IDF forces carried out airstrikes on Hamas infrastructure once again on Wednesday night in response to the continuous launching of incendiary and explosive balloons into Israel from the Strip.

The balloon terror continued on Thursday, with a balloon attached to a grenade found near the greenhouses of Moshav Ohad in the Eshkol Regional Council. Another explosive balloon landed inside the village of Kfar Aza and a third balloon sparked a fire in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, the second fire by 10 a.m.

A total of 33 fires were sparked from incendiary balloons on Wednesday, including one a few meters away from train tracks in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

שריפה על פסי הרכבת סמוך לזמרת – מועצה אזורית שדות נגב. השריפה בשליטה. pic.twitter.com/DVm8NVKXJa

— Yasser Okbi (@OkbiYasser) August 26, 2020

Many fires also broke out in the Kissufim, Shokeda and Bari forests, planted by the Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael, burning about 80 dunams of land, and about 100 dunams on Tuesday.

טרור הבלונים: צוותים פועלים בשריפות ביער כיסופים וביער בארי@Itsik_zuarets (צילום: משה ברוכי יערן קק״ל) pic.twitter.com/1EtVFgadoP

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 26, 2020

Three explosive devices were found in Ofakim and as police sappers arrived at the scene, another explosive device exploded in the air above them. One of the balloons was attached to a hand grenade.

טרור הבלונים: מטען חבלה התפוצץ באוויר ליד חבלנים באופקים, ללא נפגעים. שני בלונים נוספים נחתו בקרבת מקום, אחד מהם נושא רימון יד@pozailov1 pic.twitter.com/rEcdq3sTJY

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 26, 2020

טרור בלוני התבערה: 15 שריפות פרצו היום בעוטף עזה. כוחות כיבוי פועלים בשעה זו מול כמה מוקדי שריפה ביער בארי
(צילום: בטחון אשכול)@Itsik_zuaretshttps://t.co/1wmEw6KwQ8 pic.twitter.com/NB3ooYmOW2

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 26, 2020

The sounds of loud explosions could be heard in the Gaza border area on Wednesday evening from balloons exploding in the air.

Despite the Qatari envoy’s visit to the Strip on Tuesday and his agreement to increase Qatar’s monthly cash payments to $40 million, Hamas continues to threaten that if Israel does not meet the organization’s demands, it will continue with its terror operations.

According to Arabic media reports, a Palestinian source has conveyed that despite the spread of the coronavirus in the Strip, the Hamas balloon units have announced that their goal is to pressure Israel and they will not cease operations.

Hamas has demanded that Israel increase work permits for Gazans allowed into Israel to 100,000, reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing, extend the Gaza fishing zone to 20 nautical miles, expedite several energy infrastructure and industrial projects and allow import of dual-use materials into the Strip.

In the wake of the spread of the coronavirus in the strip, the terror organization is now also demanding that Israel transfer coronavirus testing kits and ventilators into the Strip.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)