Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke out harshly against Hamas on Thursday after the Fatah spokesman in the Gaza Strip was attacked and badly wounded by members of Hamas.
"Hamas, which carried out a coup in Gaza, will find itself on the ash heap of history," Abbas said.
After visiting the wounded Fatah official in the hospital, Abbas added, "The Palestinian people will not forgive Hamas for its deeds."
Also on Thursday, Hamas kept up attempts to send explosives-laden balloons and kites over the border fence into Israel.
On Thursday evening, an explosion was heard in one of the communities in the western Negev. Security forces located the source of the explosion โ an improvised explosive device carried into Israel by a bunch of balloons. The IED somehow dislodged from the balloons and fell into a field, where it detonated. A police sapper neutralized the device.
Earlier Thursday, Palestinians in Gaza had launched other arson balloons in the direction of Gaza-adjacent communities, but most failed to cross the border.
Thursday also saw more wildfires started as a result of the arson attacks from Gaza. A team of firefighters was working to extinguish a blaze in the Eshkol Regional Council started by an arson kite. Two other fires in Israeli communities near Gaza were reported and put out.
In response to the ongoing arson terrorism attempts and rioting along the border, an IDF tank fired on Hamas positions in southern Gaza.
