The Israeli army is predicting a serious escalation of violence in the Palestinian territories after the election for prime minister on February 6th, reported Haaretz newspaper.
A military spokesman was quoted by the paper as saying Tuesday that "already, there has been a sharp rise in the number of shooting and bombing incidents in the Gaza Strip."
"For the first time, a mortar shell was fired at a settlement. The shell caused no injuries in Netzarim, but damaged a house," he said.
An explosion was heard by Palestinians in Gaza City, who said it was followed by heavy machine-gunfire from Israeli tanks on Palestinian areas, said AFP.
But a Palestinian security official denied the report, saying, "We fired no shells on Netzarim, and we don't know what the Israelis are talking about."
Israel's Chief of Staff, Shaul Mofaz, speaking to soldiers near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, said he "expects some escalation in the near future," Haaretz said.
"It has already happened in Gaza, and the escalation in the Strip will spread to Judea and Samaria. There are now no diplomatic negotiations, so the Palestinians have no incentives to foil terrorist attacks."
"In effect, he added, there is no Palestinian terror prevention - period. This is a recipe for escalation, though it could take two or three weeks."
According to Haaretz, Mofaz has ordered IDF commanders to prepare for more frequent terrorist attacks and a greater involvement of Palestinian police in the fighting. Should the conflict worsen, Mofaz predicts, there will be Palestinian attempts to attack settlements.
Despite his predictions of escalation, the paper said that Mofaz has ordered officers to react to incidents with restraint. "We must not be the ones who cause the situation to worsen," he said -- Albawaba.com
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