Israel strikes Hamas in Gaza after rocket fire

Israeli aircraft attacked a Hamas target in Gaza on Thursday after a Palestinian rocket strike, the Israeli military said, in the first serious cross-border flare-up since a surge in fighting last month.

The latest hostilities followed Israel’s closure of offshore waters to Gaza fisherman on Wednesday in what it said was a response to incendiary balloons launched across the frontier that caused fires in fields in southern Israel this week.

Five fires broke out in the Eshkol Regional Council, along the Gaza border, where two other firebombs exploded over greenhouses, Israeli firefighting services said on Wednesday. Two other fires broke out in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council and one in Netivot, also close to the border with Gaza.

The rocket is the first to be launched at Israel since a ceasefire agreement was reached between the two sides in early May. At the time, nearly 700 rockets were launched from Gaza into Israel while Israel carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. It was the largest outbreak of violence since the 2014 Gaza war, resulting in 4 Israelis and 25 Palestinians killed.

Last week, Gaza officials warned of escalation over Israel's 'foot-dragging' in implementing the ceasefire agreement. A senior official told Haaretz that Palestinian factions, including Hamas, are demanding the transfer of additional funds from Qatar, a further easing on the import of dual-purpose goods from Israel, and progress on humanitarian projects.