JERUSALEM – The Israeli army said it hit militant targets in Gaza on Sunday in reaction to the continuous launch of explosive-laden balloons outside Hamas-led territory.
There were no quick reports of casualties on the side. But the violence comes at a time when Gaza is grappling with a worsening economic crisis and a new coronavirus epidemic.
Hamas-linked teams have introduced a wave of incendiary balloons in Israel in recent weeks, placing bonfire sites on vast expanses of agricultural land. Israel responded with airstrikes and other attacks. The army said Sunday’s tank fire site hit Hamas’s “military posts” in southern Gaza, giving additional details.
Hamas is pressuring Israel to ease its blockade of Gaza and authorize large-scale progression projects. Egypt and Qatar are going to consolidate a casual ceasefire.
These efforts have become more urgent in recent days, as the authorities in Gaza have detected the first cases of local coronavirus transmission. Hamas has imposed a blockade of the border coastal territory of Israel and Egypt, which is home to 2 million Palestinians.
Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade in Gaza after Hamas took the strength of rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is obligatory to prevent Hamas from building its arsenal, but critics see it as a form of collective punishment. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and several minor battles since the closure was imposed.
Restrictions have brought the economy to a point of collapse, and years of war and isolation have left the health care formula ill-equipped to deal with a primary epidemic.
In reaction to the recent attacks, Israel closed the Gaza advertising crossing, forcing its power plant to be shut down due to lack of fuel and leaving Gazans with a few hours of electricity a day. Israel has also closed fishing dominance of the coastal territory.
THE UN envoy to the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, warned last week that the stage is “deteriorating rapidly.”
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