Israel Launches New Strikes On Gaza As Response To Incendiary Balloons On Wednesday

On Wednesday, Israel launched new strikes on Gaza Strip following the incendiary balloons sent by Palestinian militants into the South of the country.

According to the AFP, the attack is the first flare-up between the two countries since a major conflict in May, where over 200 persons were killed in 11 days.

The strikes were the first under the new coalition government headed by Naftali Bennett, who took over on Sunday after ousting former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

They come as more than a thousand ultranationalist demonstrators bearing Israeli flags poured into Jerusalem’s flashpoint Old City on Tuesday, with scores of police deployed and international monitors urging calm.

According to Palestinian sources, Israel’s air force targeted at least one site east of Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip, which is home to some two million people.

An AFP photojournalist in Khan Yunis saw the explosions.

The Israeli Defense Force said that in response to the “arson balloons”, its “fighter jets struck military compounds belonging to the Hamas terror organisation”.

It added that “facilities and meeting sites for terror operatives” in Khan Yunis were targeted. There was no indication of casualties so far.

The IDF added that it was “prepared for any scenario, including a resumption of hostilities in the face of continuing terror activities from the Gaza Strip.”

Local firefighters said the incendiary balloons caused around 20 fires in southern Israel.

The violence is the first flare-up between Israel and Palestinian militants since a ceasefire came into place in May, ending 11 days of heavy fighting that killed 260 Palestinians including some fighters, the Gaza authorities said.

In Israel, 13 people were killed, including a soldier, by rockets and missiles fired from Gaza, the police and army said.