, Clinton also discussed the ongoing violence in Gaza as Israel's ground incursion entered its second week. Asked about the warning Wednesday by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay that war crimes may have been committed, and whether Israel has used excessive force, Clinton said she did not agree with the war crimes assessment.

"I think that the Israelis are in a very difficult position. Hamas, we know, embeds missiles, embeds command-and-control units in civilian areas," she said. "Now, some of that is just the geography. It's a very small area, very densely populated. But some of that is a deliberate choice by Hamas."

However, she said, "too many people have died and too many of them are clearly innocent civilians, even children."

More than 800 people have been killed in the more than two weeks of violence in Gaza, as diplomats scramble to establish a ceasefire. Palestinian leaders called for a day of rage as protests erupted in the West Bank following a strike this week on a U.N. shelter. Israel's security cabinet on Friday unanimously rejected a proposed one-week humanitarian ceasefire, Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz told CNN. Secretary of State John Kerry said later that there was a framework for a cease-fire, but that more needed to be done to make it happen.

Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians in Gaza celebrate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, August 26. After more than seven weeks of heavy fighting, Israel and Hamas agreed to an open-ended ceasefire that puts off dealing with core long-term issues. Hide Caption 1 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians inspect the damage to a residential building following several late night Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on August 26. Hide Caption 2 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Gila, center, mother of 4-year-old Israeli boy Daniel Tragerman, sits next to his grave during his funeral near the Israel-Gaza border on Sunday, August 24. Hide Caption 3 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians run away from debris after a bomb from an Israeli airstrike hit a house in Gaza on Saturday, August 23. Hide Caption 4 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An Israeli soldier smokes a cigarette in a large concrete pipe used as shelter at an army deployment point near the Israeli-Gaza border on Wednesday, August 20. Hide Caption 5 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Light trails made by rockets fired from the Gaza Strip stand out against the night sky on Tuesday, August 19. Despite efforts to come to a peaceful agreement, Gaza militants launched rockets into Israel on Tuesday, and Israel responded with its own rockets. Hide Caption 6 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An injured Palestinian man is helped into the Shifa hospital in Gaza City on August 19. Hide Caption 7 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Police examine the remains of a rocket launched from Gaza that landed near the kibbutz of Yad Mordechay on August 19. Hide Caption 8 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on August 19. Hide Caption 9 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Islam El Masri begins to sort through the rubble of her destroyed home in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, on Thursday, August 14. Hide Caption 10 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israelis gather in Tel Aviv during a protest August 14 calling on the government and the army to end Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza once and for all. Hide Caption 11 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Smoke rises in Gaza City after an airstrike on Saturday, August 9. Hide Caption 12 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers walk past a Merkava tank as they patrol a field near Israel's border with Gaza on August 9. Hide Caption 13 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian boy salvages family belongings from the rubble of a four-story building after an airstrike in Gaza City on Friday, August 8. Hide Caption 14 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israelis flee after a rocket fired from Gaza hit the residential neighborhood of Sderot, Israel, on August 8. Hide Caption 15 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian man looks out over destruction in the al-Tufah neighborhood of Gaza City on Wednesday, August 6. Hide Caption 16 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Displaced Palestinians carry their belongings as they leave a United Nations school in Beit Lahiya, Gaza, to return to their homes Tuesday, August 5. Hide Caption 17 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – The body of Avrohom Wallis is carried during his funeral in Jerusalem on Monday, August 4. Wallis was killed in what Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld called a "terror attack," when a man drove an earthmover into a bus in Jerusalem. Hide Caption 18 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers fire a mortar shell toward Gaza from the Israeli side of the border on August 4. Hide Caption 19 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians remove rubble from a house hit by an airstrike in the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on August 4. Hide Caption 20 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An Israeli drone circles over Gaza City on Sunday, August 3. Hide Caption 21 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian man sits in a hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on August 3. Hide Caption 22 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An honor guard caries the coffin of Israeli Lt. Hadar Goldin during his funeral in Kfar-saba, Israel, on August 3. Goldin was thought to have been captured during fighting in Gaza but was later declared killed in action by the Israel Defense Forces. Hide Caption 23 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian boy looks for belongings after an airstrike in Rafah on Saturday, August 2. Hide Caption 24 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers walk to their tank at a staging area near the border with Gaza on August 2. Hide Caption 25 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A young Palestinian carries damaged copies of the Quran from the rubble of the Imam Al Shafaey mosque in Gaza City on August 2. Hide Caption 26 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians displaced from their houses return to check their homes in Gaza City on Friday, August 1. Hide Caption 27 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An Israeli soldier carries a shell as he prepares a tank along the Israel-Gaza border on Thursday, July 31. Israel called up 16,000 additional reservists, bolstering forces for its fight against Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. Hide Caption 28 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Smoke rises from a building after an airstrike in Rafah on July 31. Hide Caption 29 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – The parents and a sister of Israeli soldier Guy Algranati mourn during his funeral in Tel Aviv on July 31. Hide Caption 30 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – U.N. workers remove a donkey injured at a U.N.