An IDF aircraft struck a Palestinian terrorist cell gearing up to fly incendiary balloons over the Israel-Gaza Strip border, the military said Sunday.
Shells were also fired at a vehicle transporting a kite terrorist cell.
Palestinian media said the strikes took place in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia.
The report said a fire broke out as a result and several people were wounded.
Some 8,000 Palestinians rioted on five different locations along the Israel-Gaza Strip border Friday and clashed with Israeli troops, as diplomats seek to secure a durable cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist terrorist group that rules the enclave.
Gaza's Health Ministry said that a 15-year-old boy was killed in the clashes and 220 others were wounded by Israeli fire.
A Gaza hospital official said of the 220 hurt, 90 suffered gunshot wounds.
Some 150 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas launched its border riots campaign on March 30. The protests have diminished in intensity over the past few weeks, but organizers have vowed they would continue until Israel lifts the economic sanctions imposed on Gaza.
The Israeli military said troops operating by the border used crowd control measures and followed standard operating procedures when several rioters breached the security fence and attacked the troops with firebombs and an explosive device.
A simultaneous Palestinian arson terrorism campaign has decimated nearly 10,000 acres of farmland and forests in Israeli communities near the border, causing millions of dollars in property damage as well as extensive environmental damage.
Mediation efforts ongoing
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a trip to Colombia this week and is due to consult with top ministers on Sunday on proposals cease-fire with Hamas.
Several top Hamas officials arrived in Gaza from Egypt late on Thursday to discuss the possible deal but no details have been given. The delegation included Hamas deputy leader Saleh Arouri, exiled by Israel in 2010.
"The delegation will [consult] over issues of concern for the Palestinian people, foremost in achieving the national reconciliation and ending the Gaza blockade," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said before the delegation arrived.
Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N.'s special envoy to the Middle East, said on Twitter that he held "productive meetings" with Egyptian officials in efforts to de-escalate Gaza tensions and resolve humanitarian issues.
"The devil is always in the details but we are moving forward in the interest of peace," Mladenov said.
Israel is seeking a long-term commitment from Hamas to end the border riots and arson terrorism campaigns in exchange for lifting restrictions on the delivery of goods and travel for Gaza.
Speaking about the Hamas delegation's visit, Hamas official Hussam Badran said, "We will achieve a national unity of the highest level in order to break [Israel's] blockade. We want the blockade to end once and for all."
