In response to incendiary balloons launched from Palestinian territory, Israel launched air strikes in Gaza on Wednesday, the first since the end of 11 days of cross-border fighting last month.
The flare-up, which came after a Jewish nationalist march in East Jerusalem on Tuesday that drew Hamas, Gaza’s ruling militant group, threats of action, was a first test for Israel’s new government.
The Israeli military said its planes attacked Hamas armed compounds in Gaza City and Khan Younis in the south, and that it was “prepared for all scenarios, including renewed fighting in the face of continued terrorist acts emanating from Gaza.”
The strikes, according to the military, were in response to the balloons being launched, which caused 20 fires in open fields near the Gaza border, according to the Israeli fire department.
Confirming the Israeli attacks, a Hamas spokesman said Palestinians would continue their “brave resistance and defence of their rights and sacred sites” in Jerusalem.
Thousands of flag-waving Israelis gathered around Jerusalem’s Old City’s Damascus Gate hours earlier before heading to Judaism’s holy Western Wall, provoking Palestinian anger and condemnation.
Israel considers the entire city to be its capital, having occupied East Jerusalem in a 1967 war and later annexed it in a move that has not received international recognition. Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future Palestinian state that encompasses the West Bank and Gaza.
In preparation for possible rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel increased its deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile system prior to Tuesday’s march.
However, there was no sign of rocket fire from the enclave as the marchers dispersed after nightfall in Jerusalem.
The procession had been planned for May 10 as part of the “Jerusalem Day” celebrations commemorating Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem.
That march was diverted at the last minute away from the Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, but it was not enough to stop Hamas from firing rockets at Jerusalem, which sparked last month’s round of fighting.
