Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya warned on Thursday of Israeli reoccupation of the Gaza Strip after Israeli forces took over the remains of three abandoned Jewish settlements in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip "proves an Israeli plan to reoccupy wide areas of the Gaza Strip and destroy the infrastructure of the Strip," Haneya said in a statement.

He accused Israel of imposing a collective punishment on the Palestinians, which he said however would boost the Palestinians unity.

He also called on the international community to intervene to halt Israeli operation, noting that the military escalation would not solve the crisis.

Meanwhile, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, urged Israel to immediately stop the military operation in the Gaza Strip.

"What is happening is actually gradual reoccupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel, which would make the situation more complicated," he said.

Abu Rudeineh stressed that more time must be given to find a diplomatic solution to the hostage crisis.

Israel mounted ground and air offensive in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday in a bid to free an abducted Israeli soldier and crack down on Qassam rocket attacks fired from Gaza onto nearby Israeli cities, taking over three former Jewish settlements that were evacuated last September.

Source: Xinhua