Israeli aircraft strike Hamas posts in Gaza

Jerusalem: Israeli army aircraft struck posts and facilities in the Gaza Strip that belong to Islamic Hamas movement in response to launching incendiary balloons from the coastal enclave into Israel.

Security sources in Hamas told Xinhua that Israeli reconnaissance drones and warplanes fired missiles on Friday night. Residents in the besieged coastal enclave said that they heard several explosions in southern, central and northern Gaza right after drones and warplanes hovered over the territory and began a series of airstrikes.

Paramedics who arrived at the targeted areas told Xinhua that two civilians, including a female child and a woman, were slightly injured in central and northern Gaza, where ambulances evacuated them to hospitals for treatment. Over the past days, unknown masked young men have been launching incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip into Israel and some of the balloons carried small amounts of explosives.

Launching incendiary balloons into Israel caused large fires in the agricultural fields and farms in southern Israel and the vicinity of the border areas between Gaza and Israel. In response, Israel has closed Kerem Shalom, Gaza's main goods crossing, halted fuel supply and reduced Gaza's fishing zone.

The Israeli government has held Hamas responsible for launching the balloons that caused fear to the populations and severe damage to the agriculture sector. Hamas officials had stated over the past few days that Israel didn't abide by the calm understandings sponsored by Egypt, Qatar, and the UN two years ago.

The Gaza Strip, home for more than 2 million Palestinians, has been under an Israeli blockade for around 14 years right after Hamas seized control of the coastal enclave and routed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas out of it.