Gaza bracing for Israeli military strike

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JERUSALEM, Dec 26 (AFP): The spectre of a military invasion is hanging over the Gaza Strip as militants fired another volley of rockets despite Israeli warnings that failure to stop the attacks would lead to bloodshed.
The latest violence came amid widespread speculation Israeli forces were gearing up for military action in Gaza, which some media said was likely to be a limited operation rather than a full-scale invasion.
"Army preparing for combined ground, air operation in Gaza," declared the front-page headline in the Haaretz newspaper.
Five rockets and two mortar rounds were fired by militants before dawn, but caused no casualties.
One mortar shell hit a house which was not occupied at the time, near the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the besieged Palestinian territory, causing some damage, residents said.
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.
Israel 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.
The Israeli authorities nonetheless opened crossings on Friday to allow the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the impoverished and overcrowded territory where 1.5 million Palestinians live. Officials said 80 truckloads of badly-needed supplies were being taken into Gaza.
At the same time, the Israeli government issued dire warnings to Gaza militants, saying the Jewish state would strike back hard if attacks continue.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who hopes to replace Olmert as prime minister after the February 10 election, also vowed Israel would fight back.
Since the Egyptian-mediated ended last week, Israel has threatened to launch a major offensive on Gaza, and top leaders called for the toppling of Hamas, considered a terrorist group by Israel and the West.