GAZA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army drones carried out Wednesday an airstrike on a group of Palestinians who were launching arson balloons from eastern Gaza Strip into southern Israel; no injuries reported, security sources in Gaza said.

The sources told Xinhua that the Israeli army drones fired a missile at a group of young men in eastern Gaza that were launching arson balloons from the area into southern Israel, adding that no injuries were reported.

There has been no immediate Israeli comment on the airstrike. However, Israeli media reported that the airstrike came in response to releasing incendiary balloons into southern Israeli towns.

Tension between Israel and the Palestinians has been mounting on the border between the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and Israel since the start of the anti-Israel rallies and protests, better known as the Great March of Return, more than one year ago.

Gaza Health Ministry officials said that since the marches started, the Israeli army has shot dead 270 Palestinians, including 57 children, and wounded more than 30,000 others, around 40 percent of whom were shot by live ammunition.