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Israeli Air Force strikes Gaza Strip in response to incendiary balloons
[JPost] Smite them
Incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip on Sunday led to multiple fires in the communities near the Gaza border.

The IDF attacked a military camp belonging to Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip, IDF Spokesperson reported on Sunday night.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked the military base which contained a number of buildings used by Hamas members. The base was located in a civilian area, close to a school, IDF Spokesperson reported.

They also confirmed that the air strikes are in retaliation for incendiary balloons which were launched earlier on Sunday, leading to fires in the Eshkol Regional Council.

This followed a earlier closure of Gazan fishing space from 12 nautical miles to just six.

After the resumption of incendiary attacks and a series of situation assessments, the Coordinator of Government Operations in the Territories' (COGAT) Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Alian announced on Sunday that it was decided to restrict the fishing zone in the Gaza Strip down from 12 to 6 nautical miles.

The decision will take effect immediately and will continue until further notice. Prior to Operation Guardian of the Wall, Gaza's fishing zone stood at 15 nautical miles.

The decision to limit Gaza's fishing space came after the renewed launch of incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory after 3 weeks of relative quiet.

The decision comes only 12 days after Gaza's fishing zone was expanded from 9 to 12 nautical miles due to the relative calm which was seen in recent weeks.

In a statement, COGAT said that "The terrorist organization Hamas bears responsibility for everything that is done in and out of the Gaza Strip towards the State of Israel, and it will bear the consequences of the violence perpetrated against the citizens of the country."

Earlier on Sunday, three fires were extinguished in the Eshkol Regional Council, near the Gaza border. The fire investigator determined all three were the result of incendiary balloons.

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Posted by: Frank G 2021-07-26
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=608167