According to the IDF and a source inside Gaza, Israel began airstrikes on the enclave on Monday after incendiary balloons fired from the strip sparked fires in the country's south.
Israel Carried Out Airstrikes
In a recently published article in The Times of Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces launched airstrikes in Gaza late Monday night in retaliation for the launching of arson balloons from the coastal enclave that set fire to at least nine Israeli border towns earlier in the day, according to the army.
According to the army, it struck a Hamas weapons facility in Khan Younis, the entrance to a terror tunnel in Jabaliya, and an underground rocket launcher. The launcher was found in a densely populated area near a school in the Shejaiya neighborhood.
Meanwhile, the latest flare-up comes after several people were wounded in border confrontations over the weekend. The attacks on Gaza City, Khan Younes in the south, and Jabalia in the north did not result in any fatalities, but they did inflict material damage, according to a Palestinian security source who spoke on the condition of anonymity, according to a published article in MSN News.
Border Protests Escalate
With the resumption of border demonstrations, Israel will be obliged to react more forcefully to keep Gazans away from the security barrier, resulting in more Palestinian deaths, which Hamas will wish to respond to. As a result, the security officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, believes that another conflict between Israel and Gaza terror organizations is likely to happen.
However, ahead of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's talks with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi next week, Israel is attempting to tread gently while reiterating that Israel will continue to react to violence from Gaza.
Meanwhile, despite Israel's declaration last week of resuming Qatari assistance to Gaza, which was viewed as strengthening the fragile ceasefire, cross-border violence has increased. On Saturday, Israeli soldiers opened fire on Gaza protesters who were burning tires and hurling bombs near the border, wounding 41 Palestinians, two of them were severely injured, according to doctors, according to a published article in France24.
Balloon Launches With Airstrikes
Israel often reacts to incendiary balloon launches with air attacks, as it did on August 6 when such explosives were deployed. They are a frequent technique employed by Palestinian militants in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli siege since Hamas seized control there in 2007.
The fire department stated early Monday that it was battling a series of fires in the Eshkol border area, which it blamed on at least nine incendiary balloons fired from Gaza. On Saturday, there was a lot of fighting on the border.
Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinian protestors who had congregated near the Gaza border, throwing bombs and attempting to climb the barrier. A 13-year-old Palestinian and an Israeli border police officer were severely wounded. The escalation occurred three months after Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire after the worst fighting in years.
