Israeli Tanks Shell Southern Gaza on 24th Day of Attacks

The Israeli military alleged in a statement on Sunday that the tank fire had hit positions belonging to the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas, The AFP reported.

There was no immediate report of casualties or confirmation from Hamas.

The Israeli military claimed that the fire had come in response to balloon-borne incendiary devices flown from the direction of the enclave toward the occupied Palestinian territories.

The regime has been using the same excuse to conduct strikes against Gaza since August 6, saying that the alleged devices had caused fires in the part of the occupied territories that are close to Gaza.

On Tuesday, a Qatari envoy reportedly met with Palestinian and Israeli officials in an attempt to ease tensions.

Gaza has been under Israeli siege since 2007, when Hamas rose to power there.

The Israeli regime recently tightened the siege even further by shutting down a crossing through which much of Gaza’s necessities entered the enclave, and completely cut off fuel supplies to the territory. The measures have brought about a closure of Gaza’s sole power plant.

Israel has also barred fishing along Gaza’s coast, where armed Israeli vessels conduct regular patrols, denying the Palestinian territory another key source of livelihood.

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