JERUSALEM, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Foreign Ministry Monday made no comment on a report that Mauritania has recalled its ambassador to Israel over the country's military operation in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

    "We have no comment, because we have not received any official notification from Mauritania about the recalling of ambassador," a spokesman of Israeli Foreign Ministry told Xinhua on the phone.

    Earlier Monday, news agencies reported that Mauritanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Babah Ould Sidi Abdalla said the country's ambassador in Tel Aviv has been ordered to come back for consultation.

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Cast Lead Operation, which started on Dec. 27, entered its tenth day on Monday, killing more than 500 Palestinians so far.

    Since Saturday evening, the operation moved into its second stage, with IDF launching a large-scale ground incursion into Gaza.