Israel airstrikes continue on Gaza amid ceasefire

Gaza: Israel has launched airstrikes over Gaza Strip from Thursday to Friday after Palestinian militants floated incendiary balloons into the former for the third day, as per a report by The Guardian.

New tensions crack after an 11-day war ended in a ceasefire last month. The balloon launch was started after Israel allowed far-right Jewish nationalists to take a march, which went through Arab neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, and some chanted "Deaths to Arab".

Tensions stood intact after the recent ceasefire, although Egyptian mediators met both Hamas and Israeli officials for a truce. Protesters were gathered at Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem in response to the rally of Jewish ultranationalists who chanted "Death to Arabs", for which police forcibly cleared the square and gave security.

Israeli police had tried dispersing Palestinian protesters from Damascus Gate with stun grenades and skunk water cannons. The Jewish parade was to celebrate Israel's conquest of East Jerusalem.

There were reported rocket sirens heard in Israel communities near Gaza after the airstrikes. They were attributed to "incoming fire" by the military.

Associated Press obtained surveillance video footage of heavy machine-gun fire from Gaza, suspected to be militants trying to gun down Israel aircraft.

The militants' balloon, filled with Helium, is intended to burn farmlands and bushes along the Gaza enclave. No immediate casualties were reported from Thursday night's strikes and those, on targets Israel claimed as Hamas facilities, carried out early on Wednesday. Israel military said that the forces are ready for any range of retaliation, including "resumption of hostilities".

A Palestinian boy of 15 died during a protest against a settlement outpost, shot by Israeli troops, at occupied West Bank.

Regarding the incident, the Israeli military responded that the soldier shot the teen- after firing into the air- after he saw the latter hurl a suspicious object towards him, which exploded after it fell nearby.

The conflict had killed 260 Palestinians, according to Gaza authorities. Israel police and the army said that 13 people were killed by Hamas rocket attacks. Airstrikes this week is the first after the new government under Naftali Bennet came into rule.

(based on The Guardian report)