The Israel Air Force struck a group of Palestinians who launched incendiary balloons and flew them toward Israel from southern Gaza on Saturday, the Israeli army said.

According to Palestinian media, two members of the group were wounded in the strike, one of whom is in critical condition.

The Israeli military attacked a different group setting off incendiary balloons on Friday. There were no reports of any Palestinian casualties from that incident.

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Open gallery view A Palestinian motorbike that was damaged by the Israeli strike on the group that launched flammable balloons southern Gaza on October 20, 2018. Credit:

Also on Saturday, firefighters fought two blazes that were caused by incendiary balloons along the Gaza border. They were aided by Jewish National Fund personnel. A spokesperson for the firefighters and rescue crew said that the fires were under control.

Saturday’s attack followed assessments made on Friday by security officials that this weekend’s protests at the border were the calmest in months. Officials said Hamas had stood along the Gaza border fence to make sure the protesters weren’t seeking to cross into Israel.

The IDF reported that there were three attempts to breach the fence and that grenades and improvised explosives were thrown at the soldiers, who responded with sniper fire and other riot dispersal measures.

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot held an assessment meeting with the heads of Southern Command and the Gaza Division to discuss military operations and army readiness.