07-02-2021 Julie Stahl
After two weeks of calm, the Israel Defense Forces carried out air strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight in response to the launch of incendiary balloons at Israel on Thursday.
The IDF said fighter jets struck a “weapons manufacturing site belonging to Hamas”, which was used by Hamas to “research and develop weapons.”
“The IDF will respond firmly against terror attempts from the Gaza Strip,” a statement said.Related
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According to media reports, the balloons set four minor fires in the border area of the Gaza Strip, Fire and Rescue Services said.
In June, the IDF struck Hamas military compounds in response to the launch of arson balloons in Israeli territory after the new Israeli government allowed a Jewish flag parade in Jerusalem that had been interrupted by Hamas rocket fire on Jerusalem Day.
That was the first flare-up after the 11-Day Israel-Hamas conflict in May, which started when Hamas launched rockets toward Jerusalem. Jerusalem Day landed on May 10th this year. It marks Israel reuniting Jerusalem under its sovereignty as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War.
Three years ago, Hamas rallied thousands of Palestinians along the border of Gaza to protest against Israel. They started launching kites and balloons with incendiary devices and sometimes explosives attached to them during the dry summer months, burning thousands of acres of agricultural and other land inside Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has long urged a tougher Israeli response to the balloons. He believes that Israel should respond to them as if they are rockets. So far, he has done so.