Israeli fighter jets carried out several airstrikes on targets in Gaza late Sunday to Monday, following the launch of incendiary balloons from the territory that caused fires in southern Israel. Security sources in Gaza reported that Israeli warplanes launched at least two missiles at agricultural land in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, while four additional missiles targeted a training site of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. There were no reports of casualties from the airstrikes, according to Palestinian medical sources.
In response to the launch of the incendiary balloons from Gaza, Israel on Sunday halved the fishing zone permitted off Gaza, according to officials. The military wing of the Israeli government's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated, "It was decided to reduce the allowed fishing area in the Gaza Strip from 12 nautical miles to six nautical miles." COGAT added that "the decision was made due to the launch of incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, which constitutes a violation of Israeli sovereignty."
COGAT warned that "Hamas, which is responsible for activities in the Gaza Strip and all actions carried out from the Gaza Strip towards the State of Israel, must bear the consequences of acts of violence committed against Israeli citizens." Earlier on Sunday, fires were extinguished "in three sites in a small area in Ashkelon," according to a statement from the firefighting service, which noted that investigations "identified the cause as incendiary balloons." These balloons are tools aimed at igniting fires in agricultural lands surrounding the besieged Palestinian territory.
Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas's political bureau, stated in a statement that "if the siege on the Gaza Strip continues, then Hamas and its factions will use all means to pressure the occupation." On July 12, Israel announced an expansion of the fishing area off Gaza and allowed more imports into Palestinian territories, in light of "the prevailing security calm recently." The last time incendiary balloons from Gaza ignited a fire in Israel was on July 2. Recently, Israel has responded to similar attacks with nighttime airstrikes targeting Hamas facilities in Gaza.
On May 21, Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, announced a ceasefire that ended a bloody escalation between the two sides lasting 11 days, which resulted in the deaths of 260 Palestinians, including 66 children and militants, and 13 Israelis, including a child, a girl, and a soldier.
