The Israeli military says it is taking the rare step of closing the Gaza Strip's offshore waters to Palestinian fishermen until further notice in response to incendiaries launched into Israel in recent days.

COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body controlling the crossings with the coastal enclave, announced Wednesday that "due to the continuous launching of incendiary balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip towards Israel," Israel would bar Gazans from using the territory's coastal waters.

Israel often restricts the offshore fishing zone in response to cross-border violence. Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade of the Gaza Strip since the Islamist militant group Hamas took power in 2007.

A cease-fire struck by Israel and Hamas in May to end the worst round of fighting since 2014 has largely held.

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