Jerusalem: Fears of violence in the Gaza Strip escalated as Israeli forces geared up for a "limited" military operation in the Strip, a media report said today.

The Israel Defense Forces stepped up its preparations for military action in Gaza as Palestinian militants fired 22 mortar shells from the Strip overnight, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

A "limited operation" will begin within days that will combine an air attack with some ground operations against Hamas and other Gaza terror groups, the influential Israeli daily said.

It said the cabinet has already given the go-ahead for an operation of a few days duration with clearly defined goals. "Anyone who harms Israeli citizens and soldiers will pay the price," Defense Minister Ehud Barak was quoted as saying by the daily.

IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said: "We will have to use all of our might against the terror infrastructure and create a different security reality around the Gaza Strip."

The report said Israel is planning a relatively short operation that will cause maximum damage to Hamas "assets." According to sources, the ground operation would result in many civilian casualties in Gaza, especially in the refugee camps.

Violence in and around Gaza has flared since a six-month ceasefire ended on December 19,and escalated dramatically on Wednesday, when militants fired more than 80 rockets and mortar rounds after Israeli forces conducted deadly air strikes over the coastal strip.

The Jewish state responded by tightening the blockade it has imposed since the Islamist Hamas movement, which is branded a terrorist outfit by Israel and the West, violently seized power in Gaza in June 2007.

Source : PTI