Sirens blared throughout Israel's southern border region with Gaza early Thursday morning after two rockets were launched from the Hamas-run coastal enclave into Israeli territory, according to a statement from the Israeli Defense Forces.
Earlier, the IDF said it had struck a number of Hamas military positions in northern Gaza in retaliation for a wave of incendiary balloons that were launched from the enclave into Israel.
The IDF added that it holds Hamas responsible for any hostile activities against Israel emanating from Gaza.
The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas abruptly ended on Tuesday when a rocket fired from Gaza landed in the Mediterranean Sea, which the IDF said was fired "deliberately" by the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group with the intent to escalate tensions with Israel.
Wednesday marked Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day. The army has already ramped up security measures, including deploying Iron Dome missile defense batteries in anticipation of possible flare-ups with armed groups in Gaza, ahead of Independence Day celebrations next Wednesday.
Last month, Israel agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, following a major flare-up sparked by a rocket that struck a home in central Israel.
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