Israeli airstrikes target Gaza sites in first such raids since ceasefire

An Israeli firefighter attempts to extinguish a blaze caused by an incendiary balloon launched by Palestinians from the Gaza Strip (Tsafrir Abayov/AP)

Israeli airstrikes hit militant sites in the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday and Palestinians responded by sending a series of fire-carrying balloons back across the border for a second straight day — further testing a fragile ceasefire that ended last month’s war between Israel and Hamas.

The latest round of violence was prompted by a parade of Israeli ultranationalists through contested east Jerusalem on Tuesday.