<p>Israel hit Gaza with air strikes on Sunday after incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave caused fires in the Jewish state, with no reported injuries on either side.</p>.<p>The Israeli strikes targeted an open area in northern Gaza and a militant training site belonging to the strip's Hamas Islamist rulers in southern Khan Yunis, Palestinian security sources told AFP.</p>.<p>The strikes came after Israel cut by half the fishing zone off the blockaded coastal territory, a common response following projectile attacks by armed groups in Gaza.</p>.<p>Israel's army had no immediate comment on the strikes.</p>.<p>But the military branch responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories (COGAT) said the fishing zone had been reduced from 12 nautical miles to six.</p>.<p>"The decision was made following the continued launching of incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, which constitutes a violation of Israeli sovereignty," it said in a statement.</p>.<p>Hamas was "responsible for all activities within the Gaza Strip and all actions originating in the Gaza Strip directed towards the state of Israel", COGAT said.</p>.<p>"It will therefore bear the consequences for the violence committed against the citizens of the state of Israel."</p>.<p>Earlier Sunday, Israeli firefighters said they extinguished brush blazes at three spots in the Eshkol region near the border, blaming blaming "incendiary balloons" as the cause.</p>.<p>The balloons are basic devices intended to set fire to farmland surrounding the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave.</p>.<p>On July 12, Israel announced it was re-expanding the fishing zone off Gaza and allowing additional imports into the Palestinian territory but warned the measure could be reversed in response to fresh unrest.</p>.<p>An 11-day conflict in May saw Israel launch hundreds of air strikes on Gaza, and Hamas fire thousands of rockets at Israel.</p>.<p>Prior to the May conflict, the Gaza fishing zone was 15 nautical miles, but Israel reduced it during the warfare.</p>.<p>There has been sporadic unrest since a ceasefire ended the conflict, with incendiary balloons launched from Gaza and Israeli reprisal air strikes targeting facilities belonging to Hamas. No casualties have been reported.</p>.<p>The last time balloons from Gaza caused a fire in Israel was early this month.</p>
<p>Israel hit Gaza with air strikes on Sunday after incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave caused fires in the Jewish state, with no reported injuries on either side.</p>.<p>The Israeli strikes targeted an open area in northern Gaza and a militant training site belonging to the strip's Hamas Islamist rulers in southern Khan Yunis, Palestinian security sources told AFP.</p>.<p>The strikes came after Israel cut by half the fishing zone off the blockaded coastal territory, a common response following projectile attacks by armed groups in Gaza.</p>.<p>Israel's army had no immediate comment on the strikes.</p>.<p>But the military branch responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories (COGAT) said the fishing zone had been reduced from 12 nautical miles to six.</p>.<p>"The decision was made following the continued launching of incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, which constitutes a violation of Israeli sovereignty," it said in a statement.</p>.<p>Hamas was "responsible for all activities within the Gaza Strip and all actions originating in the Gaza Strip directed towards the state of Israel", COGAT said.</p>.<p>"It will therefore bear the consequences for the violence committed against the citizens of the state of Israel."</p>.<p>Earlier Sunday, Israeli firefighters said they extinguished brush blazes at three spots in the Eshkol region near the border, blaming blaming "incendiary balloons" as the cause.</p>.<p>The balloons are basic devices intended to set fire to farmland surrounding the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave.</p>.<p>On July 12, Israel announced it was re-expanding the fishing zone off Gaza and allowing additional imports into the Palestinian territory but warned the measure could be reversed in response to fresh unrest.</p>.<p>An 11-day conflict in May saw Israel launch hundreds of air strikes on Gaza, and Hamas fire thousands of rockets at Israel.</p>.<p>Prior to the May conflict, the Gaza fishing zone was 15 nautical miles, but Israel reduced it during the warfare.</p>.<p>There has been sporadic unrest since a ceasefire ended the conflict, with incendiary balloons launched from Gaza and Israeli reprisal air strikes targeting facilities belonging to Hamas. No casualties have been reported.</p>.<p>The last time balloons from Gaza caused a fire in Israel was early this month.</p>