IDF strikes 2 Hamas posts in Gaza as firefighters tackle balloon blazes

incendiary balloons flying towards Israel, 13 July

Times of Israel staff write, “Israeli aircraft struck a pair of Hamas observation posts in the Gaza Strip on Monday, with the military saying incendiary balloons were launched from nearby earlier in the day, sparking fires in Israel. ‘The strike was carried out in response to the fire terror being led by the Hamas terror organization against Israel’s citizens and sovereignty,’ the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. It was not immediately clear if any Palestinians were injured in the airstrike.”

“Some time after the Israeli attack, the army said a rocket was launched towards Israel from the north of the Strip, but apparently fell inside the Palestinian enclave… Meanwhile Israeli firefighting crews battled a number of blazes in the border region sparked by flaming airborne devices flown in from Gaza.”

“The visit came after a weekend of violence during which Hamas and other terror groups fired some 200 rockets at Israel. In Sderot, three people were moderately injured when a rocket hit a home on Saturday. Israel responded to the rocket salvos with dozens of airstrikes on Hamas targets, with the terror group’s health ministry saying two were killed and over 20 injured. It was the biggest daytime Israeli attack on Gaza since the 2014 summer war. On Saturday night, a ceasefire of sorts was brokered by Egypt and other international bodies, though Israel was not directly involved in the talks, and the violence abated to some degree. However, Hamas has said it does not see the kites and balloons as illegitimate or a breach of the agreement. As such, the Gaza-ruling terror group maintains that Israeli strike in response to these airborne arson attacks amount to violations of the ceasefire.”

“Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said ‘the Israeli occupation has exaggerated the damage caused by the kites and balloons in order to justify its aggression on Gaza.’ The Israeli occupation would be playing with fire if its warplanes targeted kite flyers,’ he said. (more…)