Hamas and other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have decided to resume the launching of incendiary balloons towards Israeli communities in order to protest Israeli “foot dragging” regarding the implementation of ceasefire understandings reached under the auspices of Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations, Palestinian sources in the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave said on Monday. The Palestinian factions have also decided to resume the activities of the “Night Confusion” units along the Gaza-Israel border, the sources said. The units, which operated for several months during 2019, approach the border at night and detonate sound bombs and sound sirens to “confuse” IDF soldiers and residents of Israeli border communities. One of the groups responsible for the incendiary balloon attacks from the Gaza Strip claimed on Monday that its members were acting on their own, and not on instructions from Hamas or any other Palestinian faction. The group said it decided to resume the attacks because of Israel’s “failure” to implement the purported ceasefire understandings, particularly regarding the easing of restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip. The group, called Wihdat Abna Al-Qoka, said on Sunday night that its members have launched “hundreds of explosive-laden balloons toward Israel since January 17. It said that the attacks would continue “until all our goals are achieved.” The group is named after Abdel Karim Al-Qoka, a senior member of a Hamas-affiliated militia who was assassinated by Israel in 2006. Talal Abu Tharifeh, a senior official with the PLO’s Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the Gaza Strip, said that the decision to resume the attacks on Israel came in response to Israel’s “targeting of Palestinian famers and fishermen.” He also accused Israel of failing to end its “siege” of the Gaza Strip despite the reported ceasefire understandings. A source in the Gaza Strip told The Jerusalem Post that some Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) officials were behind the renewed attacks on Israel. “Some Islamic Jihad officials are unhappy with the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a long-term truce,” the source said. “They are apparently acting on instructions from Iran, which is opposed to any ceasefire between the Palestinian groups and Israel.” Another source, however, claimed that some Hamas elements were also behind the recent escalation. Hamas, the source said, is trying to warn Egypt against imposing restrictions on Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh because of his visit to Iran, where he attended the funeral of slain Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. “When Egypt allowed Haniyeh to leave the Gaza Strip last month, it was on condition that he refrain from visiting Iran,” the source added. “Now there’s fear in Hamas that the Egyptians won’t allow Haniyeh to return to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing.” Hamas officials on Monday denied there were any tensions between their movement and Egypt. The officials said that Hamas recently informed the Egyptians that it remains committed to a ceasefire with Israel. The officials, however, accused Israel of “foot dragging” regarding the easing of restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip and urged the Egyptians and the UN to pressure Israel to take immediate measures to “comply with the understandings.”
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