ZCZC
BFF-36
ISRAEL-POLITICS- PALESTINE-MILITARY
Israeli army targets Hamas military sites in Gaza Strip: sources
GAZA, Aug 24, 2020 (BSS/XINHUA) – The Israeli warplanes on Monday morning carried out raids against military posts belonging to the Islamic Hamas movement in various areas in the Gaza Strip, said Palestinian and Israeli sources.
Palestinian security sources told Xinhua that the Israeli artillery attacked two Hamas monitoring sites, in eastern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, while the warplanes struck an agricultural land in Khan Younis.
No injuries were reported, but the attack caused considerable damage in the bombed places, according to the security sources.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army said in a press statement that the “Israeli raids came in response to the continuation of the launch of balloons attached to incendiary or explosive materials into Israeli towns.”
“We are working with determination against any attempt to commit acts against our residents in the towns adjacent to the coastal enclave,” added the statement.
On Sunday night, Israeli authorities dealt with 28 fires resulted from arson balloons launched by Gaza’s youths at Ashkelon, Sha’ar Hanegev and Eshkol in southern Israel, according to Israeli security sources.
Since Aug. 6, the Palestinian coastal enclave has witnessed military tensions with the Israeli army, as the Palestinian youths have been restoring the launch of incendiary balloons toward Israeli cities adjacent to the strip.
As a result, Israeli warplanes targeted dozens of military sites belonging to the Hamas movement, in response to the launch of arson balloons.
The violence came amid weeks of tensions, which, according to Palestinian and Israeli commentators, was triggered by Israel’s refusal to allow the transfer of Qatari money to the besieged Palestinian enclave.
BSS/XINHUA/SSS/1449 hrs