Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday evening that Hamas' ongoing attacks left Israel without choice but to respond and vowed to change the situation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Barak made the remarks during a meeting with defense officials including Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yuval Diskin.

Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak gestures as he speaks to the media before the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem February 3, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

"The time has come for action. The military operations are continuing and Hamas bears the responsibility," Barak was quoted by an online report of local daily Ha'aretz as saying.

"We pulled out of Gaza, we tore Israelis from their homes, just for quiet in the communities in the Gaza envelope. These were painful concessions that we made for quiet, and Hamas has continued its fire without reason," he added.