-run school in Gaza on Wednesday, July 30. Hide Caption 31 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians walk under the collapsed minaret of a destroyed mosque in Gaza City on July 30. Hide Caption 32 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians gather leaflets that fell from an Israeli plane on July 30. The leaflets warned residents of airstrikes in Gaza City. Hide Caption 33 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israelis take cover from a Palestinian rocket attack from Gaza during the funeral of Israeli soldier Meidan Maymon Biton, which was held at a cemetery in Netivot, Israel, on Tuesday, July 29. Hide Caption 34 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Smoke and fire rise above Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike on July 29. Hide Caption 35 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An Israeli soldier prays on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza on July 29 as smoke billows from the only power plant supplying electricity to Gaza. Hide Caption 36 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Near the rubble of their home in Rafah, Palestinian men mourn July 29 for people killed during an airstrike. Hide Caption 37 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian man places a portrait of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya on the rubble of Haniya's Gaza City home July 29 after it was hit by an overnight airstrike. Hide Caption 38 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Flares from Israeli forces light up the night sky of Gaza City on July 29. Hide Caption 39 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers carry the coffin of 2nd Lt. Roy Peles, an infantry officer who was killed in combat, during his funeral in Tel Aviv on Sunday, July 27. Hide Caption 40 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – During a 12-hour cease-fire in Gaza City's Shijaiyah neighborhood on Saturday, July 26, a Palestinian man sits atop a car filled with belongings that were salvaged from a destroyed home. Hide Caption 41 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers watch a bomb explode along the border with Gaza before the 12-hour cease-fire on July 26. Hide Caption 42 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – As her brother-in-law Mazen Keferna weeps on the ground, Manal Keferna cries upon discovering her family home destroyed by airstrikes in Beit Hanoun on July 26. Hide Caption 43 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians dig a body out of the rubble of a destroyed house in Gaza during the cease-fire on July 26. Hide Caption 44 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An Israeli soldier mourns at the grave of reserve Master Sgt. Yair Ashkenazy during his funeral at the military cemetery in Rehovot, Israel, on Friday, July 25. Ashkenazy was killed during operations in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces reported. Hide Caption 45 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian man cries after bringing a child to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya on Thursday, July 24. The child was wounded in a strike on a school that was serving as a shelter for families in Gaza. It's unclear who was behind the strike. The Israeli military said it was "reviewing" the incident, telling CNN that a rocket fired from Gaza could have been responsible. Hide Caption 46 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers carry a wounded soldier to a helicopter near the Israel-Gaza border on July 24. Hide Caption 47 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers patrol the Israel-Gaza border on July 24. Hide Caption 48 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A trail of blood is seen in the courtyard of the school that was hit July 24 in the Beit Hanoun district of Gaza. Hide Caption 49 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An Israeli tank fires toward Gaza from a position near Israel's border on July 24. Hide Caption 50 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A photograph tweeted by astronaut Alexander Gerst on Wednesday, July 23, shows major cities of Israel and Gaza. Gerst said in his tweet: "My saddest photo yet. From #ISS we can actually see explosions and rockets flying over #Gaza & #Israel." Hide Caption 51 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A woman in Philadelphia passes by a departure board that shows US Airways Flight 796, scheduled to fly to Tel Aviv, has been canceled on Tuesday, July 22. The Federal Aviation Administration told U.S. airlines they were temporarily prohibited from flying to the Tel Aviv airport after a Hamas rocket exploded nearby. Hide Caption 52 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Smoke and fire from the explosion of an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City on July 22. Hide Caption 53 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A relative of Israeli soldier Jordan Ben-Simon mourns over his coffin during his funeral in Ashkelon, Israel, on July 22. Hide Caption 54 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians inspect destroyed buildings and collect usable items after an Israeli air assault on July 22. Hide Caption 55 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers weep at the grave of Israeli Sgt. Adar Barsano during his funeral Sunday, July 20, in Nahariya, Israel. Hide Caption 56 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinian medics carry a body in Gaza's Shaja'ia district on July 20. Hide Caption 57 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers give medical care to soldiers who were wounded during an offensive in Gaza on July 20. Hide Caption 58 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian boy injured during an Israeli airstrike is taken to the hospital by his father in Gaza City on July 20. Hide Caption 59 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Palestinians flee their homes as Israeli troops focus their firepower on the Gaza town of Shaja'ia on Sunday, July 20. The shelling and bombing killed at least 60 people and wounded 300, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Hide Caption 60 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Smoke rises after an Israeli missile hit Shaja'ia on July 20. Hide Caption 61 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian child walks on debris from a destroyed house following an overnight Israeli strike in Beit Lahiya on Saturday, July 19. Hide Caption 62 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An explosion rocks a street in Gaza City on Friday, July 18. Hide Caption 63 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli ground forces move to the Gaza border on July 18. Hide Caption 64 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Israeli soldiers patrol near the Israel-Gaza border on July 18. Hide Caption 65 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A relative mourns July 18 during the funeral of Rani Abu Tawila, a Palestinian who was killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza City. Hide Caption 66 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian demonstrator, protesting Israel's military operation in Gaza, runs through smoke July 18 during clashes with Israeli soldiers at the entrance of the Ofer prison in the West Bank village of Betunia. Hide Caption 67 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – This image, made from video shot through a night-vision scope, was released by the Israeli military on July 18. It shows troops moving through a wall opening during the early hours of the ground offensive in Gaza. Hide Caption 68 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Children stare as Palestinians flee Khan Yunis, Gaza, to safe areas July 18. Hide Caption 69 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An Israeli tank fires a shell into Gaza on July 18. Hide Caption 70 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – A Palestinian carries a gas cylinder salvaged from the rubble of an apartment building after it was hit by Israeli fire on July 18. Hide Caption 71 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – An Israeli reservist prays July 18 near the Gaza border by Sderot, Israel. Hide Caption 72 of 73 Photos: Photos: Israel-Gaza crisis Israel-Gaza crisis – Flare smoke rises into the Gaza City sky on Thursday, July 17. Hide Caption 73 of 73

"They [the Israelis] understand the terrible box that they find themselves in because they want to end the rockets. And unfortunately, since the last ceasefire, the Hamas leadership has felt cornered. And the only way out of that corner, in their opinion, was to get better, more accurate, longer range rockets.

"And they've been digging tunnels, apparently constantly, that can come up inside Israeli territory. And the Israelis have a perfectly legitimate objective to try to destroy as much as of the rocketry as they can and to destroy the tunnels."