Conflict between Israel and Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip continued Friday with 23 Palestinians killed and more than 250 others wounded while people in the strip fear the advent of an upgraded Israeli aggression.

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the Hamas-run ministry of health, told reporters in a short briefing that 23 Palestinians were killed, including 12 civilians, and more than 250 injured. He expected that death toll to increase as Israel keeps its intensive airstrikes on the coastal enclave.

The recent conflict between Israel and Hamas movement broke out after Israeli war jets assassinated on Wednesday Hamas armed wing general command Ahmed al-Jaa'bari and his bodyguard in a targeted airstrike on their car on a main street in Gaza city.

Since then, Hamas armed wing al-Qassam Brigades and other minor militant groups fired barrages of rockets, including Iranian-made Fajer rockets and Russian-made Grads, into Israel. Al-Qassam Brigades said in leaflets emailed to reporters that it fired more than 50 rockets that reached the suburbs of Tel Aviv.

In return, Israel carried out more than 40 airstrikes on dozens of targets in the coastal enclave, mainly rockets launchers and weapons caches in response to the rockets attacks, which killed, according to Israeli Radio, four Israelis and wounded more than 10 others.

All over the Gaza Strip on Friday, stores and shops were all closed, where schools and university students refrained from going to classes. Bakeries and grocery stores were exceptionally opened, men were seen standing in long lines outside the bakeries.

Sounds of Israeli bombings can be easily heard in the enclave, as well as the whistles of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip on Israeli towns and cities. Ambulances were seen in the main streets with little traffic. Most of the residents preferred to stay in doors.

The residents explained deep concerns and anxiety that a "large war" would be again waged on the Gaza Strip, and they are also afraid of a severe humanitarian crisis, mainly shortage of basic needs of food, medicine, fuels, water and electricity.

Ambulances and firefighting cars are driving in the streets and around the neighborhoods in Gaza and once they receive a notice of an Israeli airstrike somewhere, they immediately rush to the targeted area with sirens turned on.

Schools and universities as well as official ministries, offices and banks will remain closed on Saturday until a further notice, according to a Hamas government announcement. Black pillars of smokes and huge explosions are seen and heard almost every ten minutes, which are a result of Israeli strikes.

The vast majority of Israeli air-to-ground missiles are targeting training camps of militants, underground rocket launch sites and weapons caches.

Gazans were hoping that the visit of Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil on Friday would defuse the tension between Hamas and Israel and help end the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip as well as Hamas' firing of rockets.

"Egypt ... is standing by the side of its brothers in Palestine until they end the Israeli occupation and establish their independent state ... I'm here, sent by President Mohamed Morsi, not only for political support but also physical support," said Qandil.

The atmosphere is the Gaza Strip is similar to that of early 2009, when Israel waged a three-week aggression on the Gaza Strip called Operation Cast Lead, where 1,440 Palestinians killed and 5, 0000 injured. People in Gaza are fearing a repeat of the large- scale Israeli operation.

Saleem al-Saqqa, a 52-year-old man from Gaza, works as owner of a grocer store in Remal neighborhood said "We were so happy that Egypt Prime Minister came to Gaza, but we were disappointed because Hamas refused to accept a truce with Israel."

"The situation is crazy and horrible, we don't know what Israel and Hamas want from us, we are fed up and are sick of this ongoing violence and difficult situation. We feel like we are all on a ship and don't know where it will dock," said al-Saqqa.