An Israeli airstrike against a Hamas cell launching incendiary devices from the Gaza Strip killed one member and wounded three others, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Thursday.
Immediately after the airstrike, Palestinians fired mortar shells at Israeli border towns, triggering the rocket alert system in parts of the western Negev. Israel retaliated with tank fire at Hamas positions, the IDF said.
Palestinian arson terrorism, which has been raging since late April, sparked 25 fires in Israeli communities near the Gaza border Thursday, destroying dozens of acres of forest and agricultural land. Previous fires have already consumed 9,000 acres of vegetation and farmland.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said the Israeli airstrike targeted a Hamas cell launching incendiary balloons.
"The IDF will continue to operate decisively against Hamas-led terrorist activities and views this activity with great severity," the unit said.
Hamas said the man killed was a member of a "special forces unit" tasked with monitoring the Gaza border fence near Rafah, in the enclave's south. It did not mention if he had participated in launching incendiary kites.
Palestinian media reported the cell was launching the balloons at the Israeli border when it was struck by a drone.
The incident marks the first reported fatality among Palestinians involved in kite terrorism. Israel has been making an effort to fire only warning shots at these cells, as most comprise teenagers.
It was unclear whether this indicates a shift in military policy.
Last Saturday, Israel struck Hamas targets in its biggest airstrike since the 2014 war, while Gaza terrorists fired some 200 projectiles at Israeli communities near the border.
Two Palestinians were killed in a strike on Gaza City, while four Israelis were wounded by a rocket that landed on a residential home in the southern city of Sderot, 2 miles from the border.
Israel has reiterated that it has no interest in engaging in another war with Hamas, but stressed it will no longer tolerate Palestinian arson terrorism.
Also on Thursday, Palestinian Ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour filed a grievance with the U.N. Security Council over Israeli airstrikes on Hamas assets in Gaza in response to arson terrorism.
He also complained about Israel's recent decision to close the Kerem Shalom cargo crossing, saying the move amounts to the "collective punishment of the Palestinian population."
Cracking down on arson terrorism and the Hamas-orchestrated border riots campaign, Israel last week temporarily suspended all commercial activity at Kerem Shalom, the main cargo crossing linking it with the coastal enclave.
Earlier this week, the Defense Ministry announced it was also suspending the delivery of petroleum fuels and natural gas to Gaza.
The Defense Ministry stressed that neither measure would affect the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
