Gazans hit back at Israel with incendiary balloons

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas-backed Palestinian activists in the Gaza Strip launched a new wave of incendiary balloons into Israel on Tuesday, further raising tensions after a night of Israeli air strikes on the seaside territory.

The enemy sides this week have engaged in their heaviest crossborder fighting since an 11-day war in May.

The May war between Israel and Hamas militants ended with an inconclusive Egyptianbrokered cease-fire. Since then, Gaza’s Hamas rulers have grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in efforts to cement the truce. Hamas wants Israel to lift a stifling blockade on Gaza, while Israel has demanded the return of the remains of two soldiers, in addition to two captive Israeli civilians, Hamas is believed to be holding.

Hamas-backed activists have launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel several times in recent weeks, setting fires on the other side of the border. On Saturday, they held a violent demonstration along the Israeli border fence.

Early on Tuesday, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of air strikes on Hamas targets in response to incendiary balloons. The Israeli military said that Hamas fired machine guns into Israel, drawing an additional air strike. No casualties were reported on either side. But by the afternoon, the activists were launching the balloons again. “Our message is clear and explicit. This siege must be broken,” said one of the activists, who identified himself as Abu Omar.

The violence has complicated the cease-fire efforts by Egypt, which closed its border with Gaza on Monday because of difficulties in the cease-fire talks. It also has threatened to overshadow a visit to Washington by Israel’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, who is scheduled to meet President Biden at the White House on Thursday.