IDF strikes Hamas posts in Gaza after incendiary balloons spark brushfires in south
Palestinians also riot along southern frontier for sixth day in row, setting off explosives on Israeli border barrier; 26 said wounded
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces carried out strikes in the Gaza Strip on Friday, after balloon-borne incendiary devices flown over the border by Palestinian terrorists sparked three fires in southern Israel, as tensions in the region heated up.
The arson attacks came as Palestinians have been holding near-daily riots on the Gaza border in recent weeks.
Firefighters from Fire and Rescue Services and the Jewish National Fund battled the blazes in the Eshkol Regional Council.
The Fire and Rescue Services said Friday evening that all three fires were extinguished.
The fires mark the first blazes caused by incendiary balloons in two years.
Palestinians again rioted on the Gaza border on Friday afternoon, for the sixth day in a row. There have been several other riots in recent weeks.
The IDF said it had carried out drone strikes against two observation posts belonging to the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip in response to the incendiary balloons and rioting. The military said the incendiary balloons were launched from the area of the two posts.
A third Hamas post was shelled by a tank after a Palestinian gunman opened fire at troops on the border amid the rioting, the IDF added. That post was located near where the gunman opened fire, the military said.
Footage from the rioting showed a gunman opening fire and an explosive device being detonated on the Israeli border barrier, causing damage to the fence.
Why the IDF is attacking the Gaza Strip: Repeated Hamas-led attacks at the border, including small arms fire at security forces. pic.twitter.com/xwlJwnnH8S
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) September 22, 2023
#شاهد لحظة تفجير الشبان للسياج في منطقة "كارني" شرق غزة. pic.twitter.com/AhlYZnZjEG
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) September 22, 2023
The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip reported that 26 were wounded by Israeli fire amid the rioting.
During the riots in recent weeks, Palestinians have been detonating explosive devices, setting tires on fire, trying to breach the security barrier, and opening fire at troops in a handful of cases.
The Israeli military has been responding with crowd dispersal means and live fire in some cases.
#صورة استمرار إطلاق بالونات حارقة باتجاه مستوطنات غلاف قطاع #غزة. pic.twitter.com/hE1mweiv4v
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) September 22, 2023
On Thursday, a Palestinian gunman who opened fire at Israeli forces during rioting on the border was shot and seriously wounded by a Border Police sniper.
Israel has kept shut its sole pedestrian crossing with the Gaza Strip since September 15 in response to rioting on the border.
The closure of Erez Crossing affects 17,000 Gazans who have permits to enter Israel for work. The Strip’s economy is harmed by the laborers being barred entry to Israel.
Also in response to the riots, as a warning, the IDF struck an observation post belonging to the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group near the border last Friday.
The rioting in recent weeks has left at least seven Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip. Six of them were killed while mishandling a makeshift bomb that was supposed to be planted on the border, while the seventh was shot by Israeli soldiers.
No IDF soldiers have been wounded in the recent riots so far.
The riots, according to military assessments, come as Hamas seeks to resolve a dispute it has with Qatar over monthly funding the Gulf nation provides to the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas has reportedly asked Qatar to increase the monthly sum to adjust for inflation, but it so far has not agreed to the demand. The terror group apparently launched the riots on the Gaza border to pressure Israel, which would in turn pressure Qatar to solve the issue.
Gaza has been blockaded by both Israel and Egypt for over 15 years in an attempt to contain the enclave’s Hamas rulers. Israel says the tight restrictions on goods and people are necessary due to the terror group’s efforts to massively arm itself for attacks against the Jewish state.
