"We cannot afford this kind of extreme Islamic state controlled by hamas," The Times of London quoted Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni as saying.

Livni made similar statements to foreign diplomats when the Israeli military left Gaza Monday in the nearly weeklong conflict during which more than 120 Palestinians and at least three Israeli soldiers were killed.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who called off talks with Israel in response to the incursion into Gaza, said negotiations may resume eventually as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the region in an effort to facilitate settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Rice called on regional leaders to return to the negotiating table, saying it was necessary for "everybody to be focused on peace." But Hamas officials in Gaza called on Palestinian leaders to resist Rice's appeals.

In an effort to restore calm to the region, Rice also called on Israel to practice restraint in its military operations, while urging Palestinian militants to halt their rocket attacks.