GAZA, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- As Israel's military operation against the Gaza Strip enters the sixth day on Monday, the Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza said Israel has intensified its airstrikes on Palestinian targets, including Hamas TV station as well as Hamas police and security facilities.

Since the early hours of Monday, Israeli war jets have intensified its airstrikes on Hamas police and security facilities, houses of Hamas' and other groups' militants, the soccer stadium of Palestine, Hamas TV station and computer companies, according to Hamas officials.

The military wings of Islamic Hamas movement, Ezz el-Deen al- Qassam Brigades and the smaller Islamic Jihad, Saraya al-Quds, claimed responsibility Monday for firing more barrages of rockets into Israel out of the Gaza Strip. They said that more than 60 rockets and projectiles have been fired toward Israel.

Hamas ministry of health spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra told reporters that around 24 Palestinians were killed and more than 30 wounded on Monday, adding that the death toll since Wednesday has climbed to 98 and about 800 wounded, more than half of whom are civilians.

Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in a press statement emailed to reporters that Israel "is waging a barbarian war on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip," adding that " targeting and killing civilians and destroying their homes make us thinking about every possible option to defend our people."

While very few cars are seen in the streets of Gaza on Monday, ambulances and firefighting vehicles are all around the coastal enclave, standing ready for rescue.

Schools and universities as well as government ministries, offices and banks remain closed on Monday until further notice. Almost every ten minutes, black plumes of smoke could be seen and huge explosions are heard, caused by Israeli airstrikes.

Residents were hoping that the visits of Arab diplomats and heads of political parties would defuse the tension and help stop Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

The vast majority of Israeli air-to-ground missiles are targeting empty fields and training camps of militants. The empty fields could be containing rockets that are ready to be launched, rocket launchers or weapon caches buried underground.

Well-informed Palestinian sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that Israel is ready to stop its military operations in the Gaza Strip if Palestinian militant groups stop firing rockets out of the coastal enclave on Israeli communities.

The sources said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a verbal letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas informing him of this offer. Tony Blair, former British prime minister who represents the Quartet of Middle East mediators, delivered Netanyahu's message to Abbas.

But if Hamas refuses to stop rocket attacks, Israel would expand Operation Pillar of Defense, which set off last Wednesday, warned Netanyahu, said the sources, adding that Abbas told Blair that he would discuss the issue with Khaled Mashaal, chief of Hamas, who is currently in Egypt.

The sources also said on Monday that efforts are underway to hold a meeting in Cairo between Abbas and Mashaal. The meeting should take place Wednesday in Cairo, added the sources, which are close to both Hamas and Fatah Party of Abbas.

The occasion for the meeting is related to the Israeli military offensive against Gaza, said the source, adding that Abbas and Mashaal will try to come up with a unified Palestinian position in dealing with Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

In their meeting, Abbas and Mashaal will also try to agree on a date to hold the first meeting for a temporary committee that was formed to lead Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, which are outside the PLO umbrella, are members of the temporary committee.

The current circumstances remind people of early 2009, when Israel waged a three-week military operation, dubbed "Operation Cast Lead," on the Gaza Strip, which left more than 1,400 Palestinians and 11 Israelis killed. At this stage, residents in Gaza are much concerned whether Israel would carry out a large ground operation.