Palestinians prepare a balloon that will be attached to flammable materials to be flown toward Israel near the Israeli Gaza border, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on June 17, 2018. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.

JNS.org – Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported on Sunday morning that two men were killed in an Israeli airstrike overnight against terror targets located east of Jabbaliya in northern Gaza.

The strike took place amid a serious uptick in tension between Israel and Hamas, following an increase in Hamas attacks against Israeli border communities by mortar shells and rockets, as well as ongoing launches of incendiary kites and balloons that have laid waste to more than 7,000 acres of Israeli agricultural and nature reserve lands.

On Saturday, Palestinian media said that an Israeli aircraft targeted a group of terrorists who were attempting to launch flammable balloons into Israel from southern Gaza. The IDF said it was unaware of the incident.

Flammable “terror balloons” sparked at least 10 fires along the Gaza border over the weekend. On Friday, an estimated 7,000 Gazans engaged in violent rioting along the border, attempting to attack troops with pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails and a grenade, as well as rocks and burning tires.