Gazans continue to launch balloons towards southern Israel

Gazans continued to launch balloons toward southern Israel a day after a 26-year-old Palestinian man was killed and several others injured as thousands of rioters clashed along the border fence with Israel.

Accounts on social media shared pictures of Palestinians launching the balloons on Saturday, with one man saying that they were launching the balloons to honor those killed by Israeli troops.

“We are launching balloons loaded with pictures of the martyrs who were assassinated by the Zionist enemy, and messages bearing threats to them,” one man was quoted by Shebab News Agency as saying.

The man said that while the balloons they launched did not have any incendiary devices attached, “Our message is that if the enemy continues to blockade Gaza, the balloons will be loaded with burning flames and explosives instead of messages and pictures of the martyrs.”

The Hamas-run Health Ministry announced that Ahmed Mustafa Mahmoud Saleh from the Jabalya refugee camp died after he was shot in the stomach during the riots.

Another 15 Palestinians, including five children, were injured during the riots in which demonstrators hurled explosive devices and burned tires. Troops responded with live fire and tear gas.

Saleh was the third Palestinian killed during recent protests along the border fence, including 12-year-old Omar Abu Nil and 36-year-old Hamas operative Osama Duiej.

St.-Sgt. Barel Shmueli, a Border Police sniper, was also killed after he was shot in the head at point-blank range by a Hamas operative.

Palestinian rioters from so-called “night confusion brigades” have been rioting along the perimeter fence every night for the past week in an attempt to increase pressure on Israel to ease the 14-year blockade on the coastal enclave.

Hamas has also warned of more unrest until they receive the Qatari money into the Strip and the lifting of other restrictions on the coastal enclave.

“The Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip are determined to achieve all their demands and not to agree to any more gradual mitigations,” said Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanua. “Our options are open, and all the means and tools are available to pressure the occupation and force it to lift the siege on our people.”

The Islamic Jihad also sent a message to Israel on Saturday, saying its options “will grow and broaden if Israel does not commit to lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian people have a right to take all the required steps to strengthen their political and national rights.”

The violence comes despite Israel announcing several moves to ease restrictions placed on the enclave following 11 days of fighting in May, including expanding the fishing zone off the coast of Gaza, increasing Gaza’s water supply by an additional five million cubic meters, and allowing more Palestinian merchants to enter the Jewish state.

Israel has also completely opened the Kerem Shalom crossing; increased the allowance of goods and equipment for international civilian projects entering; allowed the import of new vehicles into the Strip and the resumption of the gold trade with the West Bank; and increased the number of Gazan merchants allowed to cross through the Erez crossing.