The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com
“The State of Israel will react forcefully and in an uncompromising manner to any act of terrorism which hurts the citizens of the State of Israel.”
A house in Sderot is damaged by fallen rocket fragments after the Iron Dome intercepted rockets launched from Gaza towards Israel, August 16, 2020. (Credit Police Spokespersons Unit)
The IDF struck multiple Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip overnight Saturday and into Sunday in response to incendiary balloon attacks and rocket attacks, as well as explosive devices that had been thrown at the border fence during Palestinian riots.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories announced Sunday that it was closing the fishing zone off the Gaza Strip in response to this latest escalation.
The strikes were carried out in two rounds. In the first event, IDF fighter jets and aircraft targeted a Hamas military compound and underground infrastructure.
In response, Hamas fired a round of rockets, injuring five people.
Two women were mildly injured en route to their bomb shelter, two other women were treated for shock and a 58-year-old man was mildly injured when shrapnel hit his home, Magen David Adom reported.
During the second strike, the IDF attacked a weapons storage facility in the southern area of the strip.
“IDF fighter jets and aircraft recently attacked additional targets belonging to Hamas targets in the southern Gaza Strip,” the statement added, confirming initial Palestinian reports.
Injuries were also reported on the Hamas side of the fence by Palestinian media, though no official reports were released by the IDF. Those injuries occurred during the riots on the border fence late Saturday night. Palestinian media said that soldiers fired live ammunition and gas grenades at the rioters.
At least two Palestinians were taken to hospital, Israel Hayom reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry.
Clashes have been ongoing for more than a week. On Saturday alone, incendiary balloons caused at least 30 fires in southern Israel.
In recent years, countless incendiary and explosive balloons have been launched by Gaza’s terrorists. They sometimes have books or toys attached to lure children. Some have sparked large wildfires, including damaging thousands of hectares of crops.
Following the recurrence of incendiary or explosive balloons launching into Israel, warnings were given to balloon units in Gaza by Israeli officials who stated that if attacks don’t stop, then action will be taken. Despite the warnings, balloons were continuously launched.