Fresh Israeli air strikes hit Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday, Israel's army said, as a week of hostilities between the Jewish State and the Palestinian enclave raged on.

Israel says the strikes, and other measures including halting the territory's fuel supply, are in retaliation for firebombs suspended from balloons that float over the border from Gaza.

The overnight attack on sites used by Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the enclave, was the fifth such operation this week.

It came just hours after Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalise ties in a landmark US-brokered deal.

That agreement has been strongly rejected by the Palestinians, who called it a "betrayal" of their cause, including their claim to Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a Hamas aerial defence post, observation posts and underground infrastructures had been hit on Friday, and did not report any casualties.

"Over the last week, explosive and arson balloons have been launched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory," it said in a statement.

"In response, a short while ago, IDF fighter jets, attack helicopters and tanks struck a number of Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip."

A similar attack the previous night caused no reported casualties but left an unexploded missile inside a UN-run school's compound in a Gaza refugee camp.

Dozens of blazes have been reported this week in southern Israel, as makeshift firebombs attached to bunches of balloons or kites set agricultural fields and scrubland alight.

In response, Israel has closed its cargo crossing with Gaza and also reduced the territory's permitted coastal fishing zone.

Hamas on Thursday condemned Israel's attacks on Gaza and its sanctions as "dangerous and aggressive behaviour", warning of "consequences" the Jewish state will bear.

Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008.

Despite a truce last year backed by the UN, Egypt and Qatar, the two sides clash sporadically with rockets, mortar fire or incendiary balloons.

The Gaza Strip has a population of two million, more than half of whom live in poverty, according to the World Bank.

Palestinian analysts say fire from Gaza often aims to pressure Israel to give the green light for the transfer of Qatari financial aid into the strip.

On Monday, Hamas fired several rockets into the sea as a warning "message" to Israel, a source close to the Islamist movement told AFP.

Related Links
UAV News - Suppliers and Technology

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Turkish drone kills 2 Iraqi officers in Kurdish region: army
Baghdad (AFP) Aug 11, 2020
Two high-ranking Iraqi officers were killed Tuesday in what the army said was a "blatant Turkish drone attack" in the autonomous Kurdish region, where Ankara has for weeks been raiding militant positions. The strike killed two border guard battalion commanders and the driver of their vehicle, the army said in a statement. It is the first time members of the regular Iraqi forces have been killed since Turkey launched a cross-border ground and air operation in mid-June against Kurdistan Workers' P ... read more