Israel strikes two Hamas posts in retaliation for aerial devices

IDF drill in South simulates capture of Gaza City in next war

A projectile launched from Gaza in the direction of Israel fell short of the border in the Gaza Strip on Monday, hours after Israel struck Hamas positions in Gaza.

The mortar, which set off rocket sirens in communities in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council near the northern border of the strip, reportedly caused two audible explosions.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Israel Air Force struck two Hamas positions in northern Gaza after Palestinians had launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel earlier in the day.

According to Palestinian sources, the drone strike occurred near Beit Hanoun and left several people wounded.

The strikes come two days into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after it launched 200 mortars and rockets into southern Israel and Israel retaliated by striking 40 Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday visited the southern Israeli city of Sderot and told reporters that there would be no ceasefire with Hamas unless aerial incendiary devices stop.

“To us, there is no such thing as a ceasefire that excludes the incendiary kites and balloons – no such thing. I’ll say this for the seventh time and I hope it gets through, but if it’s not understood by my words, it will be understood by the IDF’s actions,” he said.

Israel says it has lost at least 1,000 hectares (about 2,500 acres) of farmland, nature reserves and forests because of the fires caused by flaming kites and balloons.

On Monday, an employee of the National Parks Authority found a dead falcon, which had a rope with flammable material attached to it, in a torched field near the Habesor Stream in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) posted on Twitter that: “Arson fires have been caused by incendiary materials flown from Gaza into Israel. Apparently it’s not enough to destroy nature with kites, now falcons are being used for terror as well.”

On Sunday, the military launched a series of drills across the country including one in the South simulating war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The division drill, which is to last until Sunday, will also see the 162nd Armored Division’s 401st Brigade simulate the capturing of Gaza City by IDF troops.

The drill, which is taking place in areas in Beersheba as well as several Bedouin towns in the Negev, also sees troops from the armored, infantry, engineering and artillery corps train for a variety of scenarios inside enemy territory including handling the local civilian population.

Captain Sagi Cohen, who is taking part in the drill, told The Jerusalem Post that the drill will focus on tactics and lessons from Operation Protective Edge, the last conflict with the terror group. Soldiers taking part in the exercises will drill on fighting in tunnels as well as in urban and open areas.

“We understand that all of Gaza has tunnels underneath it, something that we didn’t understand in Operation Protective Edge. Urban combat is not clean; there could be tunnels anywhere,” Cohen said.