Israeli jets target Palestinian balloons

TEL AVIV: Israeli jets targeted Palestinians launching flaming balloons from the Gaza Strip, an Israeli army spokesman said yesterday, hours after Hamas announced a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

The army did not say whether there were any casualties.

Despite the ceasefire announced by Hamas and Islamic Jihad after some of the worst fighting in years, Palestinian militants fired four rockets from Gaza overnight into yesterday morning, an Israeli army spokesperson said.

One of the rockets was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system, the military said. A launch pad used to fire mortar shells was struck in response.

An Israeli army spokesman in Tel Aviv said yesterday there had not been any additional rocket attacks for hours since.

Hamas, the group in charge of Gaza, and the Islamic Jihad movement had announced on Saturday that a ceasefire agreement had been reached with Israel to end the largest daytime assault on Gaza in years.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday no such deal was in place: “I heard it being said that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire that would allow the continuation of terrorism by incendiary kites and balloons; this is incorrect.”

He vowed to respond to any attacks with “appropriate measures”.

Israel and Gaza had exchanged heavy fire on Saturday.