Thursday, 13 August 2020_The Israeli military has launched aerial and ground attacks against targets across the Gaza Strip for a second night in a row, while Tel Aviv tightens its grip on the blockaded territory’s fishing activities and fuel imports.
It claimed in a statement that warplanes, attack helicopters and tanks struck a number of positions belonging to the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, which runs the territory, early Thursday.
Reports coming out of Gaza and videos of the strikes that circulated online, however, showed residential buildings and agricultural land have also been hit.
Gaza-based media said the strikes hit targets across the Gaza Strip from Rafah in the southern part of the occupied territory to Beit Hanoun in the north.
#فيديو آخر لاستهداف الاحتلال لموقع أبو قادوس غرب غزة pic.twitter.com/kmqoU0jokp
— وكالة شهاب (@ShehabAgency) August 13, 2020
The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to the launch of incendiary balloons from Gaza over the past several days.
According to the report, dozens of balloon-borne devices were launched into southern parts of the occupied territories on Tuesday and Wednesday, igniting over 80 fires.
Flying fiery kites and balloons has become a new mode of protests by Gazans since March 2018, when the Tel Aviv regime began a crackdown against anti-occupation demonstrations near the fence separating Gaza from the Israeli-occupied land, killing and injuring many people.
Israel, however, blames the launch of incendiary balloons on Hamas.
Tel Aviv targets fuel supplies to Gaza
Hours after the raids, Israel also announced Thursday that it was halting the “import of fuel into the Gaza Strip.”
Gaza media also said Israel banned fuel from entering the Kerem Shalom crossing between the southern Gaza Strip and the occupied territories until further notice.
On Monday, Israel closed Kerem Shalom to commercial traffic with exceptions for fuel, food and humanitarian goods.
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