GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Only two days into the term of the new Israeli government, tensions flared in Gaza as Hamas-linked groups resumed sending incendiary balloons towards Israel, with the latter responding with strikes on the coastal enclave.
On June 15, groups affiliated with the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip launched hundreds of these balloons toward southern Israel. The factions said the move came in response to the controversial flag march held by far-right Israeli nationalists in Jerusalem, and in light of Israel’s ongoing decision not to release the Qatari financial grants and to ban the entry of many goods through Gaza’s crossing since the end of the recent round of violence May 21.