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Resources updated Tuesday, May 26, 2020

May 26, 2020

An incendiary balloon launched into Israel from Gaza in an earlier attack (File photo courtesy of Israel Police spokespersons unit)

At least three groups of incendiary and explosive balloons were launched from the Gaza Strip on Monday, announced the terror group Ahfad al-Nasser later in the day, warning that Israel had 72 hours to send medical supplies for the coronavirus outbreak into Gaza, or they would make the Gaza envelope "hell."

The launches of incendiary balloons have become more sporadic in recent months. The last time balloon launches were announced by the balloon units was in late April, and before that in February. While they threatened launches before the Knesset elections in March, none were announced.

Countless incendiary and explosive balloons have been launched by Gaza's terrorists in recent years. They sometimes have books or toys attached to lure children, and some have sparked large wildfires in the past. Israel has threatened and has launched strikes against the Strip in response to continued use of the balloons.

A Palestinian teenager was killed when an explosive device he was working with exploded in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to Palestinian reports.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry announced on Saturday the first death of a Palestinian infected with coronavirus in the Gaza Strip.

The victim was identified as 77-year-old Fadila Muhammad Abu Raida, a resident of Khan Yunis.

Some 35 new cases were reported in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 55. In late April, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the Gaza Strip had only 93 ventilators.

A special team formed by Israel's Health Ministry has facilitated the entry of medical equipment and the establishment of a field hospital for coronavirus patients in the Strip. An outbreak in the densely-populated Strip could lead to a humanitarian crisis.

Gaza terrorist incendiary balloon attacks on Israel return Document