Israel carried out airstrikes on Islamist targets in Gaza on Friday night, in retaliation for the launching of incendiary balloons from the Palestinian enclave that caused fires in Israel.
The Israeli strikes hit training sites without causing injuries, said security sources from the Islamist movement Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the strikes to AFP.
Read also: In Gaza, Hamas stands victorious in the shaky ruins
Incendiary balloons launched from Gaza sparked four fires in Israel on Thursday, a statement from Israeli firefighters said.
"Four fires broke out in the region of Eshkol"
, near the Gaza Strip, said the firefighters, adding that experts concluded that the source of the fires were
"incendiary balloons"
. The small-scale fires were quickly brought under control, according to firefighters.
On June 18, the Israeli air force bombed targets of the Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for throwing incendiary balloons at Israel.
These were the second bombings since the entry into force on May 21 of a ceasefire that ended an 11-day war with Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip, an impoverished Palestinian enclave of two million inhabitants under Israeli blockade for more than 15 years.
From May 10 to 21, 260 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, including fighters, according to local authorities.
In Israel, rocket fire from Gaza killed 13 people, including a soldier, according to police and military.
To read also: Israeli-Palestinian conflict: "Bitter truce"
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a military ceremony Thursday that Israel
"does not look forward to fighting"
but that if it is
"necessary"
, the Hebrew state
"will not hesitate"
with a
"massive response and strong ”
.