The Israeli army stated that its aircraft bombed Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian territory. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages from the strikes targeting what the army described as a rocket launch site and a Hamas compound governing Gaza. No immediate comments were made by Hamas.
Since the end of the ceasefire on May 21, which concluded 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians in Gaza have occasionally launched balloons carrying incendiary materials across the border, causing fires in fields in Israel. Palestinians say the balloons aim to pressure Israel to ease restrictions placed on the coastal enclave that were tightened during the fighting in May.
The launches of the balloons had mostly declined after Israel eased some restrictions on Gaza. However, on Friday, balloons were launched again from Gaza, igniting at least four wildfires in areas near the Israel-Gaza border. The Israeli army stated that its airstrikes were a "response to the continued launch of incendiary balloons from Gaza towards Israel throughout the day."
Fires broke out along the Gaza border on Friday as Israel separately exchanged gunfire across its northern border with the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah for the third day of cross-border attacks amid broader regional tensions with Iran.
