Sirens wail in Gaza periphery after reports Hamas car explodes in Strip

No immediate word of rocket impact in Israel; Palestinians say field commanders' vehicle hit in Israeli strike in center of enclave, but none hurt

By TOI staff

 

Rocket sirens blared multiples times in the communities of the Sha’ar Hanegev and Hof Ashkelon regional councils Tuesday night, after Palestinians reported a car carrying Hamas operatives had exploded in central Gaza.
The army said it identified a rocket launch from Gaza. There were no reports of an impact in Israeli territory.
Palestinians said the vehicle, carrying one of the terror group’s field commanders, was hit in an Israeli strike in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp. There were apparently no casualties in the blast. 

There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military on the alleged strike.
Earlier Tuesday Palestinians said Israeli drones destroyed two cars and an observation post in Gaza that were being used by a group of Palestinians to launch incendiary balloons into southern Israel. The military confirmed that its aircraft conducted three strikes in response to repeated arson attacks from the Palestinian coastal enclave.
No Palestinian injuries were reported.
The IDF conducted similar airstrikes on Sunday, firing at groups of Gazans launching incendiary kites and balloons into southern Israel. In one case, three people were injured as an IDF drone fired a missile at a cart being used by the group, according to local Palestinian media.
A number of small fires were reported in southern Israel throughout the day on Tuesday, apparently sparked by incendiary kites and balloons from the Strip. As of 9 p.m., all the fires had been extinguished, according to officials from the Sha’ar Hanegev and Eshkol regional councils.
On Monday, a total of 11 fires broke out in southern Israel that were caused by these airborne arson devices, according to local government officials. The 11 fires were put out quickly before they could spread, spokespeople for the regions said.

Palestinians prepare a kite with flammable materials that they will fly into southern Israel from Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on June 22, 2018. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

The Israeli military has carried out multiple warning strikes in recent weeks at groups of Gazans preparing to launch incendiary devices toward Israel. The army has said repeatedly that it will act to prevent the launch of the airborne incendiary devices and explosives.
Since March 30, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have launched countless kites, balloons and inflated latex condoms bearing flammable materials, and occasionally explosives, into Israeli territory, sparking near-daily fires that have burned thousands of acres of farmland, parks and forests.
Israeli leaders have warned that the military was prepared to take more intense offensive action against the phenomenon.
Israeli leaders have been split on how to respond to those responsible for the airborne arson attacks, with some calling for the IDF to shoot the kite flyers and balloon launchers on sight, while others argued that it would be a step too far.