GAZA CITY, Jan 17 — Israeli forces struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip for a second consecutive day yesterday, the army said, saying it was in response to incendiary balloons launched from the strip.

"A short while ago, an (Israeli) attack helicopter struck an infrastructure used for underground activities of the Hamas terror organization in the northern Gaza Strip,” an army statement said.

It said the strike was in response to balloons with attached explosive devices floated across the border during the day.

Such balloons are used to try and start fires in the Israeli farmlands and neighbourhoods near the border.

A security source in the Palestinian enclave confirmed the strike had hit a base belonging to the military wing of Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas, with no injuries reported.

On Wednesday evening, Israeli forces struck Hamas targets in Gaza in retaliation for four rockets fired from the strip.

Israel has fought three wars with Hamas and allied militant groups since 2008. — AFP