Hamas warned Israel on Saturday that a red line was crossed in a “dangerous escalation” after two children were reportedly lightly injured in airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in response to a recent spate of attacks that sent balloon-borne arson and explosive devices into Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that combat helicopters and tanks hit a number of terror targets belonging to Hamas, including sites used by its naval forces, underground infrastructure, and observation posts.
But Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesperson for the terror group said the IDF had also hit “innocent civilians,” and that the strikes constituted a “red line and a dangerous escalation that Israel will bear the consequences for.”
The Hamas health ministry reported a 3-year-old girl was lightly injured in an airstrike around al-Bureij. Local media reports said she was hit with shrapnel in her face.
The Hamas-linked al-Resalah outlet additionally reported a woman and an 11-year-old boy were lightly injured in the same region and taken to hospital for treatment.
Barhoum said the terror groups in Gaza “will not allow the situation to remain as it is,” before adding that they will act to “curb aggression and safeguard the interests of the people.”
The overnight attack on sites said to be used by Hamas, the Islamist terror group that rules the enclave, was the fifth such operation since the start of the week.
“The attack was carried out in response to balloons with explosives and incendiary balloons [launched] from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory over the past week,” the IDF said.
The IDF added that it holds Hamas responsible for all acts in and emanating from the Strip.
Makeshift firebombs attached to bunches of balloons or kites ignited over 100 fires in Israel in the past week, setting alight agricultural fields and brush. Officials said most were small fires, but some caused damage.
Friday night’s attack came a day after Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize ties in a landmark US-brokered deal, ratcheting up tensions in the West Bank and Gaza.
The agreement infuriated the Palestinian leadership, who called it a “betrayal” of their cause, including their claim to Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
No comments:
Post a Comment