HIGHLIGHTS: Report Neither Confirmed Nor Denied||Palestinian Resistance Ready to Defend Gaza||Heavy Casualties on Both Sides Expected||STORY: Though tanks and troops were massed around Gaza's borders, Israel TV's Channel 2 reported Friday that Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer decided to postpone the new operation because of leaks about the army's plans. Ben-Eliezer's adviser, Yarden Vatikai, would not confirm or deny the report. (Read photo caption)

Gaza is one of the world's most densely populated areas and many believe that invading it on a scale similar to Israel's sweep through the West Bank would result in high casualties among civilians and Israeli troops.

The birthplace of the Palestinians' 1987-93 uprising against Israeli rule, Gaza has taken the brunt of Israeli attacks in the early stages of the 19-month-old Palestinian-Israeli violence.

RESISTANCE READY TO DEFEND HOMELAND

Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin seemed unconcerned as he was showered with kisses from well-wishers at his neighborhood mosque in Gaza City on Friday.

"I am not afraid, because I only fear God," the 70-year-old told The Associated Press.

In the Jebaliya refugee camp near Gaza City, a shantytown of 70,000, residents said Friday they would give Israel a fight if it invaded the camp.

In recent weeks, Resistance men have been taking up positions every evening behind sandbags and mounds of debris and rubble. On Friday afternoon, the only sign of a possibly imminent battle was a bulldozer building a huge mound of sand at one of the camp's entrances.

PHOTO CAPTION

Israeli tanks near the Gaza Strip on May 10, 2002. Israel's security cabinet gave the green light for military reprisals following a Tel Aviv Resistance bombing that killed 16 people, but kept the Palestinians waiting nervously for the first major strike. REUTERS/Tsafrir Abayov
- May 10 8:40 AM ET Preparing for a feared Israeli offensive, residents of the Gaza Strip have begun hoarding food, while armed Palestinians patrolled the streets and reinforced ramparts meant to keep out Israeli tanks.