Israel Imposes Harsher Sanctions on Gaza After Rocket Hits House

Both sides of the Israeli-Gaza border were once again alight with rocket fire and airstrikes early Sunday morning as tensions between Israel and Hamas ramped up yet another notch. Late Saturday night, dozens of Palestinians approached the border fence separating Israel from the Gaza Strip, lobbing explosives at Israeli troops, who responded with gunfire. Near midnight, Israeli fighter jets attacked Hamas military posts, including rocket storage facilities and lookout towers. Palestinians then launched several rockets toward villages and towns near the border, one landing near an Israeli home, injuring one man. On Sunday morning, Defense Minister Benny Gantz responded to the night’s activities by ordering the closure for fishing along the entire Gaza coast until further notice. He asserted that “with every rocket and explosive they launch, Hamas is burning the branch on which the people of Gaza sit and hurts their ability to live with dignity and security.” Last week, hundreds of incendiary balloons and kites were launched from the Gaza Strip, burning fields and threatening villages in the south of Israel.