Israeli naval battleships fired shells at the northern Gaza Strip at small hours on Thursday, Palestinian witnesses said.

Israeli naval vessels off the Gaza coast launched shells at areas used by Palestinian militants to fire homemade rockets onto Israel from the northern Gaza Strip, the witnesses said.

There was no report of any casualties.

There was no immediate word from the Israeli side concerning the incident.

A short while ago, Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets onto the northern Gaza Strip, warning Palestinian residents against moving around ahead of a coming military operation there.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz gave a go-ahead on Wednesday evening to the army to enter northern Gaza in the coming hours.

Israeli troops crossed the border and entered the southern Gaza Strip on early Wednesday in the first massive ground offensive in the coastal strip which Israel quit last summer after 38 years of occupation.

Israel says that the Gaza offensive is aimed to free an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants on Sunday.

Source: Xinhua