Gaza: new Israeli strikes in retaliation for incendiary balloons

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The Israeli air force announced Thursday, August 13 in the morning of new bombardments against Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for the launching of incendiary balloons from the Palestinian enclave towards Israel in a scenario raising fears of a new military escalation. 

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Over the past week, the IDF has claimed responsibility for a series of nightly strikes against positions of the ruling armed Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip in response to incendiary balloon fire some of which is behind it. brush fires in southern Israel, but which did not cause any casualties.

In response to these projectile throws, Israel has also since Tuesday closed the Kerem Shalom crossing post, from which goods enter Gaza, a tongue of land populated by two million inhabitants, more than half of whom live below the threshold. poverty, according to the World Bank.

And on Wednesday evening, the Jewish state, which has maintained a blockade on Gaza for more than a decade, announced an " immediate  " reduction  in the Mediterranean fishing zone for Gazans, from fifteen to eight nautical miles, before announcing new strikes early Thursday morning. 

Retaliatory strikes

"  Combat jets and tanks hit a number of Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip,  " the IDF said in a brief statement. "  The targets struck include a military site used for Hamas naval forces, underground infrastructure and observation posts  ," added the army, which said it had acted in "  response  " to the continued launching of incendiary balloons.

In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian security source confirmed these Israeli strikes which "  damaged  "  Hamas "  sites " and "  residences  " but "  without causing any injuries  ."

(With agencies)

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• Israel
• Gaza
• Defense

